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Recently, eutectic solvents (ESs) green treatment of lignocellulose biomasses attracted vast attention due to their properties. Concerning the subject, this paper aims to apply choline chloride lactic acid-based ESs for delignification and cellulose isolation optimization from extractive-free natural cotton pods (EFNCPs) to achieve the highest cellulose extraction and purity and also, consumption of ES-treated cotton pods (ESTCPs) for nano-fibrillation. The structure of each step product was characterized by applying Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG), derivative thermogravimetric (DTG), field emission scanning electron microscopy (Fe-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. As the FTIR diagram shows, respectively decreasing the strength around 1515 and 1740 cm−1 and increasing the intensity of bands at 890, 1030, and 1210–1490 cm−1 are attributed to lignin removal and increasing the cellulose amount during isolation. XRD analysis results show in the extraction and nano-fibrillation process the small peaks, which were related to the lignin and other impurities eliminated and the crystallinity enhanced. The TG and DTG results indicate that during the cellulose isolation process, the narrowness of peak at 200–400 °C increased which is due to the lignin removal. Also, the results of TG and DTG show that during the isolation process by ES, the structure of cellulose fibers is almost unchanged. Also, Fe-SEM and TEM images show that during the isolation process, due to the removal of the non-cellulosic layer surface, roughness increased. The result of this study can be used for cellulose isolation optimization with unique chemical and mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooling procedure markedly diminishes the quality of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) sperms, primarily because their membranes are highly susceptible to this process. This susceptibility triggers the generation of reactive oxygen species and free radicals, ultimately leading to lipid peroxidation in the sperm membrane. Surprisingly, there has been a lack of research on the use of Tris-based extenders to safeguard guinea pig sperm under refrigeration conditions. This study aimed to assess the viability of guinea pig spermatozoa diluted in Tris buffer-based extenders during storage at 5.00 °C. Sperm collection was carried out through castration of the animals. For this study, 10 adult male guinea pigs were utilized, being divided into four groups including phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), human tubal fluid (HTF), Tris-citricglucose (TCG), and Tris-fructose-yolk (TFY) cultures. Evaluations including sperm motility, morphology, plasma membrane integrity, viability, and total count were conducted at 0, 24, and 48 hr after sampling. The results obtained indicated that at the 24-hr and 48-hr marks of the experiment, both overall and progressive motility percentages, viability, plasma membrane integrity, and morphology of sperms in the PBS and HTF cultures exhibited a significant increase in comparison with the TCG and TFY cultures. Consequently, it can be inferred that PBS and HTF cultures are highly effective in preserving the quality of guinea pig spermatozoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Testicular ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury during testicular torsion is strongly influenced by oxidative stress caused by excessive accumulation of unscavenged reactive oxygen species. This study aimed to investigate the effects of intra-peritoneal administration of Mito-TEMPO (MT) on I/R injury in testicular torsion/detorsion (T/D) in mice. Forty-two male mice were divided into seven groups including 1 control and 6 treatment groups (360° T/D, 720° T/D, 360° T/D + 0.70 mg kg-1 MT, 360° T/D + 1.00 mg kg-1 MT, 720° T/D + 0.70 mg kg-1 MT, and 720° T/D + 1.00 mg kg-1 MT). After inducing 360° and 720° clockwise testicular torsions for 2 hr, sperm parameters, apoptosis-related genes expression, and in vivo fertility index were evaluated. The results showed that 720° T/D can lead to increased abnormal sperm morphology, sperm DNA damage, and Bax expression, while the Bcl-2 expression was reduced compared to the other groups. In addition, it also had negative effects on sperm total and progressive motilities as well as viability and plasma membrane functionality (PMF). The results also showed that administration of MT to T/D mice can result in a reduction in abnormal sperm morphology, DNA damage, and Bax expression. It could also increase sperm total and progressive motilities, viability and PMF, Bcl-2 expression, and in vivo fertility index. Based on our results, it is concluded that MT, when administered after spermatic cord torsion in mice, provides significant protection against acute testicular T/D injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of an educational intervention on middle-aged women's knowledge and behaviour regarding various aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Design: Quasi-experimental study involving 150 middle-aged women (divided into experimental and control groups). Setting: Participants were selected from health centres of Tehran, Iran. Method: Data collection included demographic information, knowledge of a healthy lifestyle and healthy lifestyle behaviour. Participants in both the intervention and control groups completed the questionnaires before and 2 months after the educational intervention. The intervention involved 10 minutes of face-to-face training followed by distribution of training booklets provided by the Ministry of Health in Iran. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS. Results: Within the intervention group, significant differences were observed in total healthy lifestyle knowledge and subscales for physical activity knowledge, anthropometry knowledge, healthy diet knowledge, and smoking knowledge, between the pre- and post-intervention periods. Other than for smoking behaviour, there was no significant difference in healthy behaviours pre- and post-intervention for the experimental and also the control group. Conclusion: While there was an increase in knowledge about healthy lifestyles following the intervention, this knowledge increase was not associated with a change in healthy lifestyle behaviours. Attention should therefore be given to other influences including socio-economic factors, mental health status, environmental factors, cultural influences, duration of the intervention and psychological factors if changes in healthy behaviour are to be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Artificial insemination and semen cryopreservation have significantly improved the quality and quantity of cattle production. Through cryopreserved semen and artificial insemination, top‐breeding bull sperm can be used to inseminate thousands of cows worldwide. Objectives: Our study aimed to determine the effect of adding ferulic acid (FA) to a Tris‐based semen extender on frozen and thawed Simmental bull sperm. Methods: Semen samples were collected from three Simmental bulls. Pooled Simmental semen (n = 34 ejaculations) were diluted with a Tris‐base extender containing varying FA concentrations (0.1, 0.15, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.45 mM). After the samples were frozen and thawed, the samples were tested for malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total motility, progressive motility, motility characteristics, and plasma membrane functionality. Results: The control and the groups with the best FA concentrations, 0.25 and 0.35, were compared for in vivo fertility. Fifty‐one cows were inseminated 24 h after the onset of oestrus. A rectal examination was used to diagnose pregnancies at least 60 days after fertilization. Results showed that adding FA‐0.45, FA‐0.35, FA‐0.25, and FA‐0.15 to the semen of Simmental bulls improved total and progressive motility, motility characteristics, and plasma membrane functionality. It also increased GPx and TAC levels, reducing MDA and DNA damage after freezing. The addition of FA did not affect SOD values. The fertility rate in the FA‐0.25 and FA‐0.35 groups was higher than in the control group, 35.29%, with rates of 76.47% and 70.58%, respectively. Conclusions: In conclusion, adding FA (0.15, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.45 mM) to Tris‐based semen extenders can improve the quality parameters of cryopreserved Simmental bull semen and increase in vivo fertility using 0.25 and 0.35 concentrations of FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates silver-doped carbon dots (AgCDs) as a novel agent for chemical castration using a rat model. Six groups of rats (five males and ten females each, except for the surgical group which had only males) were utilized to compare the effects of different concentrations of AgCDs. The groups included control, sham, and three experimental groups injected with 1.25, 50, and 200 µg/mL AgCDs, respectively, along with a surgical castration group. Testosterone levels, sperm parameters, fertility index, oxidative damage, histopathological parameters, and gene expression of P53, Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, AKT, and PI3K were analyzed. Results demonstrated that the high-dose AgCDs group significantly reduced testosterone levels, sperm concentration, and motility, resulting in a decreased fertility index. MDA and NO significantly increased, while CAT, SOD, GPx, and TAC significantly reduced in the chemically castrated groups. Histological and genes expression analysis also revealed apoptosis and testicular damage in the AgCDs groups, indicated by significant increases in P53, Bax, and Caspase-3 levels, and significant reductions in AKT, PI3K, and Bcl-2. Based on these findings, AgCDs could be considered a potent and efficient agent for chemical castration, offering a less invasive, cost-effective solution with potential applications for population control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) is prevalent among postpartum women, with various physiotherapy treatments utilized. Despite the effectiveness of diverse DRA treatment methods and the importance of evaluating its levels and methods, limited attention has been given to this aspect. This study comprehensively investigates DRA, examining evaluation levels and methods, and assessing the efficacy of diverse physiotherapy interventions. Materials and Methods: Online search was conducted in Cochrane, ProQuest, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Magiran databases until the end of 2022, employing the population, intervention, comparison, and outcome framework (population = DRA, intervention = physiotherapy, comparison = control, and outcome = interrectus- distance [IRD]). The JBI checklist and Cochrane Collaboration RoB 2.0 tool evaluated critical appraisal and bias risk. Meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan software. Results: The study included 16 articles with 650 postpartum women. The findings revealed no significant differences in various measurement methods (P=0.25) and levels (P=0.10). Combination therapy demonstrated greater effectiveness than exercise alone in reducing IRD (P=0.04), with tape being particularly impactful (P=0.009). Conclusion: Although sonography evaluation of IRD above the umbilicus is recommended, the study highlights the limitation of diverse measurement methods and levels in determining the optimal physiotherapy intervention. Despite the preference for combined interventions, especially tape alongside exercise for women with DRA, further research is essential due to limited evidence, aiming to provide greater insights into this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myeloid malignancies arise in bone marrow microenvironments and shape these microenvironments in favor of malignant development. Immune suppression is one of the most important stages in myeloid leukemia progression. Leukemic clone expansion and immune dysregulation occur simultaneously in bone marrow microenvironments. Complex interactions emerge between normal immune system elements and leukemic clones in the bone marrow. In recent years, researchers have identified several of these pathological interactions. For instance, recent works shows that the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), from bone marrow stromal cells contributes to immune dysregulation and the selective proliferation of JAK2V617F+ clones in myeloproliferative neoplasms. Moreover, inflammasome activation and sterile inflammation result in inflamed microenvironments and the development of myelodysplastic syndromes. Additional immune dysregulations, such as exhaustion of T and NK cells, an increase in regulatory T cells, and impairments in antigen presentation are common findings in myeloid malignancies. In this review, we discuss the role of altered bone marrow microenvironments in the induction of immune dysregulations that accompany myeloid malignancies. We also consider both current and novel therapeutic strategies to restore normal immune system function in the context of myeloid malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As teaching a foreign language (FL) is a demanding and frustrating career, FL teachers might face different challenges and difficulties which in turn would lead them to quit their jobs. Therefore, FL teachers need to keep their effort, energy, and passion to achieve their teaching goals. FL teacher grit (i.e., perseverance of effort and consistency of interest in FL teaching) is the concept that deals with these issues. In this study, we developed a new FL teacher grit scale (FLTGS) and investigated how FL teacher grit is related to their burnout and different discrete emotions. To this end, a total of 235 FL teachers filled out the questionnaires. The results of the study indicated, firstly, that the newly developed FL teacher grit scale had high reliability and a two-factor model fitted the data adequately. Secondly, findings indicated that both grit components had positive correlations with FL teaching enjoyment and negative correlations with FL teaching anxiety, boredom, and burnout. Finally, the results of relative weight analysis showed that FL teacher grit components can be as important as emotions in predicting burnout. Our findings suggested that the newly developed grit scale could provide us with a valid and reliable tool to assess FL teacher grit. Moreover, our findings suggested that higher levels of FL teacher grit can prevent them from experiencing burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: fertility is necessary for hatchability of broiler breeder eggs. Roosters as half part of the fertility have a great role and with increasing age fertility is declined. It has been revealed that phospholipid fraction of the avian spermatozoa membranes has high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and it is the reason why the spermatozoa are susceptible to free radical damages. To maintain sperm fertilizing ability, an antioxidant defense system is a crucial point. In avian semen the antioxidant system consists of natural antioxidants together with enzymes that have antioxidant characteristics such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and selenoprotein P (SEPP1) protects sperm against free radicals and their destructive metabolites. Antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium (Se) have remarkable roles in avian reproduction. To gain great reproductive performances in breeders, optimum level of antioxidant in diet is thought to be necessary. By using additives such as selenium (Se) we can help delaying this reduction through antioxidant properties of Se. Replacing inorganic Se by new source of Se like the nano form in poultry diets can improve the fertility of broiler breeder eggs. This research was conducted to investigate the effect of Nano-Selenium (NanoSe) in comparison with sodium selenite on serum selenoprotein p (SEPP1) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) content in broiler breeder roosters. Material and Method: A total of thirty Arbor Acres broiler breeder roosters (40 wks.) were randomly divided into five experimental groups. Each of which included 3 replicates of 2 birds. According to the arbor acres broiler breeder manual, the amount of 160 grams of diet was allocated daily for each rooster which had 12% crude protein and 2800 kcal/kg metabolizable energy. After one-week adaptation, birds were fed the corn-soybean meal-based basal diet (T1) supplemented with 0.3 mg/kg Sodium Selenite (T2), 0.15 mg/kg nano-Se (T3), 0.3 mg/kg nano-Se (T4) and 0.6 mg/kg nano-Se (T5). The duration of feeding experiment was four weeks. After the adaptation period, a 2.5 ml of blood sample was taken from each rooster. Two weeks later, in the middle of the research, blood sampling was done again from each bird. Four weeks after the treatment was done at the end of experiment, the roosters were humanely euthanized by cervical dislocation, the 3rd and last sampling was implemented at the end of experiment that as in the previous sampling was done, the blood samples were centrifuged and separated serum was stored in -20°C . Then serum concentration of the antioxidant “SEPP1” was measured by ELISA method and “GPx” was analyzed using a spectrophotometry kit. Results and discussion: By increasing the level of nanoselenium in diet, the serum concentration of SEPP1 and GPx also increases (P < 0.05) and using 0.6 mg/kg nano-Se in the diet reached the highest value. Based on a consideration of all experiment indexes, in this research, 0.6 mg/kg is suggested to be the best level of supplementation of nano-Se, and nano-Se showed higher contents of serum SEPP1 and GPx at the same amounts of nano-Se and sodium selenite supplementation. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of nano-Se was more effective than sodium selenite on serum SEPP1 and GPx concentration of tested selenoproteins in broiler breeder males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infectious keratitis is a serious ocular condition, which can lead to corneal scarring, vision loss, and even blindness. Pediatric infectious keratitis accounts for about 13% of all cases, although there is a lack of comprehensive data regarding keratitis in less than two years of age population group. This study was aimed to determine predisposing factors, clinical characteristics, microbial profile, and management of infectious keratitis in a population of children aged less than two years. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was carried out in a tertiary eye institute over a period of 18 years from July 2005 to December 2022. Collected data was analyzed for demographics, predisposing factors, clinical features, and treatment methods. Results: Fifty-seven cases of keratitis were identified. Age of the patients ranged from 1 to 24 months (Median: 6, interquartile range: 2–10). Thirty cases were male (52.6%). Predisposing factors were identified in 39 cases (68.4%): consisting of prior ocular trauma (n = 15), previous intraocular surgery (n = 11), ocular surface disease (n = 10), nasolacrimal duct obstruction (n = 4), prematurity (n = 3), developmental delay (n = 2), TORCH infection (n = 1), and contact lens (n = 1). Corneal thinning was observed in 29 eyes (50.9%), which progressed to perforation in 13 eyes (22.8%). Three patients developed endophthalmitis (95% CI, 1.5–13.4%). Most eyes had negative smear (60.4%) and culture (59.6%) results. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common microorganism (11 of 21). Candida albicans was isolated in one case. In vitro susceptibility results showed good coverage of the combined ceftazidime and vancomycin regimen (100%). Surgical procedures were carried out in 35 eyes (61.4%) and 15 eyes required tectonic procedures (26.3%). Conclusion: Despite good coverage of medical treatment over cultured isolates, surgical tectonic intervention was required in nearly a quarter of cases to resolve the corneal infection. This finding indicates the necessity of prompt patient referring, corneal sampling and initiation of the treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulation of reactive oxygen species during testicular torsion causes oxidative stress, which in turn causes ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury to the testis. In testicular torsion/detorsion (T/D) in male mice, the purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of Mito-TEMPO (MT) on I/R injury. Forty-two male mice were divided into seven groups, including a control group and six treatment groups (360° T/D, 720° T/D, 360° T/D + 0.70 mg/kg MT, 360° T/D + 1 mg/kg MT, 720° T/D + 0.70 mg/kg MT and 720° T/D + 1 mg/kg MT). After inducing testicular torsion, oxidative enzymes, and testicular histopathology were evaluated. The results showed that 720° T/D resulted in increased testicular malondialdehyde levels and histological damage, along with reduced activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase. Treatment with MT reduced tissue malondialdehyde levels and increased the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase. These findings suggest that MT administration protects against acute testicular T/D injury in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the freezing process of semen, due to the generating of significant amounts of free radicals, the quality of sperm changes. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a green tea catechin, which in this study was applied to investigate its effect on the quality of bulls' sperm. We collected semen samples with an artificial vagina from 12 Simmental bulls to evaluate the effect of EGCG (10.00 and 20.00 µmol) in two cryopreserving methods on the quality parameters of semen. We designed six groups including two control groups (method one and two) and four treatments (EGCG 10.00 µmol + method one; EGCG 20.00 µmol + method one; EGCG 10.00 µmol + method two; EGCG 20.00 µmol + method two). The 20.00 µmol EGCG and a method two significantly affected the amending oxidative conditions as well as an increase in total antioxidant capacity and a decrease in malondialdehyde. The effect of EGCG in both concentrations was more on method two. The desired impact on sperm motility, viability, inhibition of lipid peroxidation and sperm DNA damage was observed in EGCG groups compared to control groups. Among the two methods, the method two had fewer adverse effects on the plasma membrane, motility parameters, viability and DNA of sperm. The EGCG in the semen extender yielded a favorable impact on thawed sperm. This effect was prompted in combination with the method two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a social-interactional positive behavior, the flow of compassion (i.e., selfcompassion, compassion for others, and compassion from others), which refers to sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it, has yet to be investigated in a highly social-interactional context such as foreign language learning classrooms. Thus, the present study adopted an ecological perspective within Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1993) analytic nested ecosystems model to explore how the flow of compassion is rooted in such a context. Sixteen Iranian English as a foreign language learners took part in the current study, and data were collected through semistructured interviews. Employing the framework of the nested ecosystems model, we identified both influential individual and environmental factors underlying the flow of compassion among the participants. The flow of compassion proved to be influenced differently at different ecosystemic levels by individual and environmental factors. At the individual level, negative and positive emotions, fears, non-judgmental attitudes, intimacy, well-being, improvement, motivation, and action were found as influential factors in emerging the flow of compassion. At the contextual level, the identified influential factors included past experiences outside of the classroom, extracurricular activities, institution policy and criteria, cultural and social values, as well as the use of technology and the internet. Limitations and implications of the present study are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine donkey sperm quality after intratesticular injection of hypertonic mannitol (HM) and saline (HS). Methods: Randomly assigned to five treatment groups were 15 adult male donkeys: (1) Control group (no treatment), (2) Surgery group (surgical castration for testosterone control), (3) NS group (normal saline intratesticular injection), (4) HS group (hypertonic saline), and (5) HM group. We injected 20 mL per testicle. We took 5 mL blood from all donkeys before injection. Castration was performed under general anesthesia 60 days later. Samples included blood and testicular tissue. Total motility (TM), progressive motility (PM), movementy features, DNA damage, morphology, viability, and plasma membrane functionality were evaluated. Hormone analyses, histomorphometric studies and oxidative stress indices including total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and NADP+/NADPH were evaluated. Apoptosis, pyroptosis-related Bax, Caspase-1, GSDMD, and Bcl-2 expression were also assessed. Results: In HS and HM groups, testosterone, epididymal sperm count, motility, viability, and plasma membrane functionality dropped while sperm DNA damage increased. HS and HM groups had significantly lower histomorphometric parameters, TAC, GPx, SOD, GSH, and Bcl-2 gene expression. MDA, NADP+/NADPH, Bax, Caspase-1, and GSDMD gene expression were substantially higher in the HS and HM groups than in the control group. Conclusions: Toxic effects of hypertonic saline and mannitol on reproductive parameters were seen following, hence, they might be considered as a good chemical sterilizing treatment in donkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) is a common, troublesome condition that often negatively affects patients' quality of life. Current literature has long been interested in how posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) can affect this condition. Aim: To extensively and systematically explore how PTNS affects LUTD based on the most recent systematic reviews. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. All the systematic reviews, with or without meta‐analysis that assessed the effects of PTNS on LUTD were retrieved. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool, and analysis was conducted using the Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis version 3 tool. Results: From a total of 3077 citations, 20 systematic reviews entered this study, and 13 of them included meta‐analysis. The population of studies varied vastly, for instance, some studies included only children or women while other focused on a specific pathology like multiple sclerosis‐induced neurogenic LUTD. The majority of included studies reported an overall improvement in LUTD following percutaneous PTNS, although admitting that these results were derived from moderate to low‐quality evidence. Conclusion: The findings of this thorough umbrella review showed that the positive benefits of PTNS in treating LUTD are currently supported by low‐quality evidence, and it is crucial to interpret them with great care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The majority of children affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are thought to be asymptomatic, with a lower mortality rate than adults. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors associated with mortality in children with COVID-19. Methods: In this study, all patients were under 19 years of age, and their COVID-19 was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. Primary data were related to underlying diseases, clinical and laboratory information, mortality, or safe discharge. The recorded data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 18), taking into account the significance level of < 0.05. Results: Of the 183 children enrolled in the study, the mortality rate was 13.67%. The major risk factors for death were clinical manifestations involving central nervous system (CNS) diseases (P = 0.006), platelet (PLT) count (P = 0.020), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (P < 0.001), alanine transaminase (ALT) (P = 0.033), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (P < 0.001), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (P < 0.001) as laboratory measurements, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the underlying disease with an odds ratio of 10.94. Conclusions: The study concluded that the factors associated with death were laboratory measures, such as CRP, ESR, hemoglobin, and liver enzymes, and potential diseases, such as cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease, which is caused by the CFTR protein defects due to mutations in the CFTR gene. Along with CFTR dysfunction, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency plays a key role in persistent fat malabsorption in CF patients; therefore, deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) is still a therapeutic challenge. Even with efficient pancreatic enzyme medication and CF-specific vitamins, many patients with CF have fat-soluble vitamins deficiency. The present study aims to evaluate the efficiency of nanomicelle formulation of fat-soluble vitamins in children with CF in order to achieve the appropriate serum levels of these vitamins. Methods: This prospective, single-blind control trial will be conducted at the Akbar Children's Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. Patients with CF will be enrolled based on the eligibility criteria. The control group will receive the standard formulation of fat-soluble vitamins similar to the routine CF treatment, and for the intervention group, the nanomicelle formulation of fat-soluble vitamins will be administered for 3 months. The primary outcome of this study is the measurement of serum levels of fat-soluble vitamins. The secondary outcomes are clinical assessment by the Shwachman-Kulczycki score, anthropometrics, and quality of life. Outcomes will be assessed before and after 3 months. Discussion: Due to persistent fat-soluble vitamin deficiency in CF disease, the nanomicelle formulation could be proposed as a new delivery method of fat-soluble vitamins in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20220415054541N1. Registered on July 23, 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to statistics, over half a billion vehicles are moving on the roads worldwide. All vehicles have a license plate as their primary identifier, which is one of the most suitable tools for vehicle identification. Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) can be effective in improving road security, reducing traffic congestion, enhancing transportation efficiency, preventing car theft, and more. Traditional methods proposed for license plate detection mainly relied on manual feature extraction and lacked could not be generalized to variable image components in different conditions. With recent advancements in deep learning, algorithms have emerged that can automatically extract high-level representations of images in addition to learning complex image structures. Therefore, in this paper, the high capacity of deep neural networks is utilized for learning license plate identifiers. The proposed model consists of two stages: license plate localization and plate identification. For localization, a combination of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) is used in an encoder-decoder network. The proposed model is evaluated on two datasets, FZU Cars and Stanford Cars, and based on the experimental results, it outperforms baseline methods in terms of accuracy on both datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of machine translation (MT) systems and their application in performing translation projects gave a crucial position to the evaluation of these systems’ outputs. Recently, the Google Translate MT system added the central accent of the Kurdish language to its language list. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the acceptability of the translated texts produced by the system. Different text typologies have been considered for the study’s data. To evaluate the MT outputs, the bilingual evaluation understudy evaluation model has been administered. The findings show that the performance of the understudy MT system in the translation of English into the Sorani accent of Kurdish is affected by some linguistic and technical hindrances, which in general affect the acceptability of translated text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature frequently serves as an inspiration for modern robotics innovations that emphasize secure human–machine interaction. However, the advantages of increased automation and digital technology integration conflict with the global environmental objectives. Accordingly, biodegradable soft robots have been proposed for a range of intelligent applications. Biodegradability provides soft robotics with an extraordinary functional advantage for operations involving intelligent shape transformation in response to external stimuli such as heat, pH, and light. Soft robot fabrication using conventional manufacturing techniques is inflexible, time‐consuming, and labor‐intensive. Recent advances in 3D and 4D printing of soft materials and multi‐materials have become the key to enabling the direct manufacture of soft robotics with complex designs and functions. This review comprises a detailed survey of 3D and 4D printing advances in biodegradable soft sensors and actuators (BSSA), which serve as the most prominent parts of each robotic system. In addition, a concise overview of biodegradable materials for the fabrication of 3D‐printed flexible devices with medical along with industrial applications is provided. A complete summary of current additive manufacturing techniques for BSSA is discussed in depth. Moreover, the concept of biodegradable 4D‐printed soft actuators and sensors and biohybrid soft robots is reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, holocellulose was extracted from milled barley straw with different mesh sizes using Laccase enzyme. After extraction, a dual composite was made using montmorillonite clay to remove methylene blue dye from synthetic effluent. Results of different analysis methods including scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and BET revealed that prepared nanocomposite presented desired specifications, and for smaller mesh sizes, derived holocellulose had higher quality due to high specific surface area. Response surface methodology was employed to reduce the number of experiments for methylene blue adsorption experiments and to achieve an empirical model for prediction of adsorption efficiency at different operating conditions. The effect of different factors including solution temperature, pH, initial dye concentration, and mesh size of milled barley straw on dye adsorption performance by prepared composite was examined. Maximum removal efficiency was obtained about 95% at temperature of 32 °C, pH of 8, initial dye concentration of 4 mg L−1, and mesh size of 70. Also, isotherm studies were performed on experimental data using Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models and results revealed that the adsorption process follows Langmuir model with maximum predicted adsorption capacity of 159 mg g−1, which implies monolayer adsorption. Moreover, thermodynamic study revealed that adsorption of methylene blue is endothermic and spontaneous while enthalpy and Gibbs free energy of adsorption are positive and negative, respectively. Finally, adsorption kinetic study determined that the pseudo-second-order kinetics model with correlation coefficient of about 1 best fitted the experimental results which is the characteristic of chemisorption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this novel bench-top experimental and statistical investigation, the effects of influencing parameters on cellulose extraction have been studied and optimized. Chemically isolated cellulose was used at the optimum condition for the purpose of cellulose nanofiber preparation by deep eutectic solvent (DES) application. For this purpose, the Taguchi method was applied for experimental design. Six parameters which have more signal-to-noise ratio were selected as influencing parameters. These parameters consist of solvent ratio for dewaxing, depectinization pH and time, delignification pH and time, and pH of hemicellulose removal. The effect of these parameters on the cellulose extraction was modeled and optimized by the application of artificial neural network (ANN), coupled with genetic algorithm (GA). The ANN model, by establishing of feedforward backpropagation network with topologies 6, 13, and 1, was applied to model the relation between the extraction condition and cellulose extraction. The results confirmed that the best neural network structure has the ability of cellulose extraction yield prediction with an acceptable level of accuracy. The optimization results show the maximum cellulose extraction would be achieved at the following conditions: pectin extraction time of 1.62 h, delignification time of 2.19 h, the solvent ratio for dewaxing of 0.89 (V/V%), depectinization pH of 2.06, delignification pH of 5.48, and hemicellulose removal pH of 11.36. Under these conditions, the experimental extraction condition yield was 91.7% for cellulose extraction, which matched with the predictive extraction yield of 92.3%. Chemically extracted cellulose at the above condition was applied to prepare cellulose nanofibers. For this purpose, choline chloride–lactic acid–based DES pretreatment was used. The structure of the extracted cellulose and prepared cellulose nanofibers by the application of FTIR, XRD, Fe-SEM, and TEM methods was characterized. The XRD diffractograms alongside with FTIR analyses show that in the extraction process by impurity elimination, the crystallinity index increases. Also, as the characterization results show, by the DES application, glyosidic bonds were cleaved, enhancing the crystallinity and nanofibrilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Posterior urethral injuries in men commonly occur following pelvic and perineal trauma. Erectile dysfunction (ED), whether brought on by the severity of the initial trauma or the surgery itself, is one of the complications in these patients. Materials and methods: In this study, we divided candidates of posterior urethroplasty due to traumatic urethral injury into intervention and placebo groups; the former received continuous treatment with tadalafil (10 mg daily), and the latter received a placebo. Other services were provided equally to both groups. Before and after the intervention, both groups completed the International Index of Erectile Function version 5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire, and the findings were analyzed. Results: Forty patients were studied in groups of 20 with a mean age of 43.87 ± 15.70 years. The patient's most common cause of urethral injury was a pelvic fracture. Before the intervention, the mean scores of IIEF for patients in the intervention group and placebo group were 14.85 ± 7.39 and 14.77 ± 6.48, respectively with no statistical significance (p = 0.962) and patients of the groups were similar in terms of the severity of ED. The mean IIEF score in the intervention group was 20.12 ± 4.94 and in the placebo group, it was 18.05 ± 4.88 at the three-month follow-up, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.063). In both the intervention and placebo groups, the IIEF score was significantly increased by 5.27 ± 4.04 (p < 0.001) and 3.27 ± 2.97 (p < 0.001), respectively. The rate of IIEF increase in the intervention group was higher than in the placebo group during the follow-up at 3-month follow-up with statistical significance. (p = 0.022). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that tadalafil, in a 3-month treatment course, may improve erectile function in individuals with mild-to-moderate ED, significantly more than placebo. However, more studies, specifically with longer duration of follow-up and larger populations, are necessary for generalizing the current findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objectives: Telephone follow-up (TFU) is a method that can be recommended for patients with chronic disease, including patients with nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB). This project aimed to improve postdischarge TFU of patients with TURB in a tertiary care system and referral system in Tabriz, Iran. Methods: This evidence implementation project used the JBI evidence implementation framework. Two audit criteria were used. A baseline audit was conducted, followed by the implementation of multiple strategies. The project was finalized with a follow-up audit to evaluate changes in practice. Results: The aggregated data collated from the urology ward demonstrated that all criteria had achieved 0% compliance in the baseline audit round. Strategies such as patient education about TFU, educational pamphlets developed according to the latest validated guidelines, and a mobile app for education material about bladder cancer, diagnosis, management, and follow-up were implemented. The Phase 3 follow-up showed an 88% increase in compliance with staff education about the postdischarge TFU as a component of comprehensive discharge planning and a 22% achievement of timely patient follow-up by telephone. Conclusions: A clinical audit is an effective approach to promoting postdischarge TFU in bladder cancer cases following TURB. TFU for bladder cancer patients who underwent TURB is an optimal goal that is easily achieved through patient, nursing staff, and residents' education using the latest guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep quality is defined as an individual's consent to sleep experience. Poor sleep quality has important adverse health outcomes. There are drugs to treat sleep disorders but consumption of these drugs is accompanied by adverse effects whereas herbal treatments have fewer side effects. Saffron is spice obtained from Crocus sativus flower. Several articles have been done on its effects on the quality of sleep and its safety. This review for the first time critically evaluates effect of saffron on sleep quality improvement. Method: The search technique aims to get all related published data-based up to 2022 articles. PubMed, Central, Google Scholar, and Scopus were examined. Only full reports were evaluated (abstracts were excluded). The first screening was done by title and abstract. Then full text of articles was read and irrelevant articles were removed. Duplicate articles were also removed by Endnote. By using Cochrane risk of bias tool assessment, a quality score based on probability of bias was given. Methodological characteristics were also evaluated using the criteria of Stevinson and Ernst. Result: In the systematic review, 5 randomized clinical trials with 379 participants from 3 countries were identified. In placebo-comparison trials, saffron contains a large treatment. Conclusion: It seems that saffron has a beneficial influence on duration and quality of sleep. Saffron, crocin, and safranal induce hypnotic effects by increasing the duration of sleep. Research conducted so far provides initial support and safety for use of saffron to improve sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of cerium and tungsten addition to optimize the deNOx activity of V2O5/TiO2 catalysts over a broad temperature range in the catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR) with and without the presence of water. The catalysts were synthesized following co-impregnation of TiO2 with different loadings and varying content of V2O5, CeO2 and WO3 oxides as promoters. Based on surface and bulk characterization, we show that all catalysts undergo different structural changes depending on the chemical nature of the promoters. X-ray photoelectron spectra indicate a tendency for surface reduction after addition of CeO2, surface oxidation after addition of WO3, and after catalytic NH3-SCR. Promotion of V2O5/TiO2 catalysts with CeO2 and/or WO3 broadens the operation temperature window of the catalytic NH3-SCR reaction under both dry and wet conditions and improves the N2 selectivity at high temperatures. The thermal deactivation resistance of CeO2- and WO3-promoted catalysts improves with increasing amount of WO3. We tentatively relate this to suppression of the sintering of the active VOx component and increasing the amount of CeVO4. The latter, as a consequence of Ce-V interaction, detrimentally changes the surface composition of the catalysts and hides active V in the bulk structure inaccessible for reaction. Water slightly decreases the overall catalytic activity of SCR at low temperatures, while preventing the formation of N2O at elevated temperatures. Addition of CeO2 leads to a slight decrease in overall reducibility of the catalysts, while W causes an enhancement in quantitative H2 uptake. On the contrary, the sole addition of CeO2 leads to an enhancement of ammonia adsorption and the appearance of new acidic surface sites, which beneficially combine the reduced surface of the catalysts with an enhanced deNOx activity at low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sperm survives for a very short time in fresh semen, and slow cooling to 5.00 °C kills a large number of sperms. This study was aimed to compare the semen quality parameters and anti-oxidant levels in four extenders (manual, Triladyl, Steridyl and AndroMed). Semen samples were obtained from a total number of 12 dual-purpose Simmental bulls kept in the Simmental Cattle Breeding Center for a period of 3 months using an artificial vagina. Sperm viability, motility, abnormal morphology, plasma membrane integrity, DNA damage, chromatin quality, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidation were evaluated. The highest progressive motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity, and TAC and the lowest levels of malondi-aldehyde in the frozen-thawed semen belonged to the semen group frozen with Triladyl. Parameters of motility were higher in the frozen-thawed semen with Triladyl than in other groups, indicating a significant difference from the manual extender. Among the extenders studied, Triladyl was the most suitable for semen freezing in Simmental bulls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigates the effects of cryopreservation and supplementation of Azeri water buffalo's semen with proline (Lp) and fulvic acid (FA). Objectives: Therefore, this study aimed to assess motility parameters, sperm viability, oxidative stress parameters, and DNA damage to detect the optimum concentrations of Lp and FA for buffalo semen cryopreservation. Methods: Thirty semen samples of three buffalo bulls were diluted in Tris‐egg yolk extender and divided into 12 equal groups including control (C), Lp‐10, Lp‐20, Lp‐40, Lp‐60, Lp‐80 (containing 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 mM L‐proline, respectively), FA‐0.2, FA‐0.5, FA‐0.8, FA‐1.1, FA‐1.4 and FA‐1.7 (containing 0.2%, 0.5%, 0.8%, 1.1%, 1.4% and 1.7% fulvic acid, respectively). Results: The velocity parameters, TM and PM were improved by FA‐1.7, FA‐1.4, Lp‐40 and Lp‐60 groups compared to the C group but no significant difference was found regarding the amplitude of lateral head displacement and straightness compared to the control groups. The percentage of sperm viability and PMF were increased by FA‐1.7, FA‐1.4, FA‐1.1, Lp‐40 and Lp‐60 groups compared to C group, while in terms of sperm DNA damage FA‐1.7, FA‐1.4, FA‐1.1, Lp‐10, Lp‐20, Lp‐40 and Lp‐60 groups showed better results compared to C group. The results also showed that FA‐1.7, FA‐1.4, FA‐1.1, Lp‐20, Lp‐40 and Lp‐60 groups could improve TAC, SOD, GSH and decrease MDA levels. Also, FA‐1.7, FA‐1.4, Lp‐20 and Lp‐40 groups could improve GPx levels but just FA‐1.7, and Lp‐40 groups could improve CAT levels compared to C group. Conclusions: Thus, it can be concluded that L‐proline and fulvic acid supplementations can improve the quality parameters of post‐thawed buffalo bull semen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many high power (opto-) electronic devices such as transistors, diodes, and lasers suffer from significant hot spot temperature rises due to the high heat fluxes generated in their active area, which limits their performance, reliability, and lifetime. Employing high thermal conductivity materials near the heat source, known as near-junction heat spreaders, offers a low-cost and effective thermal management approach. Here, we present analytical heat spreader models and a methodology to evaluate their performance. Experimental demonstration of near-junction diamond heat spreaders on vertical GaN PiN diodes revealed significantly reduced spreading resistances, along with very low temperature gradients across the device. The findings in this work provide design guidelines and demonstrate excellent prospects, especially for the devices on low thermal conductivity substrates. The theoretical analysis of optimized diamond heat spreaders shows an 86% reduction of spreading resistance for GaN devices and 98% for Ga2O3 devices. In addition, our results show that a 3 μm-thick layer of high-quality CVD-deposited diamond heat spreaders on GaN-on-Si devices can provide better heat spreading than GaN-on-SiC devices and perform similar to GaN-on-diamond devices, highlighting the significant potential of heat spreaders as an effective and low-cost thermal management approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comprehensive scoping review aimed to identify all up-to-date original publications relating to substitute materials used for the surgical treatment of Peyronie's disease (PD), and characterize what material in which chronological trends were published in the current literature. Using the PCC framework (P: population, C: concept, and C: context), a search strategy was developed and used in four electronic databases, in addition to the Google scholar. All current published, in-press, and pre-print manuscripts with available English full-text were included. Eligible studies were required to be original research articles of any study design, reporting the usage of grafts on surgical treatment of PD. Included studies were reported in a narrative synthesis format. A total of 3379 articles were identified via an electronic search of databases and a total of 171 articles entered this scoping review. Most studies originated from Europe (n = 72) and North America (n = 66). Reports from the other continents increase in number in the 21st century. Highest number of the published papers was seen in 2001 to 2005 pentad. Autologous grafts (53.5%). Allografts (22.7%) and xenografts (15.7%) were the most frequently reported materials. Time flow of the used material and the alterations in trends for them is quite considerable. A global perspective of relevant publications on substitute materials in the surgical management of PD is presented in this review. The information in this summary may assist in establishing future research priorities in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taylorella equigenitalis is the causative agent of Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) and is a severe epidemic that causes interim infertility in the horse nurture industry. Nowadays, the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique is applied to detect these bacteria as one of the most sensitive and the fastest methods. In the current study, T. equigenitalis was followed by sampling from northwest of Iran in summer 2021 in clitoris sinusoidal-fossa and urinary tract in 210 mares and 30 stallions. Mares' age range was 3 to 20 years old and stallions' age range was 4 to 10 years old. Two swabs one for culture, and the other was used for PCR in equine clitoris sinusoidal and mares' urinary tract sinus. They were transferred to the veterinary microbiology laboratory of the University of Tabriz. In received samples, investigation with bacterial culture method in chocolate agar medium and oneweek presence in CO2, the examination was not successful; but we observed three positive samples from 240 cases (3 mares) with the genotypic method after DNA extraction and PCR in received samples for studied horses of Ardabil province and one sample (mare) was positive in West Azerbaijan. East Azerbaijan didn't have a positive sample among 80 cases. This study shows that the rapid method for recognition of T. equigenitalis by using PCR is based on bacterial genome 16S rDNA part and it is a special technique with high-level features against culturing cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of spermatozoa survival time is a major problem of canine chilled sperm for artificial insemination. The current study looks at the possible advantages of chilling canine sperm to 4.00 °C for three days using Tribulus terrestris aqueous extract (TTAE). Three mixedbreed dogs were utilized to extract 24 ejaculates, which were then diluted in a Tris-based extender. The ejaculates were then divided into five groups including 20.00, 40.00 and 50.00 µg mL-1 of TTAE, sham (distilled water devoid of TTAE) and control (without TTAE) groups. During the three days of experiment, several parameters were measured every 24 hr. It was noticed that after 48 and 72 hr of liquid storage, total and progressive motilities were greater in the group with the 40.00 µg mL-1 TTAE concentration than the control group. Compared to the control group, the group with the 40.00 µg mL-1 TTAE concentration exhibited superior motility and viability. The percentages obtained from the hypo-osmotic swelling test were much greater. In contrast to the control group, DNA integrity was poorer in the 40.00 µg mL-1 TTAE concentration. After 72 hr of storage, the group with 40.00 µg mL-1 TTAE concentration had lower malondialdehyde levels but considerably greater total anti-oxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase levels than the control groups. The current study found that supplementing the semen extender with 40.00 µg mL-1 TTAE improves semen parameters after 72 hr of storage at 4.00 °C, and therefore can improve fertilization efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cancer is considered as a large group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth, which results in an alarming rise in the mortality rate at the worldwide level. Presently, the main point of interest in pharmaceutical research is the development of the novel and efficient anticancer drugs based on natural sources. In this regard, plants, and some microbial species, due to their composition, ecology, phytochemical, and ethnopharmacological properties, play a significant role. Accordingly, a series of plant-derived bioactive compounds are in the clinical development phase against cancer. The present review highlights the significance of several medicinal plants, plant extracts, and their bioactive compounds for their potential anticancer activities. The presented results can be useful for researchers in developing novel anticancer drugs, public health specialists, and for the public in general. Cancer is one of the major deadly diseases globally. The alarming rise in the mortality rate due to this disease attracks attention towards discovering potent anticancer agents to overcome its mortality rate. The discovery of novel and effective anticancer agents from natural sources has been the main point of interest in pharmaceutical research because of attractive natural therapeutic agents with an immense chemical diversity in species of animals, plants, and microorganisms. More than 60% of contemporary anticancer drugs, in one form or another, have originated from natural sources. Plants and microbial species are chosen based on their composition, ecology, phytochemical, and ethnopharmacological properties. Plants and their derivatives have played a significant role in producing effective anticancer agents. Some plant derivatives include vincristine, vinblastine, irinotecan, topotecan, etoposide, podophyllotoxin, and paclitaxel. Based on their particular activity, a number of other plant-derived bioactive compounds are in the clinical development phase against cancer, such as gimatecan, elomotecan, etc. Additionally, the conjugation of natural compounds with anti-cancerous drugs, or some polymeric carriers particularly targeted to epitopes on the site of interest to tumors, can generate effective targeted treatment therapies. Cognizance from such pharmaceutical research studies would yield alternative drug development strategies through natural sources which could be economical, more reliable, and safe to use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress (HS) has caused relative hypoxia, oxidative stress and high level of homocysteine, which contributes significantly to fertility failures in bulls. The aim of present study was to evaluate the role of dietary betaine (BET) in improving dual purpose Simmental (Fleckvieh) post-thawed semen quality especially during the hottest summer days. A total number of 16 mature bulls were randomly assigned to three equal groups including: 1) Control condition (without betaine), 2) BET1: 57.00 mg of betaine kg-1 per day and 3) BET2: 114 mg of betaine kg-1 per day, through daily intakes for 90 days in summer. Plasma levels of homocysteine, seminal plasma antioxidants levels and sperm parameters such as DNA fragmentation, chromatin integrity, motility, viability, morphology and membrane integrity were evaluated. Under maximal HS, serum homocysteine concentrations were reached 16.67 ± 0.09 µmol L-1. Dietary betaine supplementation influenced DNA fragmentation of sperm and was higher in the control group compared to BET2 group. There were significant decreases in seminal plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and sperm viability and motility in bulls treated with betaine. The activity of GPx and SOD in the control group was increased up to 0.08 ± 0.00 U mg-1 protein and 0.52 ± 0.01 U mg-1 protein in seminal plasma. There were no significant differences between groups in the percentage of swollen spermatozoa, membrane integrity, sperm morphology, abnormal head morphology and percentage of spermatozoa stained with aniline blue. In conclusion, BET supplements improved semen parameters in sperm motility, sperm viability and influenced DNA fragmentation during HS with reduction in serum homocysteine concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a virus that is endemic in some parts of the world, and as a pathogen, it can lead to severe infections in humans. Since no antiviral treatment is currently available and the only way of confrontation is prevention and identification of infected blood, this study was performed to determine the frequency of antibodies against HTLV-1 in patients with rare bleeding disorders receiving blood in Zahedan. Methods: The study population included 180 patients with rare bleeding disorders referred to Ali Asghar Hospital in Zahedan selected by census method and 90 healthy individuals who referred to hospital lab selected by convenience sampling method in 2020. Age range was 1 to 39 years. Blood samples were collected from all participants and antibody test against HTLV-1 was confirmed using ELISA kit and positive ELISA test was confirmed using Real-time PCR. Findings: In the case group, there were 86 men (47.8%) and 94 women (52.2%) and in the control group there were 43 men (47.8%) and 47 women (52.2%). Antibodies against HTLV-1 were found in 2 patients (1.1%) with rare bleeding disorders and none in healthy individuals. The first was a 29-year-old man with Glanzmann's disease who had severe Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. The second case was a 23-year-old woman with severe forms of factor V and factor VIII deficiency whose family history of Rare Bleeding Disorders (RBD) was positive. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the risk of HTLV-1 transmission through plasmainduced blood products and new types of coagulation factors seems negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a virus that is endemic in some parts of the world, and as a pathogen, it can lead to severe infections in humans. Since no antiviral treatment is currently available and the only way of confrontation is prevention and identification of infected blood, this study was performed to determine the frequency of antibodies against HTLV-1 in patients with rare bleeding disorders receiving blood in Zahedan. Methods: The study population included 180 patients with rare bleeding disorders referred to Ali Asghar Hospital in Zahedan selected by census method and 90 healthy individuals who referred to hospital lab selected by convenience sampling method in 2020. Age range was 1 to 39 years. Blood samples were collected from all participants and antibody test against HTLV-1 was confirmed using ELISA kit and positive ELISA test was confirmed using Real-time PCR. Findings: In the case group, there were 86 men (47.8%) and 94 women (52.2%) and in the control group there were 43 men (47.8%) and 47 women (52.2%). Antibodies against HTLV-1 were found in 2 patients (1.1%) with rare bleeding disorders and none in healthy individuals. The first was a 29-year-old man with Glanzmann's disease who had severe Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. The second case was a 23-year-old woman with severe forms of factor V and factor VIII deficiency whose family history of Rare Bleeding Disorders (RBD) was positive. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the risk of HTLV-1 transmission through plasma-induced blood products and new types of coagulation factors seems negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An analysis of red blood cell alloimmunization in patients with thalassemia can help to devise specific strategies to decrease the alloimmunization rate. This study explored the frequency and specificity of alloantibodies and autoantibodies against red blood cell (RBC) antigens in patients with thalassemia referring to the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) Immunohematology Reference Laboratory (IRL) in Tehran. Materials and Methods: This study first examined the laboratory records of 23,113 patients suffering from different diseases referring to IBTO's IRL for pretransfusion testing in the 2008-2015 period. ABO and Rh(D) typing and antibody screening tests were performed for all 23,113 patient records and 685 (2.97%) betathalassemia patients with positive pre-transfusion test results (antibody screening and/or DAT) were selected for further investigation. Results: The antibody screening test was positive in 640 out of 685 thalassemic patients (93.4%). DAT was performed for 529 patients, 226 (33%) of which showed positive results. Meanwhile, 161 out of 685 betathalassemia patients (23.5%) had positive auto control test results, reflecting the possible presence of alloand/ or autoantibodies. The most common antigen-specific alloantibodies were directed against K and E RBC antigens with a frequency of 25% (Anti-K) and 11.91% (Anti-E), respectively. The development of two antibodies (double antibodies) in one patient was observed in 80 individuals (11.46%). Conclusion: Age, gender, history of pregnancy, and splenectomy were not contributing factors to the antibody presence in the patient population under study. Extended red blood cell phenotyping should be considered as an essential procedure for expected multi-transfused thalassemia patients before blood transfusion. Considering the high frequency of anti-K and anti-E observed in this study, it is recommended that thalassemia patients in Iran are tested through phenotyping of RBC units for K and E antigens before transfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Free gingival graft (FGG) is a highly predictable method to increase the width of keratinized gingiva. Various materials have been reported to accelerate the wound healing process. Considering the positive effect of EPO on dermal wound healing this study aimed to investigate the effects of EPO on the rate of healing and degree of inflammation in free gingival grafts. Methods: Seventeen patients with bilateral lack of keratinized gingiva in mandible were selected for this clinical trial. The surgical intervention was performed after phase I periodontal therapy. Recipient site was prepared apical to the mucogingival line, and FGG was harvested from the palate. Before graft placement, the test side and control side were treated with 1 ml of EPO 4000 IU/ml and distilled water, respectively, for 2 min. On days 7, 14, 21, 28, 60, and 90 after surgery, the grafted sites were examined by blinded observers to compare the healing and inflammation of the areas. Results: All the 17 patients completed the surgeries and follow-up examinations. Direct examination revealed significantly better healing in EPO group only on the 28th day. Assessment of the photographs showed a significant value in favor of the test group at some other time points as well. The EPO group demonstrated less inflammation, which was statistically significant in many time points. The graft area was 80.88 ± 30.21 mm2 and 71.35 ± 15.62 mm2 in the EPO and control groups, respectively. The difference was not significant, though. Conclusions: Topical application of erythropoietin can accelerate the healing of gingival grafts and reduce the inflammation during healing period. The final graft outcome, nevertheless, does not seem to be influenced by EPO. Trial registration This was a split-mouth randomized controlled clinical trial (IRCT201201278830N1). The first registration date: 2016-10-22 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate an adapted enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol in adult augmentation cystoplasty (AC). Material and methods: A total of 33 consecutive cases with a history of refractory idiopathic detrusor over-activity (IDO) or neurogenic bladder (NGB) with low capacity, poor compliance, high sustained detrusor pressure, and whose previous therapeutic methods had failed were enrolled. The adapted ERAS fasting 8 hours, high protein, low carbohydrate diet, antibiotics, did not use narcotics as much as possible during anesthesia, acetaminophen, early nasogastric tube removal, neostigmine injection postoperation, metoclopramide, early oral diet, and mobilization were applied, and morbidity and hospital stay duration were analyzed. Results: Twenty-two patients had IDO, and the remained cases were NGB or had low bladder capacity or compliance. The mean age of patients in the IDO group was higher than in NGB cases (P = .020). Following the adapted ERAS protocol implementation, more than two-third of patients returned to a regular diet on the second day postoperation in both groups. The mean (SD) hospital stay duration was 7.7 (1.5) days. Postoperative fasting time was 8.8 ± 3. 7 hours, and bowel function was returned 1 day postoperation in 82% of patients. Only 33.3% of adults need postprocedure acetaminophen for 2 days, and in 11 cases, it prescribed for 1 day. All subjects except paraplegic patients had early mobilization 1 day postoperation. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that adapted ERAS protocol could be safe and effective in adult AC. It accompanied by few complications, reduced intestinal motility problems, and a short length of hospital stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major causes of mortality worldwide. The available reports regarding the effects of selenium (Se) supplementation in the realm of atherosclerosis have been equivocal. The present investigation is aimed to assess the effects of sodium selenite and Se-enriched yeast supplementation on metabolic parameters among atherosclerotic patients. Methods: In this double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, 60 patients diagnosed with atherosclerosis were randomly allocated into either 200 µg/day selenite, yeast, or placebo groups for eight consecutive weeks. Serum levels of lipid profile and glycemic indices were measured at the baseline and end of the intervention. Results: There were no significant within-or between-group changes in levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), fasting blood sugar, insulin, and homeostatic model assessment for IR throughout the study (P≥0.05). Only the low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels were significantly lower in the yeast group in comparison with the placebo group (P = 0.015). Conclusion: The administration of Se-enriched yeast is significantly effective in decreasing LDL-c levels in patients with atherosclerosis. Additional clinical trial studies investigating the effect of Se administration on glucose homeostasis parameters and lipid profiles in atherosclerotic patients are suggested for a more definitive conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The simple kidney cyst is the most common type of benign kidney tumor in adults and it is usually asymptomatic. Symptomatic cysts are treated with percutaneous aspiration with or without sclerosing agent injection, laparoscopic decortication, or open surgery in rare cases. Considering the probable complications of anesthesia in open surgery and laparoscopic methods, we used an innovative method of percutaneous aspiration, insertion of a single J draining catheter for 24 hours, and injection of sclerosing agents, leaving the agent inside the cyst, while the catheter was removed immediately. Long-term results of this method were evaluated using sonography. Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight patients with symptomatic kidney cysts underwent the process of insertion of the percutaneous catheter and aspiration of its contents in two steps and a one-time injection of 95% ethanol. After the first aspiration, patients stayed admitted for 24 hours. Then, the second aspiration was performed and the total fluid volume was measured. Patients were then followed for a mean follow-up period of 14 months. The procedure was considered effective with no signs of relapse (consistent with reduced size of cysts) in a sonographic evaluation of long-term results. Results: Among all the patients, 23 (82.14%) showed positive results in the sonographic evaluation after 14 months. Death occurred in one patient (3.6%), not attributable to the procedure, and recurrence was observed in five patients (17.9%). Conclusions: Our study showed that this method is safe, effective, and minimally invasive in treating simple kidney cysts and can be a proper substitute for the other current methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplementing the extender with antioxidants with low molecular weight can enhance the quality of the post‐thaw sperm during the freezing process. This study was aimed at determining the impacts of 3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl glycol (DHPG) on the spermatozoa of the canine undergoing freeze‐thawing process. In this study, 24 ejaculates were obtained from three mixed‐breed dogs and were diluted in a Tris‐based extender. The diluted semen was divided into aliquots for supplementation of 10, 30, 50 and 70 µg/ml of DHPG, control (without antioxidant) and control sham (DMSO). After being extended, the semen was equilibrated at a temperature of 4°C and then transferred to the straws and kept 4 cm above the liquid nitrogen for 20 min and was finally immersed in the liquid nitrogen. They were cryopreserved for seven days; then, sperm parameters including sperm motility evaluation, motility characteristics, viability, DNA and plasma membrane integrity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), reduced glutathione content (GSH), antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT] and glutathione peroxidase [GPx]) activity malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were evaluated. This study showed that spermatozoa cryopreservation with 50, 30 and 70 µg/ml of DHPG concentrations had better progressive motility, Curvilinear Velocity, Linearity, viability, intact plasma membrane and the levels of TAC, GPx and GSH were higher than the control group. The 50, 30 and 70 µg/ml of DHPG concentrations led to the significant decrease of DNA damage compared to the control group. Total motility, average path velocity, straight‐line velocity and CAT activity were significantly improved in 30 and 50 µg/ml of DHPG concentrations, compared to the control group. Also, the 50 and 30 µg/ml of DHPG concentrations, decreased MDA levels compared to the other groups, significantly. In conclusion, our study showed that the addition 50 µg/ml of DHPG to the canine semen extender improved the semen characteristics and oxidative markers in the cryopreservation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of episiotomy and its early complications in natural vaginal delivery in the maternity ward of Ali Ibn Abitaleb (AS) Hospital in Zahedan from 2014 - 2016. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, which was conducted in 2017, the archives of women who gave birth between 2014 - 2016 were reviewed. Data were collected using information forms and analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Of 418womenwere reviewed, the episiotomy rate was 54.5%; there was a significant association between parity and mother age with episiotomy rate. Moreover, 24-hour pain frequency, perineal rupture rate, hematoma rate was significantly higher in the episiotomy group. First- and fifth-minute Apgar of the neonates in the episiotomy group was significantly lower. Conclusions: In overall, the episiotomy rate was 54.5%, and there was a significant association between parity and mother age with episiotomy rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate quasi-vertical reverse blocking (RB) MOSFETs on 6.7 μm thick GaN grown on a 6 inch Si substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The RB capability was achieved by replacing the ohmic drain with a quasi-vertical Schottky drain, resulting in a RB voltage of ∼300 V while preserving the ON-resistance (Ron,sp). Schottky contacts on etched i-GaN surface were realized through an optimized fabrication process based on tetramethylammonium hydroxide treatments. The fabricated RB-MOSFET had a low Ron,sp of 4.75 mΩ cm2, current density of ∼0.9 kA cm−2 and a forward blocking voltage of 570 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital pericardial cysts are rare anomalies caused by the failure of fetal lacunae to coalesce into pericardial coelom. In this article a 9-year-old boy admitted with complain of palpitation in daily activities. The electrocardiography detected sinus tachycardia of 150 beats per minute with normal axis. Although chest X ray were normal, echocardiography showed an abnormal mass that compressed the posterior wall of left ventricle. The mass was extrinsic and confined to the pericardium. After midsternotomy, a huge cyst was found and totally excised. The complications of pericardial cyst can be significant, and the diagnosis relies on a careful examination and radiographic findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]