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Mastitis deteriorates the quality of raw milk and higher proteolytic activity in mastitic milk has been reported. There are no published studies on the effects of health status of the animal on the casein micelle microstructure, therefore the specific objective of this study was to determine the effects of somatic cell count (SCC) on the dimension and microstructure of casein micelles in raw milk. Raw milk samples were collected from the individual quarter of the dairy cattle in three different levels of SCCs (i.e., low: SCC<200,000, medium: 200,000<SCC<800,000 and high: SCC >800,000 cells/ml) and prepared for study by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results suggested that the size of casein micelle changes in mastitic milk, and there were significant differences in casein micelle microstructure between high and low SCC milk samples. The mean diameter of micelles in medium and high SCC specimen decreases dramatically and SEM micrographs revealed that aggregation of casein micelles increases considerably in raw milk samples, especially in high SCC milk, except for that of low SCC. Increase the activity of proteolytic enzymes such as plasmin and lysosomal enzymes (Elastase, Cathepsin B, D and G, etc) was realized as the main reason of hydrolyzing casein in milk, especially in milk with high SCC, which can be the cause of changes in size and tendency to aggregation of casein micelles in mastitic milk. In addition, decreased milk synthesis ability and reduced steric and electrostatic repulsion among casein micelles might be other causes for this phenomenon.  

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Abstract:Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) has been used increasingly over the last two decades, especially in the pre-cast concrete industry because of its ability to consolidate without vibration even in congested areas. The development of SCC mixture design has been driven mostly by private companies who desired to utilize advantages of SCC. Consequently, there exists limited public information regarding the performance of SCC mixtures. In addition, SCC can be characterized as flowing concrete without segregation and bleeding, capable of filling spaces and dense reinforcement. Further it should be able to flow through, and completely fill the form without vibration. Due to the technical and economic advantages that can be accrued by the use of pozzolans, they play an important role when added to Portland cement by usually increasing the mechanical strength and durability of concrete structures. This paper present, an experimental study on the properties of different self-consolidating concrete mixes containing three types of pozzolanic materials in comparison with SCC mixtures without any pozzolanic materials and conventionally vibrated concrete mixtures. Silica fume, pumice powder and rice husk ash were used for both cement and filler replacements. Various experiments such as slump-flow, J-ring, L-box, V-funnel and sieve segregation resistance were investigated for fresh concrete. Further, compressive strength, water and chloride-ion permeability and capillary water absorption at various days were carried out to determine the properties of self-consolidating concretes. The test results indicated that pozzolanic materials such as RHA and VP can be used to produce SCCs. Regarding the strength properties, the test results showed that the 270-day compressive strength of ordinary SCC is about 70 MPa, while SCC mixtures containing SF, RHA and VP have strengths more than 90, 77 and 76 MPa, respectively. In addition, the results proved that artificial and natural pozzolans enhanced the durability of SCC and reduced the penetration, significantly. For instance, adding 15% pumice and 7% silica fume in the SCC specimen reduced the water depth at 90 days by 19% and 54%, respectively.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of steam treatment on nutritive value of date (Phoenix dactylifera) leaves. Date leaves were chopped and mixed with water or sulfuric acid solution to contain 50% moisture with or without 1% sulfuric acid. Steam treatment of the date leaves was carried out using three levels of steam pressure (14, 17 and 20 bar), three reaction times (120, 180, and 240 seconds) and two levels of acid (0 and 1 percent). The treated samples were analyzed for chemical composition including: cell wall components, ash, total extractable phenolics, water soluble sugars, and reducing sugars. Dry matter loss (DML), enzymic hydrolysis, and in vitro gas production of the samples were also measured. Results showed that steam treatment significantly affected (P< 0.05) cell wall components. An increasing trend was observed in DML by increasing harshness of treatment conditions. The lowest DML (12.7 g kg^-1) was observed in the auto-hydrolyzed (steam treatment without addition of exogenous acid) sample treated at 14 bar pressure and 120 seconds reaction time and the highest DML (78.8 g kg^-1) was observed in the acid-hydrolyzed (addition of 10 g kg^-1acid prior to treatment) samples treated at 20 bar pressure and 180 and 240 seconds reaction times. Steam treatment significantly (P< 0.05) decreased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content but increased acid detergent lignin (ADL). Maximum changes in hemicellulose and water soluble sugars were observed in acid-hydrolyzed samples, in which hemicellulose decreased from 264.6 g kg^-1 in control to 72.2 g kg^-1 in the sample treated at 20 bar and 240 seconds and water soluble sugars increased from 14.0 g kg^-1 in the control to 101.8 g kg^-1 in the sample treated at 17 bar and 240 seconds. Enzymic hydrolysis of date leaves was improved after steam treatment and higher improvement was observed in acid-hydrolyzed samples. Gas production was significantly increased (P< 0.05) in all incubation times after steam treatment. The maximum increase in metabolizable energy (ME) estimated by gas production was from acid-hydrolyzed sample treated at 20 bar and 240 seconds. In auto-hydrolyzed samples, the biggest increase in ME was observed in the sample treated at 20 bar and 180 seconds. The results suggest that steam treatment could be used for upgrading the nutritive value of date leaves in the regions where date is grown and animals are encountered with severe feed shortage.

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Curcuminoids as a natural antioxidant have many therapeutic activities such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and atherosclerosis. Curcuminoids have very low solubility in the aquatic environment, limiting its potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, nanocompleted curcuminoids were added to the pasta with different percentages (0, 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1) and the rheological, physicochemical and sensory properties of the pasta were measured. The results showed that moisture content, ash, protein, and rheological properties of pasta were not significantly different with the addition of nano-micellized curcuminoids. Also, the outflow of solids in the baking water increased and the baking weight decreased. With increasing nanocrystalline curcuminoid percentages, factor L * and a * decreased and factor b * increased. Sensory evaluation by panelists showed no significant difference in aroma, taste and odor but overall acceptance of pasta increased with increasing curcuminoid.

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Objective: In recent decades, the anticancer effect of curcumin has been proven by several studies. Curcumin affects multiple cell signaling pathways and prevents cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. However, the aqueous solubility of curcumin and its bioavailability are very low which restricts its anticancer properties. In this research, we have synthesized a monomethoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-Oleate (mPEG-OA) di-block copolymer and used a surface PEGylated poly (amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer to improve bioavailability of curcumin in cancer cells. Methods: Thecritical micelle concentration (CMC) of mPEG-OA, drug loading efficiencies, and cytotoxicity in the human glioblastoma cell line (U87MG) of all the prepared nanodevices were thoroughly investigated. Results: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies have shown that mPEG-OA have two common nanostructures, micelles and polymerosomes. mPEG-OA micelles had a very low CMC (0.03 g/l). The IC₅₀ of free curcumin (0.01 methanol solution) was 48 μM, curcumin-loaded mPEG-OA was 24 μM , and curcumin-loaded PAMAM dendrimer was 13 μM. Moreover, the PEGylated PAMAM was non-cytotoxic. Conclusion: The results indicated that by using these nanocarriers, the bioavailability of curcumin significantly increased compared to free curcumin. Overall, this research revealed that these curcumin nanocarriers could be considered as appropriate drug delivery systems for curcumin delivery in cancer cells.

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Objective: Infectious microorganisms are major sources of illness and death worldwide, and the leading cause of death in neonates. Effective vaccination of this age group is of particular importance. The lack of a response and greater susceptibility to tolerance are two major features that limit the effectiveness of vaccines in neonates. In this study we compare the cellular immune response generated following antigen injections at different times of life in newborn mice to that of adult mice. Methods: Adult and different age neonate mice were vaccinated with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). One week after the last injection, cellular immunity was assayed on spleen cells that targeted EL4 infected cells using lactate dehydrogenase cytotoxicity assay. Results: Antigen injection induced a decreased immune response in newborn mice compared with mice that had been immunized with subsequent injections.  In the adult group, due to the evolution of the immune system, we observed a stronger immune response. Conclusion: Immunization of newborn mice may induce a reduced response when compared to adult vaccinations. However this can be corrected by the administration of additional booster doses.

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The main material that causes aggregates to adhere to each other and forms a hard object called concrete is the cement paste. Cement paste consists of cement and water. Obviously, the higher the strength of the cement paste, the ultimate strength of the concrete made from the dough will be high. In this research, an additive material as powdered pumice of Bneh-Kohul mine near Bostan Abad and another additive as Mamaghan diatomite were added to the cement paste. Because these two materials have pozzolanic properties, they will exhibit their cementitious properties in close proximity to our cementitious materials and, as a result, are considered as cement materials. Symptoms related to the naming of different mixture ratios are clearly identified in both tables 4 and 5. In brief, the signs that contain the letter P include Pumice Powder and PD symptoms, including Pumice Powder and Diatomite Powder. The ratio of water to cement materials is considered to be 0.35 and 0.4. The results of the experiments have shown that, in terms of water absorption during treatment, all samples gradually absorb water and also show that hydration reactions of cement materials and the formation of crystals continue to occur regularly. In terms of water absorption of 28-day samples according to the ASTM standard, the results show that the porosity of our dough with different ratios of Pumice Powder  or combination of Pumice Powder and diatomite powder, and this porosity is increased by 0.35% To 0.4%. Water absorption during treatment indicates the progression of hydration reactions. While water absorption of concrete specimens at 28 days of age, according to ASTM C642-06, indicates the internal porosity of concrete, including occlusive bubbles and Capillary tubes. It should be noted that the water density of the gel was higher than that of the ordinary water and was about 1.1, and the density of the molecular water inside the crystals resulting from the hydration reactions was higher than that of the gel water. In terms of the compressive strength of doughs that only have pumice  powder additive, their 28-day compressive strength has a loss of resistance, and also for these samples at 90-day age, a slight drop of resistance is observed for the water-to-cement ratio of 0.35 However, for the 0.4% cement ratio, about 10% increased resistance. In the samples that were added to the pumice powder and diatomite powder as additive, the compressive strength changes were as follows: a) for the water-to-cement ratio of 0.35 at the age of 28 days and 90 days, an average increase of 6% Resistance is present and increases resistance for the optimum additive (25%).
b) For water-cement ratio 0.4% at 28 days for 20% additive of compound powder, compressive strength reduction is noticeable, but in the 90-day life it is 5% stronger and for 25% additive compound powder at the age of 28-day and 90-day, both increase in compressive strength of 9% and 16%, respectively. Therefore, adding of the combined of Bostan Abad Pumice Powder and Diatomite Powder is recommended.

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Background: Regarding to chronic nature of epilepsy, side effects and resistance to chemical drugs, and with the objective to access to more effective treatment procedures, herbal medicine have received remarkable interest. The aim of this study was to determine the anticonvulsant effects of hydro-alcoholic extract of Cichorium intybus leaves on PTZ-induced seizure in male mice.
 Methods: In this experimental study, 56 albino male mice weighing 20-25 g were divided randomly into seven groups. All groups were injected intraperitoneally. The negative and positive control groups received saline (10 ml/1000g) and Phenobarbital (40mg/kg) respectively. Treatment groups received hydro – alcoholic extract of Cichorium intybus leaves at doses of 100, 300, 500, 800 and 1000 mg/kg. All injections were carried out 45 minutes prior to the experiment. In order to provoke convulsion, after 45 minutes pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) was injected (80 mg/kg) to all groups and initiation time of myoclonic and tonic-clonic seizures and percent of 24 h death were measured.
Results: The results indicated that the extract delayed the initiation time of myoclonic and tonic-clonic seizures in comparison with control group. The delay was significant at doses of 1000 and 800 mg/kg (P < 0.001) and 500 mg/kg (P < 0.01) for myoclonic seizure and 1000, 800 and 500 mg/kg (P < 0.001) and 300 mg/kg (P < 0.05) for tonic-clonic seizure. Also, the extract decreased the 24 h death.
 Conclusion: It seems the hydro-alcoholic extract of Cichorium intybus have decremental effect on PTZ-induced seizure.

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Introduction: Seizure is one of the most important symptoms of epilepsy and many other neurogenic injuries. Due to the chronicity of epilepsy and the side effects of chemical drugs and drug resistance, with the aim of achieving effective treatment methods and less adverse effects, use of medicinal plants has attracted a lot of attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of Eryngium caeruleum on pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures in male mice.
Methods: In this experimental study the NMRI male mice were randomly divided into six groups of 8 each. Forty-five minutes before the injection of PTZ (80 mg/kg) as a convulsive agent, hydro-alcoholic extract of Eryngium caeruleum (100, 300, 500 and 1000 mg/kg; to the treatment group), saline (10 ml/kg; to the negative control group,) or Phenobarbital (40 mg/kg; to the positive control group) were injected. All injections were done intraperitoneally (IP). The initiation time of myo-clonic and tonic-clonic seizures and death percent within 24 h were measured and P<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The results showed that different doses of the extract delayed the onset of myo-clonic and tonic-clonic convulsions and reduced the percentage of 24-hour mortality compared to the control group, which were significant in the doses of 300, 500 and 1000 mg/kg.
Conclusion: It seems that the hydro-alcoholic extract of Eryngium caeruleum presented decremental effect on PTZ-induced seizure and death in male mice.

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 Introduction: Prenatal exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can lead to structural damage and CNS dysfunction. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of prenatal administration of pycnogenol (PYC) against the negative effects of bacterial LPS on anxiety-like behavior, gonadotropin and sex hormone serum levels, and sperm quality and quantity in the adult male offspring of NMRI mice.
Methods: Pregnant mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10 per group): 1. Saline group: received a single dose of saline as solvent of pycnogenol by gavage for 3 days on gestation days 16-18. 2. LPS group: received a single dose of LPS (20 µg/kg, subcutaneously) on gestation day 20. 3. PYC: received 200 mg/kg/day of pycnogenol by gavage for 3 days, intraperitoneally, on gestation days 16-18. 4. LPS + PYC: received a single dose of LPS (20 μg/kg) on gestation day 20 and pycnogenol (200 mg/kg/day) by gavage for 3 days on gestation days 16-18. After maturity/puberty in male pups (60 days old), the anxiety-like behavior test was performed. After the behavioral test, serum levels of gonadotropins (luteinizing hormone, LH, follicle stimulating hormone, FSH), testosterone hormone and sperm quality were assessed.
Results: LPS administration increased anxiety-like behaviors and decreased serum LH and testosterone levels; however, PYC treatment reversed the negative effects of LPS to normal levels.
Conclusion: PYC treatment improves anxiety-like behavior and gonadotropin and testosterone secretions. Therefore, this substance can be used as a protectant and an aphrodisiac agent.