Search

The achievement of a low priming volume of the components in an extracorporeal perfusion system for neonatal and pediatric patients is an open research question. This paper presents a concept of a pump-oxygenator in which an oxygenator and a pulsatile blood pump are combined in one housing. For operation of the pump-oxygenator, a special actuating system for the pump process was designed. It consists of a piston pump which is directly coupled with a voice coil actuator (VCA). A servo positioning system was developed to assure the piston motion according to predefined reference trajectories. First experimental results indicate the feasibility of driving this blood pump with a VCA. In an in-vitro study, the pump produced mean flow rates of 60-900 mL/min with stroke frequencies in the range of 60-240 beats per minute.

Real-world actions often comprise a series of movements that cannot be entirely planned before initiation. When these actions are executed rapidly, the planning of multiple future movements needs to occur simultaneously with the ongoing action. How the brain solves this task remains unknown. Here, we address this question with a new sequential arm reaching paradigm that manipulates how many future reaches are available for planning while controlling execution of the ongoing reach. We show that participants plan at least two future reaches simultaneously with an ongoing reach. Further, the planning processes of the two future reaches are not independent of one another. Evidence that the planning processes interact is twofold. First, correcting for a visual perturbation of the ongoing reach target is slower when more future reaches are planned. Second, the curvature of the current reach is modified based on the next reach only when their planning processes temporally overlap. These interactions between future planning processes may enable smooth production of sequential actions by linking individual segments of a long sequence at the level of motor planning.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are a powerful class of computational models for unravelling neural mechanisms of brain function. However, for neural control of movement, they currently must be integrated with software simulating biomechanical effectors, leading to limiting impracticalities: (1) researchers must rely on two different platforms and (2) biomechanical effectors are not generally differentiable, constraining researchers to reinforcement learning algorithms despite the existence and potential biological relevance of faster training methods. To address these limitations, we developed MotorNet, an open-source Python toolbox for creating arbitrarily complex, differentiable, and biomechanically realistic effectors that can be trained on user-defined motor tasks using ANNs. MotorNet is designed to meet several goals: ease of installation, ease of use, a high-level user-friendly application programming interface, and a modular architecture to allow for flexibility in model building. MotorNet requires no dependencies outside Python, making it easy to get started with. For instance, it allows training ANNs on typically used motor control models such as a two joint, six muscle, planar arm within minutes on a typical desktop computer. MotorNet is built on PyTorch and therefore can implement any network architecture that is possible using the PyTorch framework. Consequently, it will immediately benefit from advances in artificial intelligence through PyTorch updates. Finally, it is open source, enabling users to create and share their own improvements, such as new effector and network architectures or custom task designs. MotorNet’s focus on higher-order model and task design will alleviate overhead cost to initiate computational projects for new researchers by providing a standalone, ready-to-go framework, and speed up efforts of established computational teams by enabling a focus on concepts and ideas over implementation.

Background: Apnea testing is mandatory to confirm brain death; however, it is unsafe for patients who have substantial hypoxemia without ventilator support. We used a new modified apnea test without the need to disconnect the patient from the ventilator in the present study and compared the outcomes and complications of the new method to the widely used old method. Materials and Methods: The current study was conducted on people suspected of having brain death. Both the old and new apnea tests were carried out on the same individual. In the new modified method, instead of hyperventilating and then separating the brain death from the ventilator, the induced hypercapnia method was used, and instead of performing repeated arterial blood gas (ABG), the target ETCO2 was obtained, and at the time of the target ETCO2, ABG was also checked followed by comparing ETCO2 with PaCO2. Results: Thirty patients, including 25 (83.3%) males and 5 (16.75%) females, were included in the study. The results showed significant improvement in terms of O2 saturation and heart rate (HR) using the new modified apnea test compared to the common test. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and the frequency of complications were improved in the new modified test. Conclusion: The modified apnea test produced better results in terms of O2 saturation, HR, and other clinical factors, while it does not require disconnection from the ventilator and repeated ABG assessment. Therefore, it can be used to successfully diagnose brain death in high-risk individuals suffering from severe hypoxia.

Extracorporeal circulation (ECC) is frequently implemented in a vast array of modalities such as hemodialysis, cardiopulmonary bypass, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and others. Patients receiving any such therapy are frequently encumbered with chronic inflammation, which is inherently accompanied by oxidative stress. However, ECC treatments themselves are also responsible for sustaining or promoting inflammation. On these grounds, an in vitro study was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of molecular hydrogen (H2) against pro-inflammatory agents in ECC settings. Five miniature ECMO circuits and a small vial (Control) were primed with heparinized blood from healthy adult donors (n = 7). Three of the ECMO systems were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), out of which one was additionally treated with an H2 gas mixture. After 6 h, samples were drawn for the assessment of specific biomarkers (MCP-1, MPO, MDA-a, TRX1, and IL-6). Preliminary results indicate a progressive oxidative and inflammatory response between the six systems. Circulation has triggered inflammation and blood trauma, but the staggering influence of LPS in this outcome is indisputable. Accordingly, hydrogen’s remedial potential becomes immediately apparent as biomarker concentrations tend to be lower in the H2-handled circuit. Future research should have distinct objectives (e.g., dosage/duration/cycle of hydrogen administration) in order to ascertain the optimal protocol for patient treatment.

Neurons coordinate their activity to produce an astonishing variety of motor behaviors. Our present understanding of motor control has grown rapidly thanks to new methods for recording and analyzing populations of many individual neurons over time. In contrast, current methods for recording the nervous system’s actual motor output – the activation of muscle fibers by motor neurons – typically cannot detect the individual electrical events produced by muscle fibers during natural behaviors and scale poorly across species and muscle groups. Here we present a novel class of electrode devices (‘Myomatrix arrays’) that record muscle activity at unprecedented resolution across muscles and behaviors. High-density, flexible electrode arrays allow for stable recordings from the muscle fibers activated by a single motor neuron, called a ‘motor unit,’ during natural behaviors in many species, including mice, rats, primates, songbirds, frogs, and insects. This technology therefore allows the nervous system’s motor output to be monitored in unprecedented detail during complex behaviors across species and muscle morphologies. We anticipate that this technology will allow rapid advances in understanding the neural control of behavior and identifying pathologies of the motor system.

BACKGROUND: Communication is one of the oldest and greatest human achievements and the basis of social life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of family communication patterns as predictors of behavioral health among students of public universities in the north of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 461 students from all the public universities of Babol, Iran, were selected in 2019. A stratified sampling random method was used to select the samples. The demographic characteristics, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Rosenberg self-esteem questionnaire, and Communication Skills Interpersonal Test were used to collect data. Simple and multi-variate linear regressions as well as Pearson’s correlation coefficient were utilized for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation scores of conversation orientation and conformity orientation were 35.61 ± 0.55 and 19.31 ± 0.41, respectively. Family conversation orientation was a significant predictor of behavioral health scales of students (except for acceptance and action), predicting negatively and significantly depression, anxiety, stress, and positively self-esteem and inter-personal communication skills of students. Family conformity orientation was also a significant predictor of behavioral health scales (except for inter-personal communication skills) of students, which predicted positively and significantly depression, anxiety, stress, and negatively acceptance, action, and students’ self-esteem. CONCLUSION: To prevent behavioral health problems, it is necessary to observe conformity orientation and rely on conversation orientation.

Extracorporeal gas exchange therapies evolved considerably within the first three–four decades of their appearance, and have since reached a mature stage, where minor alterations and discrete fine-tuning might offer some incremental improvement. A different approach is introduced here, making use of modern, purely diffusive membrane materials, and taking advantage of the elevated concentration gradient ensuing from gas pressure buildup in the gas chamber of the oxygenator. An assortment of silicone membrane gas exchangers were tested in vitro as per a modified protocol in pursuance of assessing their gas exchange efficiency under both regular and high-pressure aeration conditions. The findings point to a stark performance gain when pressurization of the gas compartment is involved; a 40% rise above atmospheric pressure elevates oxygen transfer rate (OTR) by nearly 30%. Carbon dioxide transfer rate (CTR) does not benefit as much from this principle, yet it retains a competitive edge when higher gas flow/blood flow ratios are employed. Moreover, implementation of purely diffusive membranes warrants a bubble-free circulation. Further optimization of the introduced method ought to pave the way for in vivo animal trials, which in turn may potentially unveil new realms of gas exchange performance for therapies associated with extracorporeal circulation.

Abstract Quantum network protocols offer new functionalities such as enhanced security to communication and computational systems. Despite the rapid progress in quantum hardware, it has not yet reached a level of maturity that enables execution of many quantum protocols in practical settings. To develop quantum protocols in real world, it is necessary to examine their performance considering the imperfections in their practical implementation using simulation platforms. In this paper, we consider several quantum protocols that enable promising functionalities and services in near-future quantum networks. The protocols are chosen from both areas of quantum communication and quantum computation as follows: quantum money, W-state based anonymous transmission, verifiable blind quantum computation, and quantum digital signature. We use NetSquid simulation platform to evaluate the effect of various sources of noise on the performance of these protocols, considering different figures of merit. We find that to enable quantum money protocol, the decoherence time constant of the quantum memory must be at least three times the storage time of qubits. Furthermore, our simulation results for the w-state based anonymous transmission protocol show that to achieve an average fidelity above 0.8 in this protocol, the storage time of sender’s and receiver’s particles in the quantum memory must be less than half of the decoherence time constant of the quantum memory. We have also investigated the effect of gate imperfections on the performance of verifiable blind quantum computation. We find that with our chosen parameters, if the depolarizing probability of quantum gates is equal to or greater than 0.05, the security of the protocol cannot be guaranteed. Lastly, our simulation results for quantum digital signature protocol show that channel loss has a significant effect on the probability of repudiation.

This experiment was performed to investigate the effect of foliar application of amino acids on improving biochemical properties and yield evaluation of the effect of drought stress on pistachio, cv. Shahpsand in Damghan city during 2019 and 2020. Statistical analysis was conducted as a factorial split-plot based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The main factor was irrigation intervals (35, 55, and 75 days) and sub-factors were including asparagine and glutamine amino acids at three levels (0, 150 and 300 mg L-1). The results showed that the irrigation interval had a significant effect on catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, sodium, chlorine, potassium, proline, protein, relative water content (RWC), and yield at the level of 1% probability and the maximum content of catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, chlorine, proline, and RWC were observed at 75 days irrigation interval but the highest yield and potassium were obtained at 35 days irrigation interval. Mineral concentrations of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl), in leaves increased with increasing irrigation cycle however, the Potassium (K) concentration in leaves decreased. The highest Na concentrations and Cl were observed in 75 days, and the lowest was in 35days. The correlation coefficient between catalase and peroxidase was positive and the correlation between sodium and potassium was Negative, but the correlation between chlorine and protein was negative. Foliar application of amino acids increased plant yield and resistance to drought stress.

Background and Objective: The presence of many synthetic dyes in aqueous solutions can cause carcinogenesis and mutagenicity and affect human health. Reactive Red 198 is one of the types of azo dyes with complex structure, toxic, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity properties, and tolerable in the environment, which is discharged to the environment through the sewage of textile industries. This study was performed to determine the mineralization of 198 reactive red dyes by the hybrid advanced oxidation process UV/US/H2O2/O3 from colored wastewater using central composite design. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study several factors affecting on dye mineralization process including the presence of ozone gas and ultraviolet rays (UV) as well as the initial dye concentration, Ultrasound (US), contact time, pH, and hydrogen peroxide were investigated. Experimental design and optimization were performed by design of experiment software using central composite design and its optimal conditions were determined. Results: The maximum dye degradation efficiency of 100% was performed under optimal conditions including initial dye concentration of 200 mg/L, reaction time of 34 minutes, hydrogen peroxide concentration of 27 mg/L and pH=9 in the presence of ozone gas flow, ultraviolet rays and ultrasonic waves. Also, the influence of factors on dye removal including ozone, UV, initial dye concentration, US, contact time, pH, and peroxide were 58.8%, 19.3%, 2.3%, 1.5%, 1.1%, 0.6 %and 0.2 % ,respectively. Conclusion: UV/US/H2O2/O3 hybrid process with advantages such as performance and high speed can be recommended for wastewater treatment in various industries.

Background: The genus Phlomis is a member of Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family. About 10 species of this genus, among more than 100 species, are endemic to Iran. Phlomis rigida Labill. can be used as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and antioxidant in drug investigations, based on literature. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the composition, antioxidant, antibacterial and cytotoxic activity of essential oils and extract from leaves and flowers of P. rigida from Iran. The present study is the first research on P. rigida from Iran. Methods: Essential oils of leaves and flowers of P. rigida were studied by GC-MS and GC-FID to evaluate the chemical compositions. DPPH free radical scavenging method was used to evaluate the antioxidant effect of leaves and flowers extracts. Antimicrobial properties of the essential oils and extracts were investigated against various microorganisms in brain heart infusion agar to evaluate the minimum inhibitory concentration. A brine shrimp test (BST) was done to study the cytotoxicity of methanol extracts and essential oils from leaves and flowers in different concentrations. The growth inhibitory effects of the methanol extract from leaves and flowers were assessed against four cancer cell lines including MCF-7, MDBK, HT-29 and A-549. Results: Essential oils analysis showed 34 compounds and the main compounds were (Z)-β-ocimene (25.6 %), isobornyl acetate (16.6 %), trans-verbenol (12.6 %) and α-pinene (7.6 %). As a result of analysis of methanol extracts from leaves, luteolin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside and rosmarinic acid were isolated and identification for the first time from P. rigida growing in Iran. Investigation of antibacterial properties of the essential oil of flowers also showed 16 mm diameters of inhibition zone against Proteus vulgaris. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the antibacterial effect of P. rigida essential oil could be due to the presence of its monoterpenes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Fungal agents, especially Candida species, can cause fungal and life-threatening lung infections in children. The present study was performed to identify Candida isolates obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens of children admitted to Akbar Children's Hospital in Mashhad. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 210 BAL specimens of hospitalized children with pulmonary disorders during 27 months (April 2018 to June 2020) were examined. Routine mycology tests including direct examination with 20% potassium hydroxide (KOH) and culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar containing chloramphenicol were performed for these specimens. The genomic DNA of Candida colonies were amplified by Multiplex PCR, and Candida species were identified based on the electrophoresis pattern. FINDINGS: The patients included 90 females (42.9%) and 120 females (57.1%) and their age range was between 2 months to 16 years and their mean age was 4.6±3.16 years. Among clinical specimens, 20 specimens (9.5%) had direct microscopic results and positive culture for Candida. Identified Candida isolates included C. albicans in 15 cases (75%), C. dubliniensis in 2 cases (10%), C. parapsilosis in 2 cases (10%) and C. tropicalis in 1 case (5%). Among the underlying factors, corticosteroid receptors and patients with neutropenia had the highest frequency (73 patients, 34.8%). CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that C. albicans was the most common Candida isolate in the BAL specimen of hospitalized children with pulmonary disorders. Children under 4 years of age were the most affected group and pneumonia was the most common clinical form in patients with Candida infection.

Background and Aim: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral mononeuropathy which is caused by nerve compression, in the wrist area (carpal tunnel). The use of ultrasound for the examination and diagnosis of musculoskeletal diseases has been increasing over the last few decades. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic values of clinical examination, sonography, and electrodiagnosis in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study (descriptive-analytic) we examined 70 wrists with symptoms consistent with CTS. Sonography and neural conduction studies were performed. Demographic data included age, height, gender, dominant hand, and underlying diseases associated with CTS. Clinical examination was performed and median nerve cross-section and thickness were measured by ultrasound. Then, the results of clinical examination, sonography, and neural conduction study were compared with one another. Results: We examined 70 wrists with symptoms consistent with CTS. Among 70 symptomatic wrists, 91.4% belonged to the women (mostly housewives) and the rest belonged to the men. The mean age of the patients was 49.56 ± 11.63 years. The results of NCV, clinical examination, distal flexor retinaculum sonography, and proximal sonography were positive in 82.9%,67.1%, 45.7%, and 32.9% of the patients respectively. The results of this study showed that sonography of the entrance of the carpal tunnel with a cut-off point of 8.5 mm2 had the highest diagnostic value with a sensitivity of 27% and a specificity of 42%. Conclusion: Measuring the median nerve surface area with ultrasound is useful for detecting and grading the severity of CTS, but it cannot replace neural conduction studies. The use of ultrasound as the first-line measure can be effective in decreasing the number of neurotransmission studies.

Abstract One of the reasons for high mortality of breast cancer (BC) is long delay in seeking medical care and end stage at presentation. This study was designed to measure the association between a wide range of socio-demographic and clinical factors with diagnostic delay in BC and stage at presentation among Iranian patients. From June 2017 to December 2019, 725 patients with newly diagnosed BC in Shiraz and Kermanshah were selected and information on BC diagnosis delay was obtained from the patient’s medical record. Data on socio-economic status was obtained via a structured interview. Our findings suggest that 45.8% of the patients were diagnosed at a late stage (stage 3 or higher). A total of 244 (34%) patients had more than 3 months delay in diagnosis. We found a significant association between stage at diagnosis and place of residence (adjusted odds ratio (aOR rural vs. urban = 1.69, 95% CI 1.49–1.97), marital status (aOR 1.61, 95% CI 1.42–1.88), family history of BC (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.01–2.13), and history of benign breast disease (BBD) (aOR 1.94, 95% CI 1.39–2.72) or unaware of breast self-examination (BSE) (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.42–1.85), delay time (aOR 3.25, 95% CI 1.04–5.21), and left breast tumor (aOR right vs. left 2.64, 95% CI 1.88–3.71) and smoking (aOR no vs. yes 1.59, 95% CI 1.36–1.97). Also, delay in diagnosis was associated with age, family income, health insurance, place of residence, marital status, menopausal status, history of BBD, awareness of breast self-examination, type of first symptoms, tumor histology type, BMI and comorbidity (p

Tahereh Behrouzi-Lak,1 Vahideh Aghamohammadi,2 Niloofar Afshari,3 Saeed Kashefi4 1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Urmia University of Medical Science, Urmia, Iran; 2Department of Nutrition, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran; 3Department of Dermatology, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran; 4Department of General Surgery, Urmia University of Medical Science, Urmia, IranCorrespondence: Saeed KashefiDepartment of General Surgery, Urmia University of Medical Science, Resalat Blvd, Emergency Alley, Urmia, IranTel +98 4431988000Email s.kashefi.s1986@gmail.comBackground: Few cases with fistulous communication between the GI system and female adnexal structure have been reported in the literature, and bilateral contrast spillage has been reported only in one case, and this case is the second one all over the world.Case Presentation: The case was a 27-year-old woman with a diagnosis of primary infertility. She was booked with hysterosalpingogram (HSG) as part of the routine workup in the infertility clinic. There was a positive history of pelvic surgery for bilateral adnexal cysts for her in 2014. In this case, previous pelvic surgery without any medical problems was the strongest risk factor for tubo-intestinal fistula. Cystectomy performed for the left adnexal cyst and the right adnexal cyst was only drained. The pathologic report for the left ovarian cyst was endometriosis. HSG result showed evidence of bilateral fallopian tube opacification with contrast outlining from the fallopian tubes. Contrast leakage happened to the adjacent small intestine in the right side and peritoneal cavity on the left side.Conclusion: Fistulous connections between fallopian tube and intestine will remain an exceptional rarity. The reported case could be a good lesson illustrating that the adherence to general surgical principles (meticulous hemostasis, careful applying of diathermy, etc.) and a watchful postoperative care could protect the patient from both usual and unusual complications.Keywords: fallopian tubes, tubo-intestinal fistula, hysterosalpingogram, endometriosis, infertility

Babak Kashefi,1 Mehdi Mohammadi,2 Farzin Rezaei,1 Narges Ghadami,1 Khashaiar Jalili,3 Ali Jalili2 1Neurosciences Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 2Cancer and Immunology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 3Faculty of Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, CanadaCorrespondence: Ali JaliliCancer and Immunology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, IranEmail Ali130@gmail.comIntroduction: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a non-pharmacological method for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The precise biochemical mechanism of the effects of ECT is not clear, and since the two factors including matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha (CXCL12) play an important role in improving nerve damage, the effects of ECT and its relation with serum levels of MMP-9 and CXCL12 in patients with mania were investigated in this study.Methods: In this before and after intervention study, the patients with mania, referring to the Qods Hospital in Sanandaj, were selected by the census method during the years 2015– 2018. Young’s test was performed 24 hrs before and after the first, third, and sixth sessions of ECT. For biochemical analysis, 3 mL of peripheral blood were taken prior to any anesthesia and 6 hrs after the first, third, and sixth sessions. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient by using the SPSS16 software.Results: The results showed a significant decrease in Young’s test scores during the first to the sixth session of ECT (P≤ 0.05). Although the levels of CXCL12 were slightly increased after the sixth course of ECT, they were not significant. Moreover, there were no significant relationship between the Young’s test score and the serum levels of both MMP-9 and CXCL12 (P≥ 0.05).Conclusion: ECT improved patients clinically, but this effect was independent of serum levels of MMP-9 and CXCL12, and possibly other biochemical factors are involved in this pathway.Keywords: matrix metalloproteinase, stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha, electroconvulsive therapy

Introduction: Personality has a lasting effect on marital relationships and some personality traits increase tensions and conflicts among couples and these conflicts can threaten the continuation of marital life. Aim: Considering the increasing divorce rate and the importance of personality disorder in this study, the aim of this study was to compare the level of personality disorder in couples applying for divorce referring to counseling centers and non-applicants for divorce in Sanandaj. The present research is a comparative study. Method: The present study is a comparative study and the study population is the couples seeking and non-applying for divorce. 55 divorce applicants were selected through convenience sampling and 55 non-divorce applicants were selected by multistage cluster sampling in 2019and completed the Millon III questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS 21 software using independent t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: The results of this study showed that among couples applying for divorce and divorced couples, disclosure, desirability, schizoid, distraction, depression, affiliated, demonstrative, selfish, negative, selfish, schizotypal, borderline, anxiety disorder, Depressed mood, post traumatic stress, thinking disorder, major depression and delusional disorder (p

PurposeIn addition to estimating the prevalence of intentional abortion in Iranian female sex workers (FSWs), this study identified related factors using the data of a national study.MethodsThis cross-sectional study utilizes the third round of integrated bio-behavioral surveillance-III data in Iranian FSWs in December 2019 and August 2020, and 1515 Participants were selected in 8 geographically diverse cities in Iran. Logistic regression was performed using unweighted analysis to identify factors associated with intentional abortion. Stata software (version 14), respondent-driven sampling analyses, and R (version 4.1.2) was used for data analysis.ResultsFrom 1390 participants with valid responses to the abortion question, 598 (37.3%; 95% CI: 32.43, 42.11%) reported intentional abortion during their life. According to the age groups, the highest prevalence of abortion was in the age group of 31 to 40 years (42.60%). In the multivariate logistic regression model, the marital status (divorced women (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.27), concubines (AOR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.02, 3.11)), work experience in brothels (AOR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.84), the type of sex (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.35, 5.58), the history of sexual violence (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.01), and alcohol consumption (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.01) were significantly associated with a history of intentional abortion.ConclusionIntentional abortion's prevalence among Iranian FSWs has been much higher than that of the general female population in Iran, which is an alarming issue in the public health of this group and needs more effective interventions. In addition, alcohol consumption, working in a brothel, and being divorced are essential factors in increasing abortions among sex workers.

Purpose In addition to estimating the prevalence of intentional abortion in Iranian female sex workers (FSWs), this study identified related factors using the data of a national study. Methods This cross-sectional study utilizes the third round of integrated bio-behavioral surveillance-III data in Iranian FSWs in December 2019 and August 2020, and 1515 Participants were selected in 8 geographically diverse cities in Iran. Logistic regression was performed using unweighted analysis to identify factors associated with intentional abortion. Stata software (version 14), respondent-driven sampling analyses, and R (version 4.1.2) was used for data analysis. Results From 1390 participants with valid responses to the abortion question, 598 (37.3%; 95% CI: 32.43, 42.11%) reported intentional abortion during their life. According to the age groups, the highest prevalence of abortion was in the age group of 31 to 40 years (42.60%). In the multivariate logistic regression model, the marital status (divorced women (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.27), concubines (AOR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.02, 3.11)), work experience in brothels (AOR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.84), the type of sex (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.35, 5.58), the history of sexual violence (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.01), and alcohol consumption (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.01) were significantly associated with a history of intentional abortion. Conclusion Intentional abortion’s prevalence among Iranian FSWs has been much higher than that of the general female population in Iran, which is an alarming issue in the public health of this group and needs more effective interventions. In addition, alcohol consumption, working in a brothel, and being divorced are essential factors in increasing abortions among sex workers.

Background and Aim:Phenylketonuria is a type of autosomal recessive congenital and genetically induced fungal disease that has not been converted to tyrosine by the lack or lack of the phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme and has been shown to increase phenylalanine levels in the blood, especially in the brain. The aim of this study was to compare the IQ scores of children with phenylketonuria and healthy children referring to Besat hospital clinic in Sanandaj in 2017-2018.Methods:This historic cohort study wasperformed on all of the patients at the time of birth, referred to PKU and pediatric clinics, as well as healthy children (for phenylketonuria) referred to other clinics of the children's hospital. The control group was done.Goodinow’s intelligence test was used to measure cognitive, mental and children's intelligence. Finally, the results of the two groups were analyzed by the statistical consult.Results:The results showed that 46 (69.7%) were male and 20 (30.3%) were female. The mean age of the subjects was 6.34±2.52of years. Result from the current study showed that there was not significant differences between IQ mean in two groups of study(p>0.05).Conclusion:According to the results of this study, the timely identification and treatment of patients with phenylketonuria has been able to prevent the complications of this disease to a large extent, and keep the children's IQs intact, thereby providing timely andaccurate identification and treatment of this disease is necessary among children.

The entrenched dogma of a sterile middle ear mucosa in health is incongruent with its periodic aeration and seeding with saliva aerosols. To test this, we sequenced 16S rRNA-V4 amplicons from otic secretions collected at the nasopharyngeal orifice of the tympanic tube and, as controls, oropharyngeal and buccal samples. The otic samples harbored a rich diversity of oral keystone genera and similar functional traits but were enriched in anaerobic genera in the Bacteroidetes (Prevotella and Alloprevotella), Fusobacteria (Fusobacterium and Leptotrichia) and Firmicutes (Veillonella) phyla. Facultative anaerobes in the Streptococcus genus were also abundant in the otic and oral samples but corresponded to distinct, and sometimes novel, cultivars, consistent with the ecological diversification of the oral migrants once in the middle ear microenvironment. Neutral community models also predicted a large contribution of oral dispersal to the otic communities and the positive selection of taxa better adapted to growth and reproduction under limited aeration. These results challenge the traditional view of a sterile middle ear in health and highlight hitherto unknown roles for oral dispersal and episodic ventilation in seeding and diversifying otic biofilms.

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) is among the most important hospital wards. Variety of scoring systems for evaluation of patients' status and prediction of hospitalization outcomes in ICU has been raised that each has strong and weak points; assessment of these characteristics tends to promote new scoring systems. The current study compared scoring systems of Mortality Probability Model-III (MPM-III) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score-III (SAPS-III) in trauma patients in ICU. Methods: This randomized cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 patients admitted in ICU because of trauma in years 2016-17. Patients' information including demographics, mean of systolic, diastolic, and arterial blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, temperature, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), arterial gas analysis, white blood cell (WBC) counts, hematocrit, bilirubin, creatinine, type of admission, and presence of underlying diseases were extracted from records; MPM-III and SAPS-III were measured for these patients and compared. Findings: MPM-III scoring system had discrimination of 0.935 [95% confidence interval (95%CI): 0.89-0.97; P < 0.001) in cut-off point of 0.13, and its sensitivity and specificity was 87% and 84%, respectively. For SAPS-III system, in cut-off point of 0.13, the discrimination was 0.77 (95%CI: 0.69-0.85; P < 0.001), with the sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 68%. Based on both MPM-III and SAPS-III systems, mortality was in correlation with duration of ICU admission (P = 0.001 for both systems) and duration of intubation (P < 0.001 for both systems), while only for SAPS-III, total duration of hospitalization was in correlation with mortality (P < 0.001). Conclusion: MPM-III scoring system was superior to SAPS-III regarding discrimination power in trauma patients. In addition, based on both systems, mortality rate was in direct association with days of ICU admission and intubation duration.

BACKGROUND: Burnout is a state of mental and emotional fatigue; and is a result of chronic stress syndrome, high pressure, time constraints, and lack of necessary resources to perform the assigned duties and tasks. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between student stressor factors and academic burnout among the students in Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in year 2016. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the study population was the students in Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Among them, 500 persons were selected using stratified sampling method with proportional allocation. The research tools were student stressor factors and academic burnout questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: There was a positive and statistically significant relationship between academic burnout with three domains of stressors for students including academic stressors (r = 0.32, P < 0.01), learning environment stressors (r = 0.34, P < 0.01), and graduation stressors (r = 0.36, P < 0.01), as well as the overall stressors (r = 0.42, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated the important role of stressors in academic burnout; so, it is expected that educators have always reflect the practices reduce stress, and create a suitable environment for education.

BACKGROUND: The phenomenon of stress encounters all humans during their life time. Stress or psychological stress may be benign or malignant; the stress that make someone achieve goals is benign. If the stress exceeds its capacity, it becomes malignant stress, and causes psychosomatic complications. Research findings have shown that job stress can cause job dissatisfaction among employees. The purpose of this study was to investigate the job stress factors, and its relationship with job satisfaction among the staff members in Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. METHODS: In order to implement the plan, a list of all employees in Kurdistan University at Medical Sciences was obtained from the campus staff. Subsequently, a questionnaire containing three main sections (demographic information, job stress, and job satisfaction survey) was filed up for each staff member. So that the employee referred to the workplace, and after justification, received a questionnaire. The completed questionnaires were collected, and after an initial review (in terms of completeness), the data were analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: There was no significant relationship between age and work experience with satisfaction and stress. However, there was a significant relationship between job satisfaction and gender. The level of job satisfaction among the participants with associate degree was less than three other levels. Levels of stress differed in associate and undergraduate degrees, with doctoral and postgraduate degrees. There was no significant relationship between satisfaction and stress with marital status. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, it is possible to use appropriate methods and strategies to reduce stressful occupational factors among staff, especially staff with associate degree, and to pick up the level of job satisfaction at the individual and eventually organizational level.

Background: The critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT) is a standard visual method for determining the pain intensity of intubation. This study aimed to evaluate the severity of pain in patients under mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Alzahra educational hospital, Isfahan, Iran, based on CPOT criteria. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 170 ICU-hospitalized patients under mechanical ventilation were enrolled, and their pain and CPOT scores were obtained. Then, the correlation of pain with other influential factors was evaluated. Findings: 135 patients (79.41%) had pain, and the mean CPOT score was 4.06 ± 1.46 among the patients. There was a significant relationship between the presence of pain and the cause of admission (P < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and CPOT (r = 0.24, P = 0.001). There was a significant relationship between the cause of hospitalization in patients and CPOT score (P < 0.001), too; so that CPOT scores were higher in postoperative, heart diseases, trauma, burn, brain damage, and respiratory diseases, respectively. Conclusion: The CPOT index is a good method to determine the severity of pain after intubation in patients admitted to ICU, who for any reason, have no ability to speak or express the pain.

Background: So far, several scoring systems have been used to predict the prognosis of patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). Sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation III (APACHE III) are two of these scoring systems. In this study, these two scoring systems were compared in patients with trauma hospitalized in ICU. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study, 100 patients were randomly selected from those who admitted to the ICU of Alzahra hospital in Isfahan, Iran in, during 2016-2017, and divided into two groups of living and dead. Demographic and clinical data and laboratory results were extracted and analyzed from patient medical files. Findings: The scores calculated by two scoring systems were significantly higher in the dead group than the living group. There was a significant difference between the two groups based on the qualitative scores of the SOFA system. Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the sensitivity and the specificity was 90.32% and 94.20% for SOFA, and 90.32% and 86.96% for APACHE III, respectively. Conclusion: APACHEIII and SOFA scoring systems are with high sensitivity and the specificity to predict the prognosis of patients with trauma hospitalized in ICU, and cannot be considered superior to another. The simplicity of the SOFA in the calculation may make the assessment easier and less time-consuming.

Background: Suitable mechanical ventilation strategies can reduce the incidence and severity of ventilator-associated lung injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In this study, the effects of adaptive support ventilation (ASV) and synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) on respiratory parameters and arterial blood gases (ABGs) parameters were compared in ARDS patients. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four patients were randomly divided into two groups of ASV and SIMV. Patients were followed up for 3 days, and respiratory parameters including rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI), spontaneous breathing rate (SBR), minute volume, and peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) as the primary outcomes and ABG parameters including PaO2, FiO2, PaCO2, HCO3, and PaO2/FiO2 ratio as the secondary outcomes were measured. Results: PIP in patients in the SIMV group on the 1st day (P = 0.013), 2nd day (P = 0.001), and 3rd day (P = 0.004) was statistically significantly more compared to those in patients in the ASV group. RSBI, SBR, and minute volume between the ASV and SIMV groups during the 3 days were not statistically significantly different (P > 0.05). The mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, PaO2, and PH between both groups were similar (P > 0.05). At the end of the 2nd and 3rd days, the level of FiO2 and PaCO2 in ASV was significantly lower than those in ASV group. HCO3 in each of the 3 days in the ASV group was statistically significantly lower than that in the SIMV group (P < 0.050). PaO2/FiO2 ratio in patients in the ASV group in the 3 days was statistically significantly higher than that in the SIMV group (P < 0.050). Conclusion: By reducing PIP and improving oxygenation and ABG parameters, ASV mode may be a safe and feasible mode during mechanical ventilation in patients with ARDS.

مقدمه: با توجه به محدودیت در تعداد تخت و منابع بخش‌های مراقبت‌های ویژه، سیستم‌های امتیازدهی گوناگونی برای تعیین پیش‌آگهی مرگ و میر بیماران معرفی شده‌اند که از جمله‌ی این سیستم‌ها، Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE III) و Sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) می‌باشند. با توجه به این که تا کنون این دو سیستم با یکدیگر مقایسه نشده‌ بودند، مطالعه‌ی حاضر با هدف مقایسه‌ی این دو سیستم طراحی و اجرا گردید. روش‌ها: این مطالعه، مطالعه‌ای توصیفی- تحلیلی است که در سال 1394 در بخش مراقبت‌های ویژه‌ی بیمارستان الزهرای (س) اصفهان انجام گرفت. در این مطالعه، در مجموع 100 بیمار غیر مبتلا به تروما مورد بررسی قرار گرفتند و نمره‌ی APACHE III و SOFA آن‌ها محاسبه گردید. پس از جمع‌آوری داده‌ها، تجزیه و تحلیل آن‌ها با استفاده از نرم‌افزار SPSS انجام شد. یافته‌ها: از بین بیماران مورد مطالعه، 21 درصد فوت شدند. بر اساس یافته‌های این مطالعه، هر دو سیستم SOFA و APACHE III دارای دقت 20/95 درصد در تشخیص بیمارانی که فوت خواهند کرد، می‌باشند، اما از طرف دیگر، سیستم SOFA در تشخیص بیمارانی که نجات خواهند یافت، دارای دقت 08/26 درصد و سیستم APACHE III دارای دقت 36/36 درصد در تشخیص همین بیماران است (001/0 > P). نتیجه‌گیری: طبق نتایج این مطالعه، استفاده از سیستم‌های APACHE III و SOFA در تشخیص میزان مرگ و میر بیماران دارای ارزش مساوی می‌باشد، اما از نظر ارزش اخباری منفی، سیستم APACHE III ارجحیت دارد.

Introduction: Aggression is a conscious behavior which its purpose is to exert physical and psychological suffering. In order to reduce this social disorder, we should search the causes in the family as the first and most effective child behavioral pattern. Regarding the relationship between aggression and children's health, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between parenting styles and the aggression of their children among elementary students in Sanandaj city in 2016. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the study population included 337 elementary students residing in Sanandaj. Samples were selected through multistage cluster sampling. Eysenck and glyn wilson aggression questionnaire was used for students and Baumrind Parenting Style Questionnaire was used for parents. The data were analyzed by SPSS-18 software. Chi-Square, ANOVA and T-test were used for data analysis. Results: 39.2% of 337 students were boys and 60.8% of 337 students were girls, 66.2% of students had low-level aggression, 32.9%, had moderate-level aggression and 0.9% had high-level aggression. The mean rate of permissiveness parenting style is 15.52 ± 4.77, autocratic parenting style is 15.8±6.56 and rational authority parenting style is 31.92 with a standard deviation of 4.14. There was a significant and inverse relationship between aggression and the rational authority parenting style (P

The intrinsic non-locality of correlations in Quantum Mechanics allow us to certify the behaviour of a quantum mechanism in a device independent way. In particular, we present a new protocol that allows an unbounded amount of randomness to be certified as being legitimately the consequence of a measurement on a quantum state. By using a sequence of non-projective measurements on single state, we show a more robust method to certify unbounded randomness than the protocol of Churchod et al., by moving to a one-sided device independent scenario. This protocol also does not assume any specific behaviour of the adversary trying to fool the participants in the protocol, which is an advantage over previous steering based protocols. We present numerical results which confirm the optimal functioning of this protocol in the ideal case. Furthermore, we also study an experimental scenario to determine the feasibility of the protocol in a realistic implementation. The effect of depolarizing noise is examined, by studying a potential state produced by a networked system of ion traps.

Background: After trauma, clinical examinations and laboratory tests to assess trauma can provide an overview of patients' prognosis, which is important for the optimal management of patients. In this research project, we decided to compare two scoring systems of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) for predicting the mortality rate of patients with trauma hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study, 100 patients with trauma admitted to the intensive care unit were divided into two groups of death and living patients. Demographic data were extracted from patients' records for calculating APACHE and SOFA scores. The data of this study were compared between the two groups. Findings: The mean SOFA score was 6.19 and 15.56, and mean APACHE II score was 21.26 and 46.87 in living and death groups, respectively; the mean scores of SOFA and APACHE II in the death group was significantly higher than the living group (P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of APACHE II and SOFA scores was 97.44% and 84.62%, and 90.16% and 95.08%, respectively. Conclusion: The SOFA and APACHE II systems are good and effective to predict mortality in patients with trauma hospitalized in intensive care unit. The sensitivity of APACHE II and SOFA scoring systems is similar, but the specificity of APACHE II is better than SOFA.

Background and objectives: Paeonia daurica ssp. macrophylla, is an herbaceous and perennial plant which belongs to Paeoniaceae family. Two species of this plant grow in northern parts of Iran. The roots in powder form have been used in Persian traditional medicine for treatment of epilepsy, nightmares and gynecological diseases. Several biological activities such as antioxidant and anti-tumor effects of Paeonia species have been reported. Methods: methanol-water (80-20) extract (total extract) was fractionated using n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate. Antioxidant activity of the total extract and fractions were evaluated using DPPH and FRAP assays. Total phenolics content of the extracts was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method. In addition, cytotoxic activity of the fractions was determined against brine shrimp larvae. Column chromatography with normal phase silica gel and preparative TLC were also used for the isolation and purification of compounds. Results: Evaluation of the results indicated that the ethyl acetate and chloroform fractions with IC50 values of 16.55, 23.9 µg/mL, respectively showed potent radical scavenging activity. As well, the ethyl acetate and chloroform fractions indicated the highest antioxidant power by FRAP assay. Due to the potent antioxidant activity, the chloroform fraction was chosen for further investigations. Three compounds were identified as benzoic acid, veratric acid and oleanolic acid by different spectroscopic methods. Conclusion: According to our findings in this study, the root of Paeonia daurica ssp. macrophyla has beneficial antioxidant activity without toxicity and the therapeutic use of this plant in traditional medicine can be somewhat justifiable.

Background: Caring for patients with respiratory support is one of the important tasks of intensive care units; sedation of patient during ventilation is important. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of midazolam and dexmedetomidine on the sedation quality of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation in intensive care unit. Methods: This study was performed on 100 patients requiring mechanical ventilation in intensive care unit. Patients were randomly assigned into two equal groups of midazolam and dexmedetomidine; signs and complications were recorded in patients. Chi-square and ANOVA tests were used to compare the data. Findings: Dexmedetomidine, like midazolam, had a good sedation effect. The duration of hospitalization in intensive care unit (9.58 vs. 12.36 days, P = 0.011), and the need for ventilation (3.96 vs. 6.74 days, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in dexmedetomidine group, with no serious complications and hemodynamic changes. Conclusion: According to the efficacy of both drugs, depending on the type of patient and its conditions (sensitivity to a particular type of drug), both drugs can be used to sedate patients undergoing mechanical ventilation.

The efficient certification of classically intractable quantum devices has been a central research question for some time. However, to observe a "quantum advantage", it is believed that one does not need to build a large scale universal quantum computer, a task which has proven extremely challenging. Intermediate quantum models that are easier to implement, but which also exhibit this quantum advantage over classical computers, have been proposed. In this work, we present a certification technique for such a sub-universal quantum server which only performs commuting gates and requires very limited quantum memory. By allowing a verifying client to manipulate single qubits, we exploit properties of measurement based blind quantum computing to give them the tools to test the "quantum superiority" of the server.

Background: Urinary tract stones is one of the most frequent medical emergencies which leads to lifethreatening complications, namely obstructive uropathy as well as renal failure in some situations. Previously, bilateral stones were treated with either open surgery or percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). However, these treatment options were associated with lengthy operation time, need for more anesthesia, further bleeding, and long hospitalization. Therefore, much effort has been made to treat both sides simultaneously. Objective: The aim of this study was an attempt to prospectively review cases undergoing simultaneous bilateral PCNL in terms of the therapy outcomes, complications, and consequences. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 39 adult patients with bilateral renal stones were randomly recruited at Imam Reza hospital in Mashhad, Iran between January 2016 and January 2017. Adult patients with bilateral renal stones were included in this study. Exclusion criteria were as follows: Patients with severe heart or lung disease, patients with coagulation disorders, pregnant women, and cases with any contraindications for general anesthesia. After insertion of bilateral ureteral catheters, all patients underwent simultaneous bilateral PCNL in prone position. Transureteral lithotripsy was performed for patients with ureteral stones. The surgery was initially carried out on the symptomatic side and then iterated on the remaining kidney. Major complications including bleeding, fever, pain, urine leakage, and residual stones were recorded. SPSS software was used for data analysis. Data were expressed as percentage and mean ± SD. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 39 patients (27 males with mean age of 37.6 years and 12 females with mean age of 45.7 years) were studied. As many as 15 (38%) patients received a unilateral nephrostomy. Three underwent totally tubeless surgery. Bleeding (41.0%) was the most common complication, followed by residual stones (20.5%) and fever (20.5%), urine leakage (15.3%), pain (12.8%), blood transfusion (2.5%) and colon perforation (2.5%). Conclusions: It was concluded that simultaneous bilateral PCNL was not associated with higher morbidity than the unilateral method

Background: Recently, there are many scoring systems to determine the mortality rate among the patients with trauma. The aim of this study was to compare the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) III and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) tests in determining the degree of mortality in patients with trauma admitted to the intensive care units (ICU). Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, mortality rate was assessed using of SOFA and SAPS III scorings on 100 patients with trauma who admitted to the intensive care units of Alzahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, in 2015, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The patients were also divided into two groups of survive and non-survive based on mortality. Findings: The mean SOFA scores in survive and non-survive groups were 6.20 ±2.97 and 14.16 ± 2.69, and mean SAPS III scores were 35.02 ±12.67 and 60.96± 13.54, respectively. The SOFA and SAPS III scores in the non-survive group were significantly higher than survive group (P < 0.001 for both tests). Sensitivity and specificity rates of the SOFA test were 69.26% and 29.92%, and for SAPS III test, 68.22% and 32.25%, respectively. Conclusion: Both SOFA and SAPS III scorings are good criteria for predicting mortality in patients with trauma admitted to the intensive care units. So, the sensitivity and specificity of the two tests were roughly similar, but the convenience and simplicity of the SOFA test were more in determining of mortality rate.

The demonstration of quantum speedup, also known as quantum computational supremacy, that is the ability of quantum computers to outperform dramatically their classical counterparts, is an important milestone in the field of quantum computing. While quantum speedup experiments are gradually escaping the regime of classical simulation, they still lack efficient verification protocols and rely on partial validation. Here we derive an efficient protocol for verifying with single-mode Gaussian measurements the output states of a large class of continuous-variable quantum circuits demonstrating quantum speedup, including Boson Sampling experiments, thus enabling a convincing demonstration of quantum speedup with photonic computing. Beyond the quantum speedup milestone, our results also enable the efficient and reliable certification of a large class of intractable continuous-variable multimode quantum states.

We consider a device which can be programed using coherent states of light to approximate a given projective measurement on an input coherent state. We provide and discuss three practical implementations of this programmable projective measurement device with linear optics, involving only balanced beam splitters and single photon threshold detectors. The three schemes optimally approximate any projective measurement onto a program coherent state. We further extend these to the case where there are no assumptions on the input state. In this setting, we show that our scheme enables an efficient verification of an unbounded untrusted source with only local coherent states, balanced beam splitters, and threshold detectors. Exploiting the link between programmable measurements and generalized swap test, we show as a direct application that our schemes provide an asymptotically quadratic improvement in existing quantum fingerprinting protocol to approximate the Euclidean distance between two unit vectors.

With the development of delegated quantum computation, clients will want to ensure confidentiality of their data and algorithms and the integrity of their computations. While protocols for blind and verifiable quantum computation exist, they suffer from high overheads and from oversensitivity: when running on noisy devices, imperfections trigger the same detection mechanisms as malicious attacks, resulting in perpetually aborted computations. We introduce the first blind and verifiable protocol for delegating bounded-error quantum polynomial (BQP) computations to a powerful server, with repetition as the only overhead. It is composable and statistically secure with exponentially low bounds and can tolerate a constant amount of global noise.

Background: Coagulopathy is a common complication in patients hospitalized in intensive care units that leads to increase mortality rate, hospitalization, and hospital costs. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of coagulopathy and its related risk factors in patients with trauma hospitalized in intensive care units of Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran, during 2013-2016. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, medical reports of 400 traumatic patients admitted in intensive care unit of Alzahra hospital from 2013-2016 were studied and the prevalence of coagulopathy was determined. Findings: Thrombocytopenia was seen in 20 percent of patients. In addition, 16.5, 12.8, and 30.0 percent revealed prolonged prothrombin time (PT), prolonged partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and prolonged international normalized ratio (INR), respectively. Conclusion: Prevalence of coagulopathy in patients with trauma hospitalized in intensive care units is high and probably is related to some factors such as blood transfusion, drug consumption, level of consciousness, body temperature, acid-base status, and the site of trauma.

Background: The morbidity and mortality rates are increased in patients with drug interactions. Patients in the intensive care units are at risk for developing drug interactions for various reasons including impaired absorption, reduced metabolism, and renal failure, which are common in these patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of drug interactions in patients admitted to intensive care units. Methods: In this retrospective study, the prescriptions of 195 patients admitted to intensive care units of Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran, were investigated. Drug interactions were determined using Lexi-Comp application and the textbook of Drug Interaction Facts. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Findings: The frequency and mean drug reactions were 88.2% and 10.49 ± 9.88, respectively. There were significant correlations between number of drug interactions and age, duration of hospitalization, and the number of prescribed medications and physicians (P < 0.01 for all). The mean mild, moderate, and sever drug interactions were 1.63 ± 2.16, 8.05 ± 7.80, and 0.81 ± 1.019, respectively. Conclusion: Significant drug reactions as potential risks of health were prevalent in patients in intensive care units. Detection of drug interactions, replacing of interacting drug with other drugs as much as possible, awareness of highly interacting drugs, and diminishing number of prescribed drugs can reduce the number of potential drug reactions and minimize their adverse events.

Abstract Pyrodictium delaneyi strain Hulk is a newly sequenced strain isolated from chimney samples collected from the Hulk sulfide mound on the main Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge (47.9501 latitude, −129.0970 longitude, depth 2200 m) in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. The draft genome of strain Hulk shared 99.77% similarity with the complete genome of the type strain Su06T, which shares with strain Hulk the ability to reduce iron and nitrate for respiration. The annotation of the genome of strain Hulk identified genes for the reduction of several sulfur-containing electron acceptors, an unsuspected respiratory capability in this species that was experimentally confirmed for strain Hulk. This makes P. delaneyi strain Hulk the first hyperthermophilic archaeon known to gain energy for growth by reduction of iron, nitrate, and sulfur-containing electron acceptors. Here we present the most notable features of the genome of P. delaneyi strain Hulk and identify genes encoding proteins critical to its respiratory versatility at high temperatures. The description presented here corresponds to a draft genome sequence containing 2,042,801 bp in 9 contigs, 2019 protein-coding genes, 53 RNA genes, and 1365 hypothetical genes.

Background: Some of studies showed that using proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) in hospitalized patients is one of the causes of decreased serum magnesium level that leads to electrolytic imbalance. This study aimed to compare serum level of magnesium in patients who received pantoprazole or ranitidine in intensive care unit. Methods: In a clinical trial study, 50 patients hospitalized in intensive care units of Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran, were randomly divided in to two groups of 25. Patients were treated with pantoprazole and ranitidine in first and second groups, respectively. Serum level of magnesium was measured during two weeks after entrance to intensive care units and compared between the groups. Findings: Mean serum level of magnesium in the two groups of pantoprazole and ranitidine in second day of hospitalization was 1.90 ± 0.11 and 1.98 ± 0.13 mg/dl, respectively and there was statistically difference between the two groups (P = 0.017). Serum level of magnesium until the 10th day of hospitalization was significantly different between the two groups. In addition, the trend of serum level of magnesium was different between the two groups (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study showed that consumption of ranitidine led to less decrease of serum level of magnesium among patients hospitalized in internal care units. But, considering our limitations as the amount of cases, more studies on using ranitidine are recommended.

Introduction: HIV-related stigma is a major social problem of people living with HIV. Stigma against these people, especially women, interferes with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV. This study examined the experiences of HIV infected women who were stigmatized, as well as the strategies used to tackle the issue. Methods: Twenty-five women living with HIV were examined using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The data obtained was analyzed using content analysis method in MAXQDA10. Results: The finding of this study was classified into four themes: fear, shame, rejection by family or friends and feelings of frustration. The participant strategies adopted to the perceived stigma and discrimination included isolation, nondisclosure, and loss of follow-up. Conclusions: HIV in women has different social interposition. It is necessary to intervene, so as to alleviate the effect of stigma on HIV infected women, in order that they gain the ability to accomplish wellness, increase life span and improve quality of life. Nurses, midwives and other professionals need to be involved to ensure public policy in providing supportive environments, and decrease stigma.

In this work, the natural depletion process in sandstone and carbonate cores was modeled to investigate the asphaltene deposition mechanisms. A new permeability reduction correlation was proposed based on the Minssieux model that considers a combination of surface deposition, pore throat plugging, and filtration cake mechanisms. The results showed that the filtration cake is a dominant asphaltene deposition mechanism during natural depletion process in both core samples. Therefore, a modified model was proposed with adding formation of filtration cake mechanism due to pore filling to the Wang and Civan deposition model. The absolute average deviation (AAD (%)) for permeability reduction between the results of the three models (including new correlation, the modified model, and Wang and Civan model) and the experimental data were calculated and reported. These values for the three models were 3.28, 2.67, and 4.83% for sandstone core and 3.01, 2.58, and 4.69% for carbonate core respectively. The results showed that the modified model proposed in this study presented good performance for asphaltene deposition prediction

Background & Aim: Academic self-efficacy implies a person's belief in his or her abilities in achieving educational goals and activities, the formation of which is influenced by various factors. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between family cohesion and academic self-efficacy in students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2015-2016. Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study the statistical population was Kurdistan University of medical sciences students, among whom 500 were studied. In this study, random stratified sampling with proportional allocation was used and each faculty was considered as a category, and the final samples were randomly selected from the classrooms from each faculty considering the share of the students of that faculty. Data were collected by Fischer Family Integrity Questionnaire and Educational Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. After completing questionnaires by the students, the data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The mean score of family cohesion among the students was 59.07±11.24 and the mean score of the academic self-efficacy of the students was 103.45±18.88. There was a positive and significant relationship between academic self-efficacy and family cohesion among students (r=0.43, p

Background: Previous studies showed that mortality rate in intensive care units is high but etiology of this problem has not been studied completely. So, this study aimed to determine epidemiologic and demographic aspects and causes of hospitalization and mortality in patients admitted to intensive care units. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 400 patients hospitalized during 2011-2015 in intensive care units of Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran, were studied. Demographic data, clinical findings, mortality, and causes of hospitalization were extracted from hospital records and role of the factors on the mortality were investigated. Findings: Of 400 hospitalized patients in intensive care units during 2011-2014, 138 (34.5%) died, 44 (31.9%) of them in the first day, 55 (39.9%) during 1st-6th days, 28 (20.3%) during 7th-12th days, and 11 (8.0%) during 13th-24th days after hospitalization in intensive care units. Among factors that related to mortality, vital signs at the entrance to intensive care unit, underlying disease, time of hospitalization in intensive care unit, and some of laboratory findings had significant effect on mortality. Conclusion: Mortality rate in intensive care units of Alzahra hospital is high. Therefore, special care facilities considering patient characteristics and causes of mortality in this sector should be provided.

مقدمه: یکی از نشانگرهای اولیه در بروز کواگولوپاتی در بیماران بدحال، اسیدوز می‌باشد که می‌تواند منجر به افزایش مرگ و میر در بیماران بستری در بخش‌ مراقبت‌های ویژه شود. هدف از انجام مطالعه‌ی حاضر، بررسی ارتباط اسیدوز با بروز کواگولوپاتی در بیماران بستری در بخش مراقبت‌های ویژه بود. روش‌ها: در این مطالعه‌ی آینده‌نگر، 120 بیمار بدحال بستری در بخش‌ مراقبت‌های ویژه‌ی مرکز آموزشی و درمانی الزهرای (س) اصفهان، طی مدت 14 روز از نظر علایم اسیدوز و کواگولوپاتی تحت بررسی قرار گرفتند و ارتباط بین شدت اسیدوز و کواگولوپاتی در آنان تعیین گردید. یافته‌ها: 15 بیمار به اسیدوز شدید مبتلا شدند که در 2 نفر (3/13 درصد) کواگولوپاتی متوسط و در 13 نفر (7/86 درصد) کواگولوپاتی شدید رخ داد. 20 بیمار مبتلا به اسیدوز متوسط شدند که در 9 نفر (0/45 درصد) کواگولوپاتی خفیف و در 9 نفر (0/45 درصد) کواگولوپاتی متوسط ایجاد شد. 23 بیمار مبتلا به اسیدوز خفیف شدند که شدت کواگولوپاتی در 16 نفر (6/69 درصد) خفیف، 2 نفر (7/8 درصد) متوسط و 5 نفر (7/21 درصد) شدید گزارش گردید. از 62 بیمار فاقد اسیدوز نیز شدت کواگولوپاتی در 38 نفر (3/61 درصد) خفیف و 8 نفر (9/12 درصد) متوسط بود. بین شدت اسیدوز و شدت کواگولوپاتی ارتباط آماری معنی‌داری مشاهده گردید (001/0 > P). نتیجه‌گیری: بروز و شدت اسیدوز با شدت کواگولوپاتی ارتباط معنی‌داری داشت. همچنین، مجموعه شاخص‌های مربوط به اسیدوز و کواگولوپاتی تأثیر معنی‌داری را در سرانجام بیماری نشان داد. در بیماران دچار اسیدوز به ویژه طیف شدید، لازم است اقدامات ضروری جهت برطرف کردن اسیدوز به منظور پیشگیری از بروز کواگولوپاتی صورت گیرد.

Gravity current is a phenomenon caused by density difference between two fluids and due to this phenomenon the fine sediments can be moved to the body dam and as a result causes for many serious problems for dam intake. Therefore, controlling the flow can reduce the potential problems. In this study a permeable obstacle was used to evaluate the performance of permeable obstacles for control of turbidity current. The variables were the porosity percentage of the obstacle and different concentrations of the currents. The gravity current discharges and concentrations were measured upstream and downstream of the obstacle. The results of the measured discharges showed that the obstacle efficiency in control of gravity current reduces with increasing porosity. The results of the measured concentrations also showed the same conclusion. The final results of the review sediment load and view similar trend was confirmed. After calculating water entrainment to the gravity current passing through the permeable obstacle, it was observed that with increasing porosity of permeable obstacle, the volume of water entrainment is reduced. Therefore it can be concluded due to lower volume of water entrainment, processing efficiency in controlling the gravity current using the permeable obstacle is reduced. Also, the maximum efficiency of the controlling the gravity current was measured about 73.2%.