Volume 7, Issue 4 (Fall 2021)
Abstract
Backgrounds: Evidence indicating the association of cancers and chronic inflammations is increasing. The importance of urinary tract and sexually transmitted infections (UTIs and STIs) in the development of prostate cancer is still unclear. Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is one of the most important causes of UTIs and STIs. Here, a case-control study was performed on the Iranian population to assess the association between C. trachomatis and prostate cancer (PC).
Materials & Methods: Paraffin-embedded prostate tissue specimens collected from 62 PC and 62 PBH (benign prostate hyperplasia) (as controls) patients were screened to detect C. trachomatis 16srRNA gene using nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) method. A p-value < .05 was interpreted as a remarkable difference using SPSS statistical software Ver. 16.
Findings: There was a significant difference regarding the prevalence of C. trachomatis (p < .001; OR=10.07; 95% CI [2.81-36.001]) between the PC (33.87%) and BPH (4.84%) samples. Furthermore, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were statistically higher (p< .05) in C. trachomatis-positive patients than in patients with negative C. trachomatis.
Conclusion: It could be concluded that patients with a history of C. trachomatis infections are more likely to develope PC. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of C. trachomatis infection may help the prevention of PC. Moreover, nested PCR is a suitable method for C. trachomatis detection in paraffin-embedded prostate tissue specimens.
Volume 13, Issue 1 (6-2023)
Abstract
Today, sustainability is a serious concern of many countries. Many changes in the business environment have changed the functioning of organizations, and in fact, the excellence and sustainability of organizations in the current complex and changing conditions requires the use of a new attitude in formulating organizational strategies. The most important current management challenge of organizations is to achieve organizational sustainability and then balanced movement towards improvement and excellence. Sustainability is related to the organization's ability to monitor opportunities, changes in trends, and risks in the external environment, and its purpose is to create a balance between the financial, economic, social, and environmental interests of the organization in the long term. On the one hand, the ever-increasing economic, social and environmental challenges and on the other hand, the neglect of the sustainable approach to the organization in internal studies, the author decided to provide a framework and model for organizational sustainability by conducting a qualitative study based on the Grounded-theory strategy. For this purpose, an open and semi-structured interview was conducted with 17 managers and experts of petrochemical companies located in Mahshahr Special Economic Zone and university faculty members who were selected by purposeful sampling until reaching theoretical saturation. The analysis of the interviews was done based on three types of open, central and selective coding, and then the organizational sustainability model was designed. Evaluation and refinement of the model was done by a group of experts using the Delphi method. The results of the analysis of the interviews based on Grounded Theory resulted in 174 concepts, 13 categories and 4 core categories. The results showed that managers can by recognizing the factors affecting organizational sustainability (Social pressures, environmental and economic issues), and strengthening the attitude of employees, choose strategies for producing green products and planning, research and development to achieve sustainability and its promotion. The implementation of organizational sustainability will lead to beneficial results and consequences for the people, the owners and the government.
Volume 15, Issue 7 (Supplementary Issue - 2013)
Abstract
Effects of various fertilizers such as farmyard manure (FM), urea, and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR, including the genera Azotobacter and Azospirillium) were checked on yield, fatty acids, protein, and oil contents of sunflower. A two-year field experiment was conducted in a semi-arid region in Iran in 2007 and 2008. The experiment was a split plot in a randomized complete block design with three replicates, with five fertilizer treatments as the main plots and two PGPR treatments as sub plots. Results demonstrated that the integrated fertilizers significantly increased the leaf area index, plant height, grain production, biomass, oil yield, and protein content in comparison with organic or chemical fertilizers. The maximum and minimum oil contents were obtained by applying 100% farmyard manure (F1) and 50% FM + 50% chemical (F3), respectively; however, opposite results were observed for protein content. When higher FM rates were used with PGPR, the saturated fatty acids (palmetic and stearic acids) declined significantly, while unsaturated ones (linoleic and oleic acids) were increased. The highest contents of linoleic acid (52.6%) and oleic acid (39.8%) were observed in F3 and F1 treatments, respectively. Bacterial inoculation also increased the leaf area index, plant height, biomass, grain and oil yields, oil and protein contents up to 12, 3.7, 7.8, 10, 6.5, 5.6 and 5%, respectively.
