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Abstract Background The co-occurrence of deep vein thrombosis with vascular aneurysms, whether venous or arterial, seems to be uncommon. This case report details a patient who experienced an isolated rupture of the right common iliac aneurysm 1 year after a deep vein thrombosis episode. Case presentation A 20-year-old Iranian female with a history of deep vein thrombosis DVT was treated with rivaroxaban but later presented with a ruptured right common iliac aneurysm. Surgical intervention was successful, but she developed persistent abdominal pain, small bowel obstruction, and a large pancreatic pseudocyst requiring drainage. Despite continued anticoagulant therapy, a thrombosed graft was observed, although the patient remains asymptomatic for organ ischemia or blood supply disorders. Conclusion The association of deep vein thrombosis with vascular aneurysms is a rare occurrence. It is important to consider aneurysm-related flow disturbances and compression effects on veins when evaluating patients with concurrent deep vein thrombosis and aneurysms. Behçet’s disease, Hughes–Stovin syndrome, chronic traumatic arteriovenous fistula, and recurrent nontyphoidal Salmonella bacteremia can also contribute to this association.

Abstract Background Superficial temporal artery aneurysm is a rare vascular abnormality without specific clinical symptoms. In this case report, we present the case of a patient with superficial temporal artery aneurysm who was diagnosed with migraine headache at first. Case presentation A 60-year-old Iranian man with a previous history of headaches, who did not respond properly to the treatments following the initial diagnosis of migraine, presented with a painless lump in the left temporal region, and he was diagnosed with superficial temporal artery aneurysm via Doppler ultrasound. Finally, surgical removal of the left superficial temporal artery aneurysm was performed. Conclusions This case shows the importance of vascular causes in the approach to headache etiologies, especially when the headache is prolonged without proper responses to treatment. Computed tomography angiography and magnetic resonance angiography are appropriate diagnostic methods for aneurysm detection that should be considered in future studies.

Inflammation has been well recognized to play an important role in developing coronary artery disease (CAD). By regulating essential genes in this pathway post-transcriptionally, MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may help or hinder the development of atherosclerotic lesions. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-24-3p, miR-595, CCL3, CCL4, IL-1β, TNFαIP3, and NF-κBIα in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of CAD and control groups and to examine whether any correlation exists between the expression of miRs and genes in CAD group. A total of 168 subjects (84 CAD subjects and 84 control subjects) were examined in this research. Expression levels of miR-24-3p, miR-595, CCL3, CCL4, IL-1β, TNFαIP3, and NF-κBIα in PBMCs were measured using the real-time PCR technique. A comparison of the CAD group with the control group indicated significantly increased expression levels of CCL3, CCL4, and IL-1β (Fold Change (FC)=4, P=0.009; FC=2.9, P=0.01; FC=1.8, P=0.019, respectively) and remarkably reduced expression levels of TNFαIP3 and NF-κBIα (FC=-1.4, P=0.03 and FC=-5.9, P=0.001, respectively). Moreover, the expression levels of miR-24-3p downregulated (FC=-2.5, P=0.005) and miR-595 upregulated (FC=1.9, P=0.009) in the CAD group. There was a statistical correlation between the number of clogged arteries with expression levels of miR-24-3p, miR-595, CCL3, CCL4, IL-1β, TNFαIP3, and NF-κBIα in the CAD group. Also, there was a statistical correlation between expression levels of miR-24-3p and miR-595 with CCL3, CCL4, IL-1β, TNFαIP3, and NF-κBIα gene expression in the CAD group. In CAD patients, decreased expression of miR-24-3p and increased expression of miR-595 may aid the progression of atherosclerotic plaques by regulating CCL3, CCL4, IL-1β, TNFαIP3, and NF-κBIα gene expression.

Globalization and the spread of immigration have affected family structure through the marriage of people with different religious backgrounds. In the first step, religious differences directly affect the circle of marriage. In the meantime, marriage is more common among people belonging to the Abrahamic religions. The purpose of this study was to analyze the family structure (circle of marriage) in the Abrahamic religions and explain its compatibility with psychological theories. The research method was comparatively qualitative and for data collection and analysis the documentary method and cumulative content analysis method were used respectively. The first research finding revealed that there is a similarity between all Abrahamic religions in terms of attention to the structure of marriage. This structure is based on the distinction between Mahrams and Non-mahrams. The second finding shows that the scope of family structure in terms of the circle of marriage in Judaism is extensive, in Christianity is limited and in Islam is between the two religions. The third finding indicated that all three religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, in defining the circle of marriage, support the theory of “natural hatred” and family cohesion and do not take into account the views of scientists like Freud and Foucault. According to the research findings, it seems that psychological theories can provide new perspectives to explain the structure of the family to religious scholars. Also, these theories can provide common intellectual and educational backgrounds for analyzing the circle of marriage in the young generation regardless of religious affiliations.

Hexagonal upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) of NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+ (ca. 300 nm) have been widely used to measure the temperature at the nanoscale using luminescence ratio thermometry. However, several factors limit their applications. For example, changes in the peak shape, mainly is the S-band emission, hinders their ability to be used as a universal temperature sensor. Herein, we introduce a universal calibration protocol for NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+ upconverting nanoparticles that is robust to environmental changes and gives a precise temperature measurement. We used this new procedure to calculate the temperature profile inside a Taylor cone generated with an electrospray jet. Inside the Taylor cone the fluid velocity increases toward the tip of the cone. A constant acquisition length leads to a decrease in excitation and acquisition time. This decrease in excitation time causes a peak shape change that corrupts the temperature measurement if the entire peak shape is integrated in the calibration. Our universal calibration circumvents this problem and can be used for time-resolved applications. The temperature at the end of the Taylor cone increases due to the creation of a whispering gallery mode cavity with 980 nm excitation. We use time-resolved energy balance equations to support our optical temperature measurements inside the Taylor cone. We believe that the findings of this paper provide a foundation for time-resolved temperature measurements using NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+ upconverting nanoparticles and can be used to understand temperature-dependent reactions such as protein unfolding inside microjet/microdroplets and microfluidic systems.

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of unsaturated and saturated oils on the performance, hormonal levels and hsp gene expression in broiler chickens exposed to heat stress. 300 one-day male broiler chicks were assigned to 4 treatments (Diets containing palm, corn, linseed or olive oils) with 5 replicates. At day 28 of age, 2 chickens were removed from each replicate, then blood samples and liver tissue samples were collected for analyses. Feeding linseed and olive oil reduced feed conversion ratio compared to corn and palm oils. The lowest level of insulin was for chickens fed linseed oil and corn oil. The highest level of corticosterone was found in chickens fed palm oil and the lowest level was for those received linseed oil. Chickens received linseed and corn oils had the highest levels of T3 and T4 and those fed palm and olive oils had the lowest levels. The highest HSP 70 gene expression was for chickens fed diet containing olive and linseed oils and the lowest one was for those fed corn and palm oils. It was concluded that olive oil and linseed oil could improve performance and heat tolerance of chickens under heat stress.

Planning and scheduling are among the most important parts of the management’s duties. Development of an efficient scheduling method can results in productivity improvement of an organization. Given the importance of production scheduling in an organization, this research seeks to propose a solution for one of the important problems for the production managers. This problem occurs if a considerable percentage of available production times is allocated to machine setup times. The objective of this research is to find a scheduling method to reach minimum of total production time, earliness and tardiness times. In previous researches not all effective factors on this scheduling method such as machine idle times and machine setup costs have been studied simultaneously. A mathematical model for the optimization of multi-product single-machine scheduling problem have been developed which considered sequence dependent setup costs, costs due to delay in delivery, holding costs, and costs related to machine idle time. Comparative results for the random small size test cases show that the proposed mathematical model can obtained an optimal solution in a relatively low computation time, however, for the large-scale cases this model is not efficient and an approximate method is required for these cases.

Data and pedigree information collected between 1990 and 2005 at the Zandi Sheep Breeding Station were used to estimate heritability for relative growth rate (RGR) in five growth phases, namely birth to weaning (RGR1), weaning to 6-month (RGR2), weaning to 9-month (RGR3), weaning to yearling (RGR4), and 6 months to yearling (RGR5) and to estimate genetic and phenotypic correlations with corresponding absolute growth rates (AGR1, AGR2, AGR3, AGR4, and AGR5) and body weight at different ages (birth weight, BW; weaning weight, WW; 6-month weight, W6; 9-month weight, W9 and yearling weight, YW). A derivative-free algorithm combined with a series of six univariate linear animal models was used to estimate heritability coefficients. Best model for each trait was determined with Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC). (Co)variance components between relative growth rate, absolute growth rate and body weights were estimated using a multivariate analysis. Estimates of direct heritability were 0.13, 0.12, 0.15, 0.10, and 0.04 for RGR1, RGR2, RGR3, RGR4, and RGR5, respectively. Estimates of additive coefficient of variations (CVA ) ranged from 2.53% (RGR1) to 12.74% (RGR5). Genetic correlations ranged from -0.73 (RGR1-AGR5) to 0.99 (RGR1-AGR2) and the phenotypic correlations ranged from -0.75 (RGR1-AGR5) to 0.94 (RGR2-AGR2). In sum, results indicated that genes with additive effects contributed little in the phenotypic variation of RGR in the body weight of Zandi lambs and for this reason the magnitude of possible genetic change through selection would be low. Selection for pre-weaning RGR was recommended for changing the growth curve of Zandi sheep, as it negatively correlated with BW but positively with AGR1, AGR2, WW, and W6.

For a nanostructure sitting on top of an AlGaN:Er3+ thin film, a new thermal imaging technique is presented where dual cameras collect bandpass filtered videos from the H and S bands of Er3+ emission. We combine this thermal imaging technique with our newly developed time-resolved temperature measurement technique which relies on luminescence thermometry using Er3+ emission. This technique collects time-resolved traces from the H and S bands of Er3+ emission. The H and S signal traces are then used to reconstruct the time-resolved temperature transient when a nanostructure is illuminated with a pulsed 532 nm light. Two different types of samples are interrogated with these techniques (drop-casted gold nanosphere cluster and lithographically prepared gold nanodot) on the AlGaN:Er3+ film. Steady-state and time-resolved temperature data are collected when the samples are immersed in air and water. The results of time-resolved temperature-jump measurements from a cluster of gold nanospheres show extremely slow heat transfer when the cluster is immersed in water and nearly 200-fold increase when immersed in air. The low thermal diffusivity for the cluster in water suggests poor thermal contact between the cluster and the thermal bath. The lithographically prepared nanodot has much better adhesion to the AlGaN film, resulting in much higher thermal diffusivity in both air and water. This proof-of-concept demonstration opens a new way to measure the dynamics of the local heat generation and dissipation at the nanoparticle-media interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of unsaturated and saturated oils on the performance, hormonal levels and hsp gene expression in broiler chickens exposed to heat stress. 300 one-day male broiler chicks were assigned to 4 treatments (Diets containing palm, corn, linseed or olive oils) with 5 replicates. At day 28 of age, 2 chickens were removed from each replicate, then blood samples and liver tissue samples were collected for analyses. Feeding linseed and olive oil reduced feed conversion ratio compared to corn and palm oils. The lowest level of insulin was for chickens fed linseed oil and corn oil. The highest level of corticosterone was found in chickens fed palm oil and the lowest level was for those received linseed oil. Chickens received linseed and corn oils had the highest levels of T3 and T4 and those fed palm and olive oils had the lowest levels. The highest HSP 70 gene expression was for chickens fed diet containing olive and linseed oils and the lowest one was for those fed corn and palm oils. It was concluded that olive oil and linseed oil could improve performance and heat tolerance of chickens under heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new nanocomposite of poly( o-methoxyaniline) (POMA) is introduced by overlayer formation of POMA on silica. The key appealing feature of the synthesis is the role of silica sulfuric acid (SSA) both as solid acid dopant and template in overlayer self-assembly of POMA on silica surface. Hereon siloxide group (Si-O−) of silica surface is replaced with dopant anion of SSA (≡Si-O-SO3−), which leads to formation of a overlayer of POMA on the silica surface. The composite particles are spherical in the nanoscale range of 50 nm without application of any external template (no-template synthesis). Nanocomposite was fully characterized by various instrumentation methods: Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), diffrential thermal analysis (DTA), elemental analysis (CHNS), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray difraction (XRD). Based on XPS and CHNS results, it is demonstrated that the doping level of POMA is as high as 50% and for the first time the ratio of 4:2:2 is obtained for -NH- (amine): -HN.+- (polarons): HN+- (bipolarons), respectively. In fact, bipolarons may also coexist with polarons with a 1:1 ratio of them. Moreover, the synthesis benefits from the perspective of green chemistry which is preparation under solid-state (solvent-free) condition. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data and pedigree information collected between 1990 and 2005 at the Zandi Sheep Breeding Station were used to estimate heritability for relative growth rate (RGR) in five growth phases, namely birth to weaning (RGR1), weaning to 6-month (RGR2), weaning to 9-month (RGR3), weaning to yearling (RGR4), and 6 months to yearling (RGR5) and to estimate genetic and phenotypic correlations with corresponding absolute growth rates (AGR1, AGR2, AGR3, AGR4, and AGR5) and body weight at different ages (birth weight, BW; weaning weight, WW; 6-month weight, W6; 9-month weight, W9 and yearling weight, YW). A derivative-free algorithm combined with a series of six univariate linear animal models was used to estimate heritability coefficients. Best model for each trait was determined with Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). (Co)variance components between relative growth rate, absolute growth rate and body weights were estimated using a multivariate analysis. Estimates of direct heritability were 0.13, 0.12, 0.15, 0.10, and 0.04 for RGR1, RGR2, RGR3, RGR4, and RGR5, respectively. Estimates of additive coefficient of variations (CVA) ranged from 2.53% (RGR1) to 12.74% (RGR5). Genetic correlations ranged from -0.73 (RGR1-AGR5) to 0.99 (RGR1-AGR2) and the phenotypic correlations ranged from -0.75 (RGR1-AGR5) to 0.94 (RGR2-AGR2). In sum, results indicated that genes with additive effects contributed little in the phenotypic variation of RGR in the body weight of Zandi lambs and for this reason the magnitude of possible genetic change through selection would be low. Selection for pre-weaning RGR was recommended for changing the growth curve of Zandi sheep, as it negatively correlated with BW but positively with AGR1, AGR2, WW, and W6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fuel source of many simple and combined-cycle power plants usually comes from a nearby natural gas transmission pipeline at a pressure from 50 to over 70 bar. The use of a turboexpander instead of throttling equipment offers a promising alternative to regulate the pressure of natural gas introduced to the power plant. Specifically, it helps recover part of the available energy of the compressed gas in the transmission pipeline, increase the power output and efficiency of the gas turbine system, and decrease the fuel use and harmful emissions. In this paper, the addition of such a turboexpander in a gas pressure-reduction station is studied. The recovered power is then used to drive the compression of extra air added to the combustion chamber of a heavy-duty gas turbine. The performance of this configuration is analyzed for a wide range of ambient temperatures using energy and exergy analyses. Fuel energy recovered in this way increases the output power and the efficiency of the gas turbine system by a minimum of 2.5 MW and 0.25%, respectively. The exergy efficiency of the gas turbine system increases by approximately 0.36% and the annual CO2 emissions decrease by 1.3% per MW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A systematic review and meta-analysis have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of alkalinization for COVID-19 patients based on current evidence to determine the impact of alkalinization on COVID-19 outcomes. Methods We searched MEDLINE (Pubmed), Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov for studies evaluating the efficacy of alkalinization up to 30 April 2023. Based on the PRISMA 2020 statement criteria a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies were performed. Results The results of our meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in mortality rate in the alkalinization group compared to controls (RR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56-0.95; I2 = 0%). However, our subgroup analysis showed no significant improvement in RCT-only studies (RR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.59-1.05; I2 = 0%), the recovery rate was significantly higher in the alkalinization group (RR 2.13, 95% CI: 1.39-3.26; I2 = 0%), duration of recovery also has improved in alkalinization group (SMD 0.76, 95% CI: 0.33-1.18; I2 = 0%). The results of our meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in the duration of hospitalization in the alkalinization group compared to controls with very low certainty of evidence (SMD −0.66, 95% CI: −0.97 to −0.35; I2 = 36%). Conclusion With low certainty of evidence, alkalinization (by sodium bicarbonate) can be an efficient and safe adjuvant treatment for COVID-19 patients. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to strengthen the available evidence.

Abstract Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a vital protein involved in neuronal development, survival, and plasticity. Alcohol consumption has been implicated in various neurocognitive deficits and neurodegenerative disorders. However, the impact of alcohol on BDNF blood levels remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of alcohol consumption on BDNF blood levels. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant studies. Eligible studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria. Data extraction was performed, and methodological quality was assessed using appropriate tools. A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the overall effect size of alcohol consumption on BDNF levels. A total of 25 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Alcohol use and BDNF blood levels were significantly correlated, according to the meta-analysis (p = 0.008). Overall, it was discovered that drinking alcohol significantly decreased BDNF levels (SMD: − 0.39; 95% CI: − 0.68 to − 0.10; I2: 93%). There was a non-significant trend suggesting that alcohol withdrawal might increase BDNF levels, with an SMD of 0.26 (95% CI: − 0.09 to 0.62; I2: 86%; p = 0.14). Subgroup analysis based on the source of BDNF demonstrated significant differences between the subgroups (p = 0.0008). No significant publication bias was observed. This study showed that alcohol consumption is associated with a significant decrease in BDNF blood levels. The findings suggest a negative impact of alcohol on BDNF levels regardless of alcohol dosage. Further studies are needed to strengthen the evidence and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Abstract Background The impact of cannabis uses on blood levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) remains uncertain, with conflicting findings reported in the literature. BDNF and NGF both are essential proteins for neuron's growth, and their dysregulation is seen in various mental disorders. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between cannabis usage and BDNF and NGF levels due to their potential implications for mental health. Methods A comprehensive search of electronic databases was performed using appropriate MeSH terms and keywords. Inclusion criteria comprised human studies investigating the relationship between cannabis use and BDNF and NGF levels. Results A total of 11 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included. The pooled analysis revealed a nonsignificant association between cannabis use and dysregulated blood levels of BDNF (random‐effects model, standardized mean differences [SMD] = .26, 95% CI −.34 to .76, p = .40). The results of our subgroup analysis based on BDNF source showed a nonsignificant between‐group difference. For NGF levels, four studies were included, the pooled analysis revealed a nonsignificant association between cannabis use and dysregulated blood levels of NGF (random‐effects model, SMD = −.60, 95% CI −1.43 to –.23, p = .16). In both analyses, high heterogeneity was observed among the included studies which is a notable limitation to current meta‐analysis. Conclusion This systematic review highlights the need for further research to elucidate the relationship between cannabis use and these neurotrophic factors. A better understanding of these associations can contribute to our knowledge of the neurobiological effects of cannabis and inform potential implications for mental health, cognitive function, and neurodegenerative disorders.

AimsWe sought to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF).MethodsWe searched the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov till March 2023 to retrieve all randomized controlled trials of SGLT2i in patients with HFpEF or HFmrEF. Risk ratios (RRs) and standardized mean differences (SMDs) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were pooled using a random-effects model.ResultsWe included data from 14 RCTs. SGLT2i reduced the risk of the primary composite endpoint of first HF hospitalization or cardiovascular death (RR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.76, 0.87; I2 = 0%); these results were consistent across the cohorts of HFmrEF and HFpEF patients. There was no significant decrease in the risk of cardiovascular death (RR 0.96, 95% CI: 0.82, 1.13; I2 = 36%) and all-cause mortality (RR 0.97, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.05; I2 = 0%). There was a significant improvement in the quality of life in the SGLT2i group (SMD 0.13, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.20; I2 = 51%).ConclusionThe use of SGLT2i is associated with a lower risk of the primary composite outcome and a higher quality of life among HFpEF/HFmrEF patients. However, further research involving more extended follow-up periods is required to draw a comprehensive conclusion.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO (CRD42022364223).