Top News of Last Week with ANA
Azad News Agency (ANA) published a number of scientific and technological news during the past week whose top ones are as follows:
Minister: Iran, Iraq to Increase Trade Ties to 40 Billion Dollars
Iranian Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi announced that Tehran and Baghdad have agreed to boost their bilateral trade relations to $40bln in the long term.
Both nations have set ambitious targets for bilateral trade. The agreement reached in the second bilateral trade committee outlines plans to elevate trade volumes to $20 billion in the short term and a substantial $40 billion in the long term, with a focus on achieving trade balance, said Khandouzi after participating in the 6th Iran-Iraq Joint Cooperation Commission.
The recent session of the 6th Iran-Iraq Joint Cooperation Commission, held in Tehran, saw the participation of Iran's Minister of Economy and Iraq's Minister of Trade Athir Dawood Salman in which they underlined commitment to enhancing economic ties between the two nations.
Khandouzi highlighted the enduring growth of Iran-Iraq relations despite challenges, underscoring Iran's support for an independent, advanced Iraq as a pillar of regional stability.
He acknowledged external pressures but affirmed the resilience of the bilateral ties, particularly in political and economic spheres.
Khandouzi prioritized the expansion of economic cooperation with Iraq, citing the increasing momentum in economic and commercial collaborations.
He stressed the importance of addressing obstacles to further bolstering these relations, advocating for regular joint commissions to catalyze progress in economic, commercial, and industrial domains.
Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Sea Water Measuring Device Operating Based on Tomography
An knowledge-based firm has designed and produced a water data measuring device based on tomography technology to measure sea water data such as the temperature and salinity.
The measuring device was unveiled in Tehran-hosted Innovation and Technology Exhibition known as INOTEX, the latest edition of which was held from May 7 to 10, 2024 at Pardis Technology Park, and hosted over 450 innovative and technological companies as exhibitors and more than 10 side events.
The device has been produced by a knowledge-based company as one of its latest products and it is a water data measurement device based on coastal acoustic tomography (CAT).
The CAT measures path-averaged currents from reciprocal acoustic transmission experiments and reconstructs velocity fields from the multiple path-averaged current data, and is useful for monitoring tidal currents in coastal shallow water, especially if data assimilation is employed.
The instrument measures water data such as discharge, velocity, temperature and salinity.
Iran Unveils First Home-Made Triple Wavelength Dental Laser Device
Iran unveiled the country’s first domestically-made triple wavelength laser device for dentistry.
Saeedreza Shahmoradi, the director general of the Department of Medical Equipment of Iran's Food and Drug Administration, unveiled NITA, the triple wavelength laser device, made by an Iranian company.
“All the products made by this company have the European CE standard and its quality can compete with similar foreign samples,” Shaاmoradi said.
He added that the laser device has been designed in two double wavelength and triple wavelength models, noting that its main application is used in oral and dental surgeries, gum diseases, tooth roots, dental prosthesis and dental implants, and even teeth whitening.
"The triple wavelength dental laser model was produced for the first time in Iran by the Iranian experts and is now in the standard and clinical tests stage," Shahmoradi said.
Iranian Scientists Produce Warfarin Drug for Cardiovascular Patients
Head of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration announced that the country’s scientists have achieved the technology to produce warfarin drug for cardiovascular patients.
“The first domestic producer of warfarin will distribute a large amount of the drug in the market in the coming days,” said Heider Mohammadi.
“Warfarin is a special drug and its production requires special conditions due to its limited therapeutic window, and one of the Iranian pharmaceutical companies has succeeded in producing the drug,” he added.
Mohammadi assured the cardiovascular patients that due to the imports of a suitable amount of warfarin drug and its domestic production no restrictions will exist on its supply in the next few months.
Warfarin is an anticoagulant (blood thinner). It reduces the formation of blood clots.
Iran-Made Monitoring System Detects Infection in Human Body
A team of medical engineering students of Islamic Azad University’s Science and Research branch in Tehran succeeded in designing and building a urine monitoring device which can detect blood, infection or problems of the urinary system or dehydration in the human body.
“The filling of the urinary catheter bag and the return of urine, urinary infections and pressure on the bladder are among the problems that most patients face when using the urinary catheter,” Sajjad Qofran, a medical engineering student at the Islamic Azad University’s Science and Research branch, told ANA.
“Our research team has succeeded in making a monitor that, equipped with a red light transmitter (red LED) and an RGB receiver sensor, can detect the passing volume of urine without having contact with the urine itself from the catheter hose and informs it to the nursing stations,” he added.
Iranian Scientists Produce Green Methanol to Reduce Greenhouse Gases
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company succeeded in production of methanol synthesis catalyst, called green methanol, which helps the reduction of greenhouse gases.
“The new catalyst, which is called methanol synthesis catalyst, green methanol, is important in environmental protection,” said Behzad Nematollahi, the head of the methanol and methanation catalyst of the research unit of the knowledge-based company.
“Large amounts of carbon dioxide gas are created in petrochemical complexes and refineries and it is known as a greenhouse gas in the world, which has caused global warming; therefore, by removing this gas and turning it into valuable products like methanol, we both reduce the amount of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and obtain a product with a higher added value,” he added.
“Carbon dioxide gas is an oxidizing gas that deactivates the catalyst. Therefore, we used methods, techniques and combinations in the catalyst to greatly increase its stability and lifetime. This catalyst has the potential to produce a significant amount of methanol,” Nemtollahi said.
Unmanned Ships to Traffic in Oceans in Future
The managing director of an Iranian knowledge-based company, active in the field of Internet of Things (IoT), said that different vessels will use the IoT in the future to traffic in seas and oceans.
“Applications of the IoT in the navigation sector will become more prominent in a few years, and soon we will see unmanned ships in the sea,” Nima Baheri told ANA.
“Most of our company's activity is on satellite internet with a focus on the sea and includes various topics like providing the internet to radio communications, smartening and using the IoT in the sea,” he added.
“We have a wristband that monitors the health of the sailors at any moment, and if for any reason they have to leave the ship or the ship is sinking, it can detect when, where and in what condition the sailors are,” Baheri said.
“There are sensors which can be mounted on marine stations and they can monitor the pollution, water temperature, wave strength, wind speed, and fish traffic in the sea,” he stated.
“As a solution provider, our company offers solutions and supplies the needed software and equipment,” Baheri noted.
Iranian Company Promotes Polymer Products with Advanced Testing Equipment, Methods
Experts of an Iranian technology and research company provide their specialized services to other firms in the country in the field of conducting tests on polymer products.
“Our company has focused on using the knowledge-based products which have national standards and we establish and implement the management and technical system of laboratories and improve the polymer knowledge-based products,” said Somayyeh Moradi, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“Determining the amount of soot and ash in polyolefin pipes and fittings, evaluating the degree of dispersion of pigment or soot in polymers, determining the density of non-sponge plastics (immersion method), measuring the melt mass flow rate, determining longitudinal return, determining tensile properties, determining pipe peeling and polymer joints, determination of volatile substances in polymers, determination of resistance to internal pressure, determination of hydrostatic pressure and crush test are only part of the services of our knowledge-based company,” she added.
Moradi explained that laboratory tests and services in the company rely on specialized equipment like the DSC device, nitrogen and oxygen gas capsule, tubular electric furnace, dissector, optical microscope, thin slicer, scale, thermometer, extrusion plastometer, oven, caliper, CNC machine, tension machine, and crushing test machine.
The Iranian companies have made good progress in producing different types of polymers.
Iran-Made Centrifuge Reactor Separates Associated Petroleum Gas
Specialists of an Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in building a centrifuge reactor that separates associated petroleum gas (APG).
“Our knowledge-based company was able to invent a type of reactor to separate associated petroleum gas by amine absorption method,” said Vahid Reza Dehnavi, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“Fortunately, at the end of last year, this reactor was evaluated and approved by the Oil Industry Research Institute,” he added.
Noting that the APGs have a very low pressure and require equipment with large tools to collect and process them, Dehnavi said, “This centrifuge reactor is capable of processing associated gases at atmospheric pressure, which has resolved the problem in the oil industry.”
Iranian Specialists Perform Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Successfully
The advanced technique of heart valve replacement by angioplasty known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) was successfully carried out in Khuzestan Province's hospital by a team of local specialists.
“Over the past six months, several cases of non-surgical heart valve replacement using the advanced TAVR method have been performed by me and my team at Golestan Hospital in Ahvaz," Habib Haibor, a cardiologist and a professor at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (AJUMS) in Ahvaz, said in an interview with local Iranian media.
"This advanced technique has been performed for the first time in Khuzestan province by a team the members of which all come from Khuzestan at the AJUMS. In this method, using angiography and through the femoral artery, biological heart valve replacements that are made from animal tissue is placed and installed in the patient's heart."
Haibor considered indigenization of the aortic valve replacement technique in Khuzestan as a result of hard work and team work, adding, "In this process, in addition to the team of doctors, the imaging team, the cardiac catheterization laboratories known as cat lab team, the CCU team, the ICUOH team, the laboratory team, the health and management team of Golestan Hospital have taken part and cooperated to perform these two important and relatively heavy operations."
Iran Among Top 10 Countries in Developing Technology, Science to Treat Infertility
Through the efforts of knowledge-based companies and research centers, Iran has become one of the top 10 countries capable of domestically developing know-how and biological sciences to treat infertility and perform In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
Iranian couples had to travel to European countries for infertility treatment in the past decades, but now many couples from other countries, particularly neighbors come to Iran to receive infertility treatment via IVF.
The country has now become one of the top 10 countries in the world in infertility treatment and the treatment costs in Iran are much lower than in other countries. This has been achieved through the efforts of knowledge-based companies and research-service centers such as highly prestigious Royan Institute.
Based in Tehran, Royan Institute is a renowned center that provides comprehensive services for the infertility treatment, regenerative medicine/cell therapy, production of recombinant proteins and development of biological products.
Royan is only of the dozens of research service provider and clinical centers that provide services to infertile couples in Iran.
“Today, there are more than 100 infertility treatment centers in the country. One can say that all types of infertility can be treated inside the country now,” said that Mohammad Reza Sadeghi, the head of Avicenna Research Institute which was founded and is run by the Institute of Applied Science Technology Jahad Daneshgahi (IASTJD).
Iranian Firm Produces Polymeric Micromedicine for Treatment of Nail Fungus
Specialists of an Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in producing a polymeric micromedicine for the treatment of a type of nail fungus.
“This drug is a formulation containing amorolfine in which amorolfine is placed in a type of polymer that is released slowly on the nail,” said Arsalan Pashapour, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“Amorolfine is used to treat onychomycosis, a type of fungal infection of the toes and fingers,” he explained.
Noting that most of the products available in the market are in the form of solutions which are quickly removed and lose their effectiveness, Pashapour said, “But this drug is placed on the nail in the form of varnish and slowly releases the drug after drying.”
“This drug, which will be sold under the brand name Amoronic, enjoys a high adhesion on the nail and is colorless,” he said, adding that sometimes in diabetic patients the shape of the nail changes which is caused by a fungal infection, and this drug can help these patients to minimize the risk of infection and provide faster treatment for them.
Lubrication Needed for Oil Industry Equipment Domestically Produced in Iran
Iran's Research Institute of Petroleum Industry and Iranian knowledge-based companies have locally produced the oil which is used in industry equipment.
During the final day of the 28th Iran’s International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition entitled “Iran Oil Show” on May 12, the lubricants and greases required by oil industry equipment and machinery were unveiled. The lubricants have been produced through cooperation between the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) and a knowledge-based company, according to a report by the communication and information center of the Iranian Vice Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy.
"Last year we signed a contract with Petro-Sakht Company with the aim of commercial development and production of 10 previously-imported specific synthetic oils and greases," Akbar Zamaniyan, one of the managers at the RIPI, said.
"These products used to be imported while they matter a lot in the oil and gas industry," Zamaniyan said.
He further pointed to the oils and greases that are used in rotating machinery and turbines, as well as specific thermal oils produced domestically in Iran, saying, "These oils have been imported and are worth a lot. Having access to them also faced hurdles due to the sanctions. Fortunately, with the locally production of these products by the RIPI jointly in cooperation with the Petro-Sakht knowledge-based company, the production of these oils has developed."
Iranian researchers succeeded in acquiring the technical know-how to make a heat stress relief supplement in broiler chickens.
The plan to acquire the technical know-how to produce a heat stress relief supplement by using certain vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and probiotics in Arian crossbreed broiler chickens with the aim of producing more and better quality products is being carried out by the National Science Foundation of Iran in the form of the post-doctoral project of Leyli Jamshidi, a PhD in animal science from Ilam University.
This research can help to obtain the technical know-how of heat stress relief supplement production, use of biotechnology and nanotechnology to increase the effectiveness of vitamins and determine the appropriate level of nutrients in the conditions of heat stress in Arian crossbreed broiler chickens, and the managers of broiler farms, farms of Mother chickens, laying hen farms and animal feed plants can use the results.
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