Dr Azadeh Sadat Zendehbad, an elderly medicine specialist and a researcher in the study of the relationship between olfactory sense and dementia, explained in an interview with ISNA that “Alzheimer’s sufferers suffer from an olfactory disorder before any other clinical symptoms appear.”
Therefore, simple olfactory tests can predict to some extent whether a middle-aged or elderly person is at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
“The most reliable smell test in the world is the UPSIT which is carried out at Pennsylvania University. This smell test in Iran has been standardised by a medical engineering team in accordance with Iranian culture,” she added.
This study was performed on patients at two clinics of cognition of memory disorders in Tehran in three groups of “control”, “mild cognitive impairment” and “Alzheimer’s”.
“Then, to evaluate the olfactory function of the subjects, we used two aromas in the Iranian Smell Identification Test which is an Iranian version of the University of Pennsylvania’s UPSIT,” noted Zendehbad.
The results of this study showed that the Iranian Smell Identification Test as a very simple, inexpensive and accessible screening tool, along with other neuroecological and imaging tools, can detect Alzheimer’s in early stages.
In fact, the olfactory test for Alzheimer’s diagnosis is the cheapest, safest and most accessible means of diagnosing Alzheimer’s very quickly.
The results of the study were published in the January 2020 issue of the Applied Neuropsychology: Adult journal.
Earlier, some researchers from Tehran’s Amirkabir University of Technology based on 24 types of smell familiar in the culture of the country presented a smell assessment test for the Iranian people. It can detect the status of olfactory disorder in less than a minute.
This finding prompted researchers at Tehran University of Medical Sciences to use it in diagnosing dementia.
“The sense of smell is a sensation that is very much related to ethnicity, geography, culture and people’s lives,” said Dr Safa Taherkhani, director of the project. Therefore, it can be said that the sense of smell is “regional”.
“So, the national olfactory test is not valid for other geographical areas and we have conducted studies to design a native olfactory test in the country,” she went on to say.
Taherkhani also added that the test is done by a simple kit. “In this test we expose patients to a series of odors and based on the responses received from the patient, we can assess the status of the olfactory disorder.”
According to her, the test can be performed in less than a minute, easily and with a low cost.
Brigadier General Amir Hatami said on Thursday Iran has some 770 families of products in all combat domains while the figure stood at just 30 before the 1979 revolution.
The top general underlined that the enemy adopted the “maximum pressure” approach to force the closure of production lines across Iran.
However, he added, the defense ministry contributed to the revival of domestic industries, including auto industries.
“With reliance on domestic potentialities and local human resources, we managed to turn threats and sanctions into opportunities and make the most of lab and science infrastructure of the defense industry,” the top general added.
“When the US and Iran are engaged in a dispute, the entire world is saying only India can mediate and resolve it,”RT quoted Adityanath as saying.
Earlier on 12 January Indian daily newspaper Sakaal Times had suggested that India can mediate between Iran and the US.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, however, has not gone so far as to elucidate whether India is ready to proclaim its interest in mediation between the two countries.
Mohammad Raouf Qaderi said at the opening ceremony of the 4th International Shahr-e Aftab Exhibition that “there are positive and negative effects of oil in our country. On the one hand, it contributes to wealth production, prosperity and development of the country, and on the other hand, it makes the economy dependent on oil and decreases attention to the manufacturing sectors.”
“If we compare the oil-rich countries with the oil-free countries, we can see that the economic independence of oil-free countries is far greater,” he said.
Qaderi also referred to the cruel sanctions against the Iranian nation saying that at various levels of the country’s management, there is a belief that the economy should be independent from oil, and this understanding is the result of both a scientific outlook and the sanctions.
“Iran is one of the rich countries in terms of history and nature, and if policy making in this area is done properly, we can make up the deficit in oil revenues by relying on tourism. Tourism is one of the tens of industries that have the potential to receive more attention.”
Another disadvantage of the oil economy is the stateization of the economy because monopoly in this area has made the private and cooperative sectors of the economy very small, he mentioned.
“In order to make the economy non-state and oil-free, we need to separate the policy-making and execution fields so that the government makes the decisions and the private sector implements,” he said.
The fourth export capabilities exhibition of the Islamic Republic of Iran began on Monday, February 4. More than 400 foreign businessmen attended the event which ran until Thursday, February 6.
The exhibition, which has about 70 booths, offers a wide range of products including knowledge-based items, carpets and handicrafts.
The program is part of a collaborative effort to organise an annual event in the global information community that is being held this year with the goal of identifying and supporting innovative solutions to global urban challenges.
This event will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 5-7.
According to global statistics, nowadays, 55 percent of the world’s population lives in cities, and the figure is projected to reach 66 percent by 2050. These cities occupy 3% of the total earth, consuming 60 to 80% of the energy available on earth.
This increase in urban population exacerbates the complexities of social life in cities. In this case, the issue of sustainability will be given greater attention.
Currently, the urban ecosystem is in turmoil with issues like urbanisation, pollution, population increase, climate change, outdated infrastructure, etc.
Due to the participation of various countries in this innovative event and its role in reducing urban hazards, Iran’s Vice Presidency for Science and Technology has supported the creative presence of researchers in this event in Switzerland.
Chahardangeh is one of the six districts of Sari county, Mazandaran province, in northern Iran. Due to its geographical location and pristine forests, the region is a special destination for domestic and foreign travellers.
Several prominent tourist attractions of Sari are located in Chahardangeh district; including Lake of Pele in Alandan village, Mianshah or Churat Lake, and Badab-e Surt.
What follows are ISNA’s photos of Chahardangeh region in northern Iran during winter:
“Comments by Mr. Josep Borrell in these meetings showed Europe is seeking good relations with Iran and trying to preserve the JCPOA,” said Mahmoud Vaezi, the chief of staff of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
“In his meeting with our country’s authorities, the EU foreign policy chief accepted that the Europeans failed to make good on their commitments after the US withdrawal from the JCPOA,” he added.
He said Borrell also stressed Europe’s good relations with Iran and its attempts to preserve the JCPOA, and these comments mean whatever is said about the snapback mechanism will not happen, he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Vaezi condemned Washington’s imposition of sanctions on Ali-Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), and said decisions made by the current US government are not compatible with any logic.
“The US sanctioning of Dr. Salehi will have no bearing on the trend of our nuclear program,” he said.
“In the near future, all technology and development of countries will be handle through space and satellites,” Barari said.
“In this field, one of the priorities of our country is to focus on the space science and space achievements,” added the top official.
“Fortunately, over the past few years, by investing in this sector, have managed to design and produce satellites each of which have specific features,” the deputy minister said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, he touched upon the specifications of the Iranian-made satellite “Zafar” (victory) which is to be sent into orbit in coming days.
“One of the features of the Iranian satellite Zafar is that in can simultaneously send data received from space to 256 space stations in the world,” he noted.
He said one of the important plans is to set the stage to encourage elite and university graduates to begin work in the space sector.
“Despite the US pressures, the course of Iran’s progress has not been halted and our oil-free economic growth will be positive this year,” President Rouhani said in a ceremony on Iran World Award for Book of the Year, held in Tehran on Wednesday.
He also noted that Iran has been withstanding the toughest economic pressures imposed by the enemies, the US in particular, over the past two years, saying Washington has violated the UN resolutions and all international regulations.
The US has not imposed sanctions on a specific Iranian individual, but on 83 million Iranian people without exception, the president deplored, saying the US administration lies that it has exempted the pharmaceutical products from the sanctions.
President Rouhani added that the total value of Iran’s foreign trade during the first 10 months of the current Iranian year, including the exports and imports, has stood at $72 billion, showing a better performance compared to the previous years.
The US was mistaken to imagine that it could bring the Iranian nation to its knees during three months, the president stated, noting that Washington will never succeed to force Tehran to the negotiating table.
President Rouhani finally pointed to his recent meeting with the EU foreign policy chief, saying the Europeans have publicly acknowledged that the US has taken “wrong and illegal” measures.
