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Background: The brain undergoes reorganization following spinal cord injury (SCI), but little is known about how the thalamus is affected in pediatric SCIs. Purpose: To characterize microstructural alterations in the thalamus after SCI with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics. Methods: 18 pediatric participants with chronic SCI (8–20 years) were stratified using the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) into groups: A, B, and C/D. DTI of the brain used a 3 T Siemens Verio MRI using the parameters: 20 directions, number of averages = 3, b = 1000 s/mm2, voxel size = 1.8 mm × 1.8 mm, slice thickness = 5 mm, TE = 95 ms, TR = 4300 ms, 30 slices, FOV = 230 × 230 mm2, matrix = 128 × 128, acquisition time = 4:45 min. Diffusion data was processed to generate DTI metrics FA, MD, AD, and RD. Data analysis: DTI metrics were acquired by superimposing the AAL3 thalamic atlas onto participant diffusion images registered to MNI152 space. We utilized a multiple Mann–Whitney U-test to compare between AIS groups, considering values of p ≤ 0.05 as significant. Results: FA, AD, RD, and MD significantly differed in thalamic nuclei between AIS groups A vs B and B vs C/D. Significant nuclei include the right ventral anterior, left intralaminar, bilateral lateral pulvinar, and right lateral geniculate. Conclusion: Our findings suggest the presence of microstructural alterations based on SCI severity in pediatric patients. These results are encouraging and warrant further study.

Abstract Background Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) provides protocols based on factors for reducing delirium. Due to the lack of geriatric wards and aged care teams in Iran, it seems that some of the original HELP interventions need to be modified through a trial study. Hence, this study was conducted to determine whether the Iranian modified HELP could reduce delirium in geriatric hospitalized patients. Methods This double-blind randomized controlled trial was designed and conducted in a hospital at Kashan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. A total of 195 hospitalized patients aged ≥70 years, were 84 in the Intervention Group (IG) and 111 in the Control Group (CG). After assessing delirium risk factors, participants in the IG group received interventions based on the cognitive, vision/hearing, sleep, mobility, feeding, and hydration protocols by nursing students and the CG group received routine care. Delirium incidence was assessed by the Confusion Assessment Method. Delirium incidence, cognitive and functional abilities, frailty, fall, and length of stay were outcomes. Results The mean age of the patients was 78.53(Standard Deviation = 5.87) years. Delirium incidence was higher in the CG comparing to IG (14.71% vs 3.66%).Significant reduction observed in risk incidence of delirium because of interventions [Odds Ratio:0.124, Confidence Interval: 0.03–0.48]. Conclusion The modified HELP effectively reduced delirium rates in geriatric hospitalized patients. Trial registration This study was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20180910040995N1 .

This study investigated a three-dimensional flow analysis on a two-stage contra-rotating axial compressor using the Navier–Stokes, continuity, and energy equations with Ansys CFX commercial software. In order to validate the obtained results, the absolute and relative flow angles curves for each rotor in radial direction were extracted and compared with the other investigation results, indicating good agreement. The compressor efficiency curve also was extracted by varying the compressor pressure ratio and compressor efficiency against mass flow rate. The flow results revealed that further distortion of the flow structure in the second rotor imposed a greater increase in the amount of entropy, especially at near-stall conditions. The increase of entropy in the second rotor is due to the interference of the tip leakage flow with the main flow which consequently caused more drops in the second rotor, suggesting that more efficacy of flow control methods occurred in the second rotor than in the first rotor.

In this article, latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) is analyzed for nano phase change material enclosed in a hexagonal triplex-tube with solidification acceleration. Optimized curve shape fins are adjusted inside the tube. The shape of the structure is a hexagonal annular. Therefore, both inner hexagonal walls are cold. Corresponding to six vertices of the hexagonal shaped tube, parallel but symmetrically curved fins are adjusted to every corner. Nanoparticles Enhanced Phase Change Material (NEPCM) is filled inside the annulus, and the mathematical model is constructed based upon the system of nonlinear partial differential equations through the heat equation. Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and Copper driven through liquid phase and solid phase within the entire duct. Galerkin Finite Element Method (GFEM) is employed to model the solidification procedure. The smaller symmetric fins achieving an angle of 10o≤β1≤45o and the larger symmetric fins making an angle of 10o≤β2≤45o with the vertical rod. However, the length of rod is 10mm≤L≤20mm. It is found that the optimized curve shape fin penetrate the intensity of thermal storage into the Phase change materials (PCM) and the shape of the fin prevents the phase trade manner from final unsolidified PCM near the outer shell, in which the phase alternate front passes the top of the fins. It is further analyzed that at the mean position of the triplex tube, the solidification process is minimum due to the high thermal performance of nanoparticle volume fraction and time perfection.

The Global Positioning System – Radio Occultation (GPS-RO) observations from FormoSat-3 ∕ COSMIC are used to comprehend the global distribution of equatorial plasma bubbles which are characterized by depletion regions of plasma in the F region of the ionosphere. Plasma bubbles that cause intense scintillation of the radio signals are identified based on the S4 index derived from the 1 Hz raw signal-to-noise ratio measurements between 2007 and 2017. The analyses revealed that bubbles influenced by background plasma density occurred along the geomagnetic equator and had an occurrence peak around the dip equator during high solar activity. The peak shifted between the African and American sectors, depending on different solar conditions. Plasma bubbles usually developed around 19:00 local time (LT), with maximum occurrence around 21:00 LT during solar maximum and ∼22:00 LT during solar minimum. The occurrence of bubbles showed a strong dependence on longitudes, seasons, and solar cycle with the peak occurrence rate in the African sector around the March equinox during high solar activity, which is consistent with previous studies. The GPS-RO technique allows an extended analysis of the altitudinal distribution of global equatorial plasma bubbles obtained from high vertical resolution profiles, thus making it a convenient tool which could be further used with other techniques to provide a comprehensive view of such ionospheric irregularities.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Management experts believe that in order to achieve competitive advantage, Human resource management is the most important factor, because human capital according to characteristics such as: scarcity, value creation, irreplaceability and imitation, it is different from other organizational assets. Due to the importance of human resource management, this study seeks to describe the 100-year historical trend of human resource management in the world, Iran and Municipality of Tehran.METHOD: In this research, the philosophy of interpretive research, inductive research approach, historical research strategy are selected and the method of data collection is library and field with document review tools and semi-structured interviews. The historical sources studied in this research include: theoretical literature of human resources, laws and regulations of human resources in different periods of the municipality, employment regulations, strategic documents and human resources and five-year development plans of Tehran. For this purpose, non-random and purposeful sampling was performed from the research community, which includes senior managers of human resources of Municipality of Tehran, who have been in charge since 1987. In this way, 10 people were interviewed. Data analysis was performed by qualitative content analysis.FINDINGS: Human resource management in the world can be divided into 10 periods: before the Industrial Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of modern companies, scientific management, social welfare movement, industrial psychology, World War I. After World War II, industrial relations divided the emergence of the field of human resource management, strategic focus on human resource management and human resource management in the era of cloud and mobile technology. The study of the historical trend of human resource management in Iran has been influenced by the employment laws of the country in 1922, 1966 and 2007 and according to it, the country is witnessing a change in human resource management from traditional (administrative and recruitment) to specialized and professional (strategic). Human resource management in Municipality of Tehran in the framework of the mission, development programs and development documents of human resources in the direction of playing administrative (recruitment, selection, promotion) and executive roles (training, development, empowerment, succession) has taken many steps and with simultaneous focus on inside and outside the organization, has moved towards urban Human resource management.CONCLUSION: The results of the research provide important information about the historical course of Human resource management in three levels of the world, Iran and Municipality of Tehran, and by studying it, the gap between human resource management activities and measures are achieved.

One of the main challenges of a four-switch three-phase rectifier (FSTPR) is a DC imbalance in capacitor voltages. On the other hand, under unbalanced grid voltage conditions, unbalanced three-phase input current and the DC-link voltage affect the performance of the FSTPR. Although many papers focus on designing a controller to balance DC-link capacitor voltage, a few papers are available to cope with the imbalance of DC-link capacitor voltages and input current simultaneously under unbalanced grid voltage. In this paper, first, the operation of the FSTPR under unbalanced grid voltage conditions is investigated. It can be seen that under these conditions, the oscillatory parts of the active and reactive input power, i.e., sin and cos components, are the leading cause of the problems that can severely degrade the FSTPR performance of the controller. Therefore, this paper presents a promising control technique to eliminate the mentioned oscillation components. Aiming at this purpose, the current control loops in the dq axis are divided into two positive and negative sequences, i.e., idq+ and idq−. Simulation results in MATLAB/SimPowerSystem™ show that the proposed controller can reduce the output voltage ripple, the total harmonic distortion, and the unbalancing of input current compared to a conventional controller. Under these conditions, the DC-link capacitor voltages are more balanced, significantly reducing the voltage limiter of the FSTPR.

The densification behavior, structural and microstructural evolution and microwave dielectric properties of Li2TiO3 + xZnO (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 5 mol%) ceramics have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and microwave resonant measurement. The Maximum density of 3.33 g/cm3 was obtained in Li2TiO3 + 2ZnO ceramic at low sintering temperature of 1100˚C. SEM investigations revealed good close packing of grains when x = 2 and preferential grain growth when x ≥ 3. The maximum values of Q × f = 31800 GHz and εr = 22.5 were obtained in Li2TiO3 + 3ZnO and Li2TiO3 + 2ZnO compositions, respectively. The observed properties are attributed to the microstructural evolution and grain growth (first case) or high density of the obtained ceramic (second case).

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is one of the main classes of acid-producing organisms in the food industry, and they play a vital part in many food and feed fermentations. We isolated and performed molecular identification of LAB from raw camel's milk and assessed their protective effects against pathogenicity induced by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Fourteen samples of camel's milk were obtained from several districts under aseptic conditions. Bacteria isolation was performed by plating the samples on selective media. Isolates were identified by amplification of the 16S ribosomal RNA by PCR and sequencing. A total of 32 isolates were randomly picked, eight of which were analysed in this study. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic methods, isolated LAB was included Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus plantarum, Weissella paramesenteroides and Weissella confuse. Antagonistic activity of isolated LAB against two pathogenic bacteria showed that they had more inhibitory activity against S. aureus subsp. aureus PTCC 1431 than E. coli ATCC 25922. This study discovered that raw camel's milk obtained from three districts of Kerman province contain LAB bacteria that have antagonistic properties on S. aureus. Keywords: Camel, lactic acid bacteria, milk, probiotic

Flow and heat transfer of MHD micro-polar nanofluid in a channel with penetrable walls and considering thermal radiation impact are investigated. A similarity transformation is utilized to transmute the governing momentum and energy equations into non-linear ordinary differential equations with the appropriate boundary conditions. The gained non-linear ordinary differential equations are solved by Duan–Rach Approach (DRA). This method allows us to detect a solution without applying numerical methods to evaluate the unspecified coefficients. The impacts of diverse active parameters such as the micro-polar parameter, the magnetic parameter, the volume fraction of nanofluid and the radiation parameter on the velocity and temperature profiles are examined. Furthermore, the value of the Nusselt number is calculated and presented through figures. Keywords: Micro-polar nanofluid, Penetrable channel, MHD, Thermal radiation, Duan-Rach Approach (DRA)

Abstract Background In this paper, the heat and mass transfer of MHD nanofluid squeezing flow between two parallel plates are investigated. In squeezing flows, a material is compressed between two parallel plates and then squeezed out radially. The significance of this study is the hydrothermal investigation of MHD nanofluid during squeezing flow. The affecting parameters on the flow and heat transfer are Brownian motion, Thermophoresis parameter, Squeezing parameter and the magnetic field. Methods By applying the proper similarity parameters, the governing equations of the problem are converted to nondimensional forms and are solved analytically using the Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM) and the Collocation Method (CM). Moreover, the analytical solution is compared with numerical Finite Element Method (FEM) and a good agreement is obtained. Results The results indicated that increasing the Brownian motion parameter causes an increase in the temperature profile, while an inverse treatment is observed for the concentration profile. Also, it was found that enhancing the thermophoresis parameter results in decreasing the temperature profile and augmenting the concentration profile. Conclusions Effects of active parameters have been considered for the flow, heat and mass transfer. The results indicated that temperature boundary layer thickness will increases by augmentation of Brownian motion parameter and Thermophoresis parameter, while it decreases by raising the other active parameters.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) is an established advanced therapy that produces therapeutic effects through high frequency stimulation. Although this therapeutic option leads to improved clinical outcomes, the mechanisms of the underlying efficacy of this treatment are not well understood. Therefore, investigation of DBS and its postoperative effects on brain architecture is of great interest. Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is an advanced imaging technique, which has the ability to estimate the structure of white matter fibers; however, clinical application of DWI after DBS implantation is challenging due to the strong susceptibility artifacts caused by implanted devices. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of generating meaningful white matter reconstructions after DBS implantation; and to subsequently quantify the degree to which these tracts are affected by post-operative device-related artifacts.DWI was safely performed before and after implanting electrodes for DBS in 9 PD patients. Differences within each subject between pre- and post-implantation FA, MD, and RD values for 123 regions of interest (ROIs) were calculated. While differences were noted globally, they were larger in regions directly affected by the artifact. White matter tracts were generated from each ROI with probabilistic tractography, revealing significant differences in the reconstruction of several white matter structures after DBS. Tracts pertinent to PD, such as regions of the substantia nigra and nigrostriatal tracts, were largely unaffected.The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and clinical applicability of acquiring and processing DWI post-operatively in PD patients after DBS implantation. The presence of global differences provides an impetus for acquiring DWI shortly after implantation to establish a new baseline against which longitudinal changes in brain connectivity in DBS patients can be compared. Understanding that post-operative fiber tracking in patients is feasible on a clinically-relevant scale has significant implications for increasing our current understanding of the pathophysiology of movement disorders, and may provide insights into better defining the pathophysiology and therapeutic effects of DBS. Keywords: Postoperative imaging, Clinical feasibility, Deep brain stimulation, Diffusion weighted imaging, Tractography, Susceptibility artifact, Parkinson's disease

This paper presents the results of the dose dependencies of the light sum accumulation in ZnSe single crystals at a different X-ray excitation at 85 K. The values of light sum accumulation at different deep traps were determined from the thermally stimulated luminescence and conductivity curves. It was confirmed that the accumulated light sum is uniquely determined by the dose of radiation only, that is, the product of the intensity of excitation by the time of X-ray exposure. The same result is also given by the theoretical consideration of the kinetics of the light sum accumulation on deep traps for a multicenter model of crystal phosphors.

The use of subcritical aqueous homogenous reactors driven by accelerators presents an attractive alternative for producing 99Mo. In this method, the medical isotope production system itself is used to extract 99Mo or other radioisotopes so that there is no need to irradiate common targets. In addition, it can operate at much lower power compared to a traditional reactor to produce the same amount of 99Mo by irradiating targets. In this study, the neutronic performance and 99Mo, 89Sr, and 131I production capacity of a subcritical aqueous homogenous reactor fueled with low-enriched uranyl nitrate was evaluated using the MCNPX code. A proton accelerator with a maximum 30-MeV accelerating power was used to run the subcritical core. The computational results indicate a good potential for the modeled system to produce the radioisotopes under completely safe conditions because of the high negative reactivity coefficients of the modeled core. The results show that application of an optimized beam window material can increase the fission power of the aqueous nitrate fuel up to 80%. This accelerator-based procedure using low enriched uranium nitrate fuel to produce radioisotopes presents a potentially competitive alternative in comparison with the reactor-based or other accelerator-based methods. This system produces ∼1,500 Ci/wk (∼325 6-day Ci) of 99Mo at the end of a cycle.

This paper presents modeling, simulation and control of matrix converter (MC) for variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) system including permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). At a given wind velocity, the power available from a wind turbine is a function of its shaft speed. In order to track maximum power, the MC adjusts the PMSG shaft speed.The proposed control system allowing independent control maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of generator side and regulate reactive power of grid side for the operation of the VSWT system. The MPPT is implemented by a new control system. This control system is based on control of zero d-axis current (ZDC). The ZDC control can be realized by transfer the three-phase stator current in the stationary reference frame into d-and q-axis components in the synchronous reference frame. Also this paper is presented, a novel control strategy to regulate the reactive power supplied by a variable speed wind energy conversion system. This control strategy is based on voltage oriented control (VOC). The simulation results based on Simulink/Matlab software show that the controllers can extract maximum power and regulate reactive power under varying wind velocities.

This work studies the conductivity and luminescence of ZnSe single crystals under X-ray irradiation. The experimentally derived lux-ampere characteristics of the X-ray conductivity for ZnSe crystals have a sublinear behavior within the temperature range from 8 to 420 K. The theoretical analysis of the conductivity kinetics at X-ray excitation showed that the value of maximum accumulated lightsum at deep traps does not depend on radiation intensity. However, regarding shallow and phosphorescent traps, the strength of accumulated lightsum depends on the intensity of exciting irradiation. Specifically, these shallow traps and phosphorescent traps cause the sublinear behavior of lux-ampere characteristics in the semiconductor material.

Double-diffusive mixed convection in a lid-driven square enclosure filled with Al2O3-water is numerically investigated. Two-dimensional nonlinear governing equations are discretized using the control volume method and hybrid scheme. The equations are solved using SIMPLER algorithm. The results are displayed in the form of streamlines, isotherms, and iso-concentrations when the Richardson number varies between 0.01 and 100, the Lewis number changes from 0.1 to 10, the buoyancy ratio ranges between 0 and 5,the volume fractions of nanoparticles differs from 0 to 0.06 and the source location moves from the top toward bottom of the left wall. Moreover, the variation of average Nusselt and Sherwood number are illustrated. It is observed that heat transfer enhances as nanoparticles volume fraction increases, while mass transfer reduces. Additionally, by increasing the buoyancy ratio, both heat and mass transfer are increased.

The exponentiated Gumbel model has been shown to be useful in climate modeling including global warming problem, flood frequency analysis, offshore modeling, rainfall modeling and wind speed modeling. Here, we consider estimation of the PDF and the CDF of the exponentiated Gumbel distribution. The following esti- mators are considered: uniformly minimum variance unbiased (UMVU) estimator, maximum likelihood (ML) estimator, percentile (PC) estimator, least squares (LS) estimator and weighted least squares (WLS) estimator. Analytical expressions are derived for the bias and the mean squared error. Simulation studies and real data applications show that the ML estimator performs better than others.

The growth and morphogenesis of cultured plant tissues can be improved by small amounts of some organic elements. In addition to being a natural source of carbon, organic additives may contain natural vitamins, phenols, fiber, hormones and also proteins. Hence, the physiological effects of apricot gum on the regeneration capacity and growth rate of three different plant species i.e. carrot (as a model plant), stevia (as an herbaceous plant), and grapevine (as a woody plant) were examined. The proliferated callus cultures of carrot and in vitro-derived microcuttings of stevia and grapevine were inoculated on their respective standardized proliferation media supplemented with 2.0-6.0 g/l apricot gum. The growth parameters of treated samples were measured and compared to gum-free medium. Earlier callus initiations with greater fresh weight, volume, as well as improved pigmentation were recorded in media fortified with apricot gum. The usefulness of gum application was also obvious in both stevia and grapevine with respect to better shoot multiplication and rooting parameters. Due to positive effects of apricot gum, longer vines with a higher number of lateral shoots, internodes and leaf area were achieved. Overall, the gum at the rate of 4.0 g/L was found to be a logical concentration with respect to encouraging response in all three species. Owing to promising results evolved in the present research, the application of gum in commercial tissue culture protocols is highly recommended. However, further studies are needed to exploit plant derived gums as an alternative carbon source in plant tissue culture media.

. In this paper we study the irreducibility of some composite polynomials, constructed by a polynomial composition method over finite fields. Finally, a recurrent method for constructing families of irreducible polynomials of higher degree from given irreducible polynomials over finite fields is given

An investigation was undertaken to adjudge the in vitro salt tolerance and biochemical changes due to NaCl on four grape rootstocks (Dogridge, SO4, H-144 and 3309C). The in vitro two-node micro-cuttings from the established cultures were sub-cultured on rooting medium comprising Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 0.5 μM indolebutyric acid (IBA), 200 mg dm-3 activated charcoal and different NaCl concentrations ranging from 0 to 125 mM. The surviving and proliferated cultures were further sub-cultured four times on respective media. Dogridge and H-144 tolerated 125 and 100 mM NaCl, respectively, while SO4 and 3309C survived only up to 75 mM NaCl. Contents of proteins, proline, K+ and Na+ in tissue increased in all genotypes due to NaCl supplementation, while contents of chlorophyll and total soluble sugars declined. Higher K+/Na+ ratio was registered in Dogridge and H-144 than in SO4 and 3309C. The relative NaCl tolerance for different grape rootstocks under study could be ranked as Dogridge > H-144 > SO4 and 3309C.

One of the most popular approaches to measuring productivity changes is based on using Malmquist productivity indexes. In this paper we propose a method for obtaining interval Malmquist productivity index (IMPI). The classical DEA models have been before used for measuring the Malmquist productivity index. The current article extends DEA models for measuring the interval Malmquist productivity index by utilize the bounded DEA models instead of classical DEA models.

Seed germination is considered an important phenological stage of plant growth during which the viable, nondormant embryos develop into seedlings under favorable conditions. Currently, various seed priming treatments may be used to enhance germination values (germination percentage, Lag phase, time to reach 50% germination) and breaking dormancy; gibberellins and KNO3 are applied as common treatments in this regard. In the present study, efficacy of Hydrogen Cyanamid (HCN, Dormex®) on seed germination of two cultivated pistachio varieties (Abasali, Shahpasand) were studied and the results were compared to ordinary ingredients, namely gibberellic acid (GA3) and KNO3. The extraction of parameters was carried out using four-parameter Hill function. The results reveal that HCN may significantly improve critical parameters involved in pistachio seed germination. In Shahpasand variety, seeds treated with HCN germinated prior to other treatments (150.53 hours after treatment) and achieved 50% germination earlier than other treatments (199.00 hours only). According to the results, utilization of HCN in seed testing experiments may be encouraged.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders in children that is considered to affect early stages of information processes. Inefficient processing of temporal information, which is a vital auditory processing skill suggests itself as a potential candidate for investigating ADHD deficits. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), a neuroscience-based research framework, has been introduced to study mental illness without relying on pre-established diagnostic categories. In this regard, Mismatch Negativity (MMN) has been considered an ideal electrophysiological marker for investigating ADHD deficits. This study investigates alterations in the amplitude and latency of the MMN component in response to changes in the duration and Inter-Stimulus Interval (ISI) of basic sound stimuli within an oddball task. The MMN paradigm was employed to examine duration deviations in ADHD ( n  = 25, 84% male, mean age: 7.3 years, SD = 2.01) compared to Control group of typically developing (TD) children ( n  = 25, 72% male, mean age: 7.2 years, SD = 1.92). Participants with ADHD were introduced from an accredited psychiatrist. TD children were recruited from social media and online forms. Both groups were matched in terms of gender, age and IQ. The psychological tests conducted in this study included Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS), Gilliam Autism Rating Scale|Third Edition (Gars3), Sensory profile questionnaire and Edinburgh Handedness inventory. Our findings revealed reduced MMN amplitudes in response to two blocks of duration and ISI-based deviations in ADHD children. To elaborate in greater detail, at Fz, in Duration and ISI block, respectively, the ADHD group showed an amplitude of -1.2097 ± 0.2938 and -0.8553 ± 0.4423, while the normal group showed an amplitude of -1.8325 ± 0.3689 and -2.0855 ± 0.3802. Additionally, at Cz, the ADHD group exhibited a shorter amplitude (-1.2515 ± 0.3261 and -0.9367 ± 0.3432) compared to the normal group (-2.1319 ± 0.4445 and -2.7561 ± 0.4883), in the duration and ISI blocks, respectively. Furthermore, children with ADHD display longer MMN latencies in both experimental blocks, suggesting atypical responses. To provide more detail, at Fz, the ADHD group displayed MMN latencies of 239.68 ± 5.059 and 226.88 ± 4.885 in the Duration and ISI blocks, respectively, whereas the normal group showed MMN latencies of 228.56 ± 6.584 and 213.56 ± 4.153. Similarly, at Cz, the ADHD group exhibited longer MMN latencies (234.40 ± 5.741 and 231.44 ± 5.464) compared to the normal group (227.52 ± 6.710 and 218.00 ± 5.261) in the Duration and ISI blocks, respectively. Our findings were interpreted in the context of the internal clock model, which involves the pace of an internal pacemaker regulated by dopamine (DA) levels. The convergence of MMN and auditory timing abnormalities within the RDoC framework suggests their potential as endophenotypes for ADHD, highlighting the significance of sensory processing in understanding the disorder.

Background: Colon carcinoma poses a significant health challenge globally, particularly in developed nations where sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary choices, and genetic factors play a crucial role in its prevalence. Chemotherapy, the primary treatment method, carries severe side effects that can jeopardize patients' lives. Herbal extracts such as Ocimum Basillicum extract have shown effectiveness against cancer cells. Additionally, nanoparticles can significantly enhance drug delivery efficacy in these scenarios., Aim: This article aims to investigate the impact of copper nanoparticles coated with Ocimum Bassilicum at chemoradiotherapy of Colon Carcinoma to hopefully create new treatment options with fewer side effects for patients., Methodology: CuO bio-NPs were produced by the addition of 15 mL of extract dropwise to 80 mL of a 5 mM Cu (OAc) 2 aqueous solution, which was then refluxed for 2 h at 100 °C. The mixture gradually became darker brown in color as a result of the heating procedure. The production of CuO NPs and the hydrogen-donating activity of antioxidant phenols within the plant are signaled by surface plasmon resonance excitation, which is the cause of this. In the cell culture, LS174t colon cancer cells were treated with OB extract, CuNPs, and OB-coated CuNPs with and without different radiation levels in order to assess cell viability, through the MTT assay, and the pro-apoptotic BAX and anti-apoptotic BCL2 expressions, through qPCR assay., Results: The results demonstrate a decrease in cell viability and the expression of BCL2 and an increase in the expression of BAX especially when treated with OB-coated CuNPs and even furthermore when paired with radiation therapy., Conclusions: After doing the clinical trial studies, the recent nanoparticles can be used for the treatment of Colorectal carcinoma., Competing Interests: Not applicable.Not applicable., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infections are a major public health problem, necessitating the administration of polymyxin E (colistin) as a last-line antibiotic. Meanwhile, the mortality rate associated with colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae infections is seriously increasing. On the other hand, importance of administration of carbapenems in promoting colistin resistance in K. pneumoniae is unknown., Case Presentation: We report a case of K. pneumoniae-related pyogenic liver abscess in which susceptible K. pneumoniae transformed into carbapenem- and colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae during treatment with imipenem. The case of pyogenic liver abscess was a 50-year-old man with diabetes and liver transplant who was admitted to Abu Ali Sina Hospital in Shiraz. The K. pneumoniae isolate responsible for community-acquired pyogenic liver abscess was isolated and identified. The K. pneumoniae isolate was sensitive to all tested antibiotics except ampicillin in the antimicrobial susceptibility test and was identified as a non-K1/K2 classical K. pneumoniae (cKp) strain. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) identified the isolate as sequence type 54 (ST54). Based on the patient's request, he was discharged to continue treatment at another center. After two months, he was readmitted due to fever and progressive constitutional symptoms. During treatment with imipenem, the strain acquired bla OXA-48 and showed resistance to carbapenems and was identified as a multidrug resistant (MDR) strain. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test for colistin was performed by broth microdilution method and the strain was sensitive to colistin (MIC < 2 µg/mL). Meanwhile, on blood agar, the colonies had a sticky consistency and adhered to the culture medium (sticky mucoviscous colonies). Quantitative real-time PCR and biofilm formation assay revealed that the CRKP strain increased capsule wzi gene expression and produced slime in response to imipenem. Finally, K. pneumoniae-related pyogenic liver abscess with resistance to a wide range of antibiotics, including the last-line antibiotics colistin and tigecycline, led to sepsis and death., Conclusions: Based on this information, can we have a theoretical hypothesis that imipenem is a promoter of resistance to carbapenems and colistin in K. pneumoniae? This needs more attention., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Current methods of colon cancer treatment, especially chemotherapy, require new treatment methods due to adverse side effects. One important area of interest in recent years is the use of nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles since several studies have revealed that they can improve the target specificity of the treatment thus lowering the dosage of the drugs while preserving the effectiveness of the treatment thus reducing the side effects. The use of traditional medicine has also been a favorite topic of interest in recent years in medical research, especially cancer research. In this research work, the green synthesis of Fe nanoparticles was carried out using Mentha spicata extract and the synthesized nanoparticles were identified using FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM and EDS techniques. Then the effect of Mentha spicata , Fe nanoparticles, and Mentha spicata -loaded Fe nanoparticles on LS174t colon cancer cells, and our result concluded that all three, especially Mentha spicata -loaded Fe nanoparticles, have great cytotoxic effects against LS174t cells, and exposure to radiotherapy just further intensified these results. The in vitro condition revealed alterations in the expression of pro-apoptotic BAX and anti-apoptotic Bcl2, suggesting a pro-apoptotic effect from all three components, particularly the Mentha spicata-loaded Fe nanoparticles. After further clinical trials, these nanoparticles can be used to treat colon cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a common procedure to correct refractive errors. However, postoperative pain is one of the most common drawbacks of PRK. Evidence shows that individual`s personality traits could impact postoperative perceived pain. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the severity of postoperative pain and personality traits after PRK., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 300 patients who attended to Mahdieh Surgical Clinic (Hamadan, Iran) and underwent PRK. Persian version of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) was applied to assess personality traits, and postoperative pain was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) score., Results: The mean age of patients was 31.8 ±5.51 years, and most (68%) were female. The most common personality trait was neuroticism, and the mean refractive errors of the right and left eyes of the patients were 1.2±2.67 and 1.3±2.75, respectively. Regarding the VAS score, patients with neuroticism traits perceived the most severe postoperative pain (VAS=6±2.2). Also, the Pearson correlation test indicated a positive correlation between perceived pain and neuroticism personality traits (r=0.059, P˂0.001). In contrast, a significant negative correlation was observed between extraversion and conscientiousness with pain perception (r= -0.737 and r= -0.307, respectively)., Conclusion: Our findings showed a positive and significant correlation between three personality traits and pain perception in these patients. Postoperative pain perception in patients undergoing PRK depends on the personality traits of these patients. Groups with less personality stability feel more pain than groups with stable personalities., Competing Interests: The authors of the study declare there were no conflicts of interest., (Copyright© 2024, Galen Medical Journal.)

Immunotherapy has lately become the most preferred cancer treatment method, and for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) first-line treatment, there are many immunotherapy options. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and toxicity of paclitaxel (PTX), docetaxel (DTX) chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment (durvalumab; DVL), and their combination in NSCLC. A-549 cells were treated with DVL in combination with PTX and DTX (a quarter of the IC 50 ) to investigate their anticancer effects on these cells. The MTT assay, wound healing tests, and double-staining with Annexin V/PI were used to assess the cell viability, apoptosis, and migration. The results showed that a combination of 0.35 mg/mL DVL with 6.5 μg/mL PTX and 1.75 μg/mL DTX produced a synergistic effect with CI values of 0.88, 0.37, and 0.81, respectively. Moreover, the PTX + DTX + DVL combination led to a significantly increased apoptotic rate up to 88.70 ± 3.39% in the A549 cell line compared to monotherapy (p < .001). In addition, we found that the combination therapy with these agents increased the expression level of Bax, Cas-3, p53, and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in all experimental groups. In conclusion, the results suggest that combining anti-PD-L1 antibody therapy with chemotherapy may provide a promising approach to enhance treatment outcomes and be a potentially efficacious strategy for treating NSCLC patients. Further research and clinical investigations are needed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms and validate the therapeutic potential of these compounds in vivo., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In this study, gold nanoparticles were loaded into poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/gelatin nanofibrous matrices to fabricate a potential wound dressing. The mats were produced by electrospinning of PCL/gelatin solution supplemented with synthesized gold nanoparticles (200, 400 and 800 ppm). Prepared scaffolds were investigated regarding their chemical properties, morphology, mechanical properties, surface wettability, water-uptake capacity, water vapor permeability, porosity, blood compatibility, microbial penetration test and cellular response. In addition to in vivo study, a full-thickness excisional wound in a rat model was used to evaluate the healing effect of prepared scaffolds. Results showed appropriate mechanical properties and porosity of prepared scaffolds. With L929 cells, the PCL/gelatin scaffold containing 400 ppm gold nanoparticles demonstrated the greatest cell growth. In vivo results validated the favorable wound-healing benefits of the scaffold incorporating gold nanoparticles, which triggered wound healing compared to sterile gauze. Our results showed the capability of nanofibrous matrices containing gold nanoparticles for successful wound treatment., (© 2023 The Wound Healing Society.)

Background: Mental illness is one of the most common problems in human societies and the continuation of care and post-discharge follow-up. This study was conducted to define a post-discharge follow-up framework for Farabi Hospital in Isfahan., Material and Methods: This was a multistage study, including, interviews literature review, and focus group discussions. Participants included 18 purposefully selected nurses, physicians, and managers, directly involved in the discharge process of Farabi Hospital in Isfahan. The interviews were semi-structured. Data were organized using MAXQDA 10 software. The initial framework was set through the extraction of semantic main and secondary codes. The framework was finalized through three several focus group discussion sessions., Results: Results included of 17 sub-categories and seven main categories as "education," organizational arrangement," "team-building," "patient and family participation and trust," "engaging some supportive institutions of community," "process management" and "information management.", Conclusions: To implement a post-discharge follow-up system for psychiatric patients in Farabi Hospital of Isfahan must be concentrated to patient and family education, team building, organizational arrangements, participation, and trust of patients and family, while engaging community health centers and notice to information and management and process management., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of various radiobiological models in predicting the occurrence of acute esophagitis (AE) during radiation therapy (RT) of head, neck, and thoracic tumors with concurrent and sequential chemotherapy. According to recent studies, the probability of AE following RT by normal tissue complication probability models is predictable., Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients with nasopharynx, larynx, Hodgkin's lymphoma, spinal metastases, and oral cavity and lung tumors were included in the study. Half of these patients were treated by concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (Con. CRT) and the other half were treated by radiotherapy alone or sequential chemo-radiotherapy (RT + seq. CRT). Radiobiological models of several types were used as follows,: Lyman-generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD), Lyman-MED, log-logistic, logit, and logistic. Parameters were estimated using maximum likelihood estimation, and models were compared using Akaike information criteria., Results: Based on follow-up data, the behavior of dose-response curves differed markedly between the Con. CRT and RT + seq. CRT groups. The best fit with clinical results was offered by the Lyman-MED model for the Con. CRT group and the Lyman-gEUD model for the RT + seq. CRT group. Depending on the model used, the parameter of D 50 was considerably lower (up to three times) in the Con. CRT group compared to the RT + seq. CRT group., Conclusions: The incidence of AE significantly differed between the two treatment groups in all the models. New parameter estimates could be used for predicting the probability of acute esophagitis after chemo-RT., Competing Interests: None

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) pathotype is emerging worldwide in pyogenic liver abscesses (PLAs). However, the role of virulence factors in pathogenicity remains unclear. On the other hand, the epidemiology of PLAs in Iran is unknown. From July 2020 to April 2022, bacterial species were isolated and identified from the drainage samples of 54 patients with PLAs. K. pneumoniae as the most common pathogen of pyogenic liver abscesses was identified in 20 (37%) of the 54 patients. We analyzed the clinical and microbiological characteristics of K. pneumoniae -related pyogenic liver abscesses. Antibiotic susceptibility testes and string test were performed. 16S rRNA, antibiotic resistance, and virulence genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification. Clonal relatedness of isolates was identified by multilocus sequence typing. Virulence levels were assessed in the Galleria mellonella larval infection model. Four hvKp isolates (K1/K2) were found to be responsible for cryptogenic PLAs, and 16 classical K. pneumoniae isolates (non-K1/K2) were associated with non-cryptogenic PLAs. Three capsular serotype K1 strains belonged to sequence type 23 (ST23) and one K2 strain to ST65. Meanwhile, the non-K1/K2 strains belonged to other STs. ST231 was the most common strain among the classical K. pneumoniae strains. Compared with the non-K1/K2 strains, capsular serotypes K1/K2 strains were less resistant to antibiotics, had positive string test results, and had more virulence genes. In Galleria mellonella , a concentration of 10 6 colony-forming units of the K1 hvKp strain resulted in 100% death at 24 hours, confirming the higher virulence of the hvKp strain compared with cKp. K. pneumoniae isolates represented that the acquisition of any plasmid or chromosomal virulence genes contributes to pathogenicity and high prevalence in PLAs. Meanwhile, hvKp isolates with a specific genetic background were detected in cryptogenic PLAs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Sohrabi, Alizade Naini, Rasekhi, Oloomi, Moradhaseli, Ayoub, Bazargani, Hashemizadeh, Shahcheraghi and Badmasti.)

Nitroaromatic explosives are the most common explosives, and their detection is important to public security, human health, and environmental protection. In particular, the detection of solid explosives through directly revealing the presence of their vapors in air would be desirable for compact and portable devices. In this study, amino-functionalized carbon nanotubes were used to produce resistive sensors to detect nitroaromatic explosives by interaction with their vapors. Devices formed by carbon nanotube networks working at room temperature revealed trinitrotoluene, one of the most common nitroaromatic explosives, and di-nitrotoluene-saturated vapors, with reaction and recovery times of a few and tens of seconds, respectively. This type of resistive device is particularly simple and may be easily combined with low-power electronics for preparing portable devices.

Introduction: Radiation dermatitis (RD) is a side effect of radiation therapy (RT) which is experienced by over 90% of patients being treated for breast cancer. The current clinical trial was conducted to measure the preventative effects of a boron-based gel on several different clinical outcomes (dermatitis, erythema, dry desquamation, and moist desquamation) after 25 radiotherapy sessions., Methods: This research used a double-blind parallel-group design with a placebo control (n = 76) and randomized group (n = 181), with all participants being between 18 and 75 years old. Fifteen minutes before each radiotherapy, participants in the intervention group were given a gel containing 3% sodium pentaborate pentahydrate, while those in the placebo group received a gel with no chemical substance. Dermatitis, erythema, dry desquamation, and moist desquamation were compared between the 2 groups., Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences between the groups (p > 0.05), except for body mass index. After 14 days of treatment, dermatitis (98.7% vs. 9.9%; p < 0.001), erythema (96.1% vs. 12.2%; p < 0.001), dry desquamation (50% vs. 3.9%; p < 0.001), and moist desquamation (18.4% vs. 0.6%; p < 0.001) were much more common in the placebo group than the intervention group. To prevent dermatitis, erythema, dry desquamation, and moist desquamation in 1 patient, on average, 1.1 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-1.2), 1.2 (95% CI: 1.1-1.3), 2.2 (95% CI: 1.7-2.9), and 5.6 (95% CI: 3.8-11.0) patients need to be treated, respectively., Conclusion: The boron-based gel has a significant preventive effect on several categories of RD which might be used by clinicians in breast cancer., (© 2022 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Worldwide, AIDS is an acute problem. Health Belief Model (HBM) is a model for prevention and control of diseases. This study examined the predictors of preventive behaviors of HIV/AIDS based on HBM constructs in participants., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 200 women who were referred to vulnerable women's centers across Tabriz city between November and December 2018. Participants were selected by census sampling. Inclusion criteria were having a health record, multiple sexual partners, reading and writing skills, and willingness to participate in the study. To collect data, questionnaires of sociodemographic characteristics, HIV knowledge, self-efficacy for negotiating safe sex, perceived sensitivity, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and behavioral prevention (BP) were used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 19 through Pearson's correlation coefficient, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analyses. The significant level was set at α = 0.05., Results: Pearson's correlation test showed a statistically significant correlation between BP and perceived sensitivity ( r = 0.25), perceived benefits ( r = 0.32), self-efficacy ( r = 0.33), and HIV knowledge ( r = 0.25) constructs ( P < 0.001). According to the multiple linear regression, perceived sensitivity ( P = 0.020), perceived benefits ( P = 0.036), and some of the sociodemographic characteristics were found to be predictors of preventive behaviors that explained in total 50% of variance of BP ( P < 0.05 and R 2 = 0.504)., Conclusion: It seems that the HBM is useful to predict HIV preventive behaviors among this vulnerable group. Training programs should be aimed on improving the health belief of HIV preventive behaviors., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Background/purpose: Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare, life-threatening disease characterized by hepatic venous outflow obstruction. Liver transplantation (LT) is widely accepted as an effective therapeutic measure for irreversible liver failure due to BCS. There is debate on differences in the post LT course and complications in patients with BCS as compared to non-Budd-Chiari (NBC) patients., Method: In this retrospective study, data on all patients who received a liver transplant for BCS at the Shiraz Organ Transplantation Center between January 1996 and September 2017 were reviewed and compared to data of a control group who had received liver transplants over the same period but due to other causes (NBC)., Results: Out of 4225 patients who received liver transplants in the study period, 108 had BCS and an age- and gender-matched control group consisted of 108 NBC cases. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores were 19.1 ± 3 and 20 ± 3 for BCS and NBC groups, respectively (p = 0.33). One-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates in the BCS group were as follows: 82%, 78%, 76%, and 76% compared with the NBC rates of 83%, 83%, 83%, and 76%, respectively (p = 0.556). There was no difference between the two groups in complication rates after 6 months. In the later period, vascular thrombosis was more common in BCS., Conclusions: Whole-organ LT from deceased donors in patients with BCS had comparable outcomes with LT due to other causes of end-stage liver disease. In most instances, these patients should receive lifelong anticoagulation.

Objectives: Ulcerative colitis is a common subtype of persistent inflammatory bowel disease with high morbidity consequences. Despite unknown definite pathogenesis, multiple anti-inflammatory medications are used for its treatment. Traditionally, Quercus brantii (QB), mostly available in the Middle East, has been used for gastrointestinal disorders. Other beneficial effects associated with QB include reduction of oxidative stress, inflammations, homeostatic instability, and improvement in clinical conditions., Materials and Methods: This experimental study was designed to assess the possible therapeutic effects of QB on UC and compare its effects with those of sulfasalazine. Of the 70 Wistar rats clustered in seven groups, ten received only alcohols and sixty were confirmed to be suffering from trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid- (TNBS-) induced colitis. Four groups received different dosages of QB extract via oral and rectal routes, one received sulfasalazine, and the other remaining two groups received nothing. The effects of QB were evaluated by assessing macroscopic and histologic scoring, measuring inflammatory mediators, and determining oxidative stress markers., Results: Comparing to the untreated TNBS-induced control groups, QB-treated groups showed a dose- and route-dependent improvement comparable with sulfasalazine. Treating rats with QB reduced the microscopic and macroscopic damage, decreased TNF- α , IL-6, NO, MPO activity, and MDA content, increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and reduced body weight loss., Conclusions: Our data recommended the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of QB extract in a dose-dependent manner., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Mahvash Alizade Naini et al.)

Celiac Disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy, generally of the proximal intestine, that occurs in genetically susceptible individuals triggered by the ingestion of gluten. The incidence and frequency of CD are increasing, and it is predicted that CD affects approximately 1% of the people worldwide. The common clinical manifestations of CD are divided in two sections, including classic and non-classic symptoms that can be created in childhood and adulthood. The relationship between pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria with CD is complex and multidirectional. In previous published studies, results demonstrated the triggering impact of bacteria, viruses, and parasites on initiation and development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Different studies revealed the inducing effect of pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria on CD. However, increasing evidence proposes that some of these microorganisms can also play several positive roles in CD process. Although information of the pathogenesis of the CD is quickly expanding, the possible role of bacteria needs further examination. In conclusion, with respect to the possible correlation between different bacteria in CD, the current review-based study aims to discuss the possible relationship between CD and pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria and to show various and significant aspects of mechanisms involved in the CD process., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract consisting two principal categories, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). The precise etiology of IBD remains unknown. Vitamin D is an important micronutrient that plays a critical biological role in various processes in human tissues. However, the relationship between disruption of the gut microbiota and the development of IBD is unclear. Some studies suggest that IBD is the cause of disrupted gut microbiota while others propose that gut microbiota itself can lead to development of IBD. Regardless of this complexity, it has emerged that vitamin D is an immunoregulatory factor that plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of IBD by affecting the gut microbiome and the inflammatory response. It has been reported that 38.1% of CD patients and 31.6% of UC patients suffer from vitamin D deficiency (VDD). In this review, we aimed to evaluate the association between VDD and IBD, summarizing recent clinical studies examining the effect of low vitamin D and the role of vitamin D supplementation on IBD clinical outcomes., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction : Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy, ranking fourth among the causes of cancer-related deaths globally. Its incidence has increased in recent decades, and now more than one million CRC patients are diagnosed and thousands die annually. The 5-year survival rate varies with the stage at diagnosis, are approximately 90% in the early stages of disease, and less than 10% in advanced disease. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a major cause of chronic liver disease, and characterized by the accumulation of fat in hepatocytes, has also emerged as a risk factor for CRC, and to be related with the development of colorectal polyps. Areas covered : The purpose of this current review is to summarize the main findings of studies that have investigated the role of NAFLD in development of CRC. Expert opinion : Various molecular pathways are altered during the development of NAFLD, which are also important in CRC tumorigenesis. There is growing body of evidence showing the potential role of activation of pro-inflammatory, disruption of anti-inflammatory pathways, increasing the activity of pathways involved in cell proliferation/survival. Thus targeting these dysregulated pathways via novel inhibitors can be a potential therapy for CRC prevention in cases with NAFLD.

Celiac Disease (CD) is a complex autoimmune enteropathy of the small intestine that commonly occurs in genetically predisposed individuals due to intake of gluten and related proteins. Gluten consumption, duration of breast-feeding, various infections, especially frequent intestinal infections, vaccinations and use of antibiotics can be linked to CD. It is predicted that it affects 1% of the global population and its incidence rate is increasing. Most of the people with the HLA-DQ2 or HLADQ8 are at a higher risk of developing this disease. The link between infections and autoimmune diseases has been very much considered in recent years. In several studies, we explained that pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms might have multiple roles in initiation, exacerbation, and development of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). In various studies, the relationship between infections caused by viruses, such as Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Rotavirus, Hepatitis C (HCV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Influenza virus, and parasites including Giardia spp. and Toxoplasma gondii with CD has been raised. However, increasing evidence proposes that some of these microorganisms, especially helminths, can also have protective and even therapeutic roles in the CD process. Therefore, in order to determine the role of microorganisms in the process of this disease, we attempted to summarize the evidence suggesting the role of viral and parasitic agents in pathogenesis of CD., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Objective: Nowadays, the evaluation of all aspects of infant development is important. However, in practice, some of these assessments, especially those requiring more manipulation on high-risk infants, may impose additional stress on them. Therefore, sometimes it is essential to utilize the results of a developmental assessment for the prediction of some other aspects of development. This study evaluated the relationship between the scores of the behavioral tests and the motor function test., Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study and was undertaken in the Neonatal Intensive Care Center and Clinic of Shahid Akbar Abadi Hospital, Tehran, Iran. A group of 50 infants with low birth weights was selected based on the easy non-contingency method and the inclusion criteria, and served as the participants. In order to assess the motor function and the behavioral performance, the motor function test (a test of infant motor performance (TIMP)) and the neonatal behavioral assessment scale (neonatal behavioral assessment scale (NBAS)) were used respectively. TIMP has both stimulation and observation sections. The items include habituation, social interaction, motor system, state organization, state regulation, autonomic system, smile, supplementary items, and the reflex., Results: No significant association was found between the items of the habituation of behavioral testing and the observation of the movement test. There was no statistically significant relationship between the habituation and stimulation sections as well as between the system autonomous of the behavioral test and the observation section of the motor test (P>0.05). The relationship between other variables was statistically significant (P<0.05)., Conclusion: The scores of some behavioral performance items could be a good predictor of the scores of the motor function items for low birth weight infants in the neonatal period.

Background: The pathogenesis of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) is influenced by the patient genetic background and environmental factors. Based on prior understanding, these are classified in two major pathways of genetic instability. Microsatellite instability (MSI) and CPG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) are categorized as features of the hypermethylated prototype, and chromosomal instability (CIN) is known to be indicative of the non-hypermethylated category. Secreted frizzled related protein 2 (SFRP2), APC1A in WNT signaling pathway and the DNA repair gene, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), are frequently hypermethylated in colorectal cancer. Detection of methylated DNA as a biomarker by easy and inexpensive methods might improve the quality of life of patients with CRC via early detection of cancer or a precancerous condition., Aim: To evaluate the rate of SFRP2 and MGMT hypermethylation in both polyp tissue and serum of patients in south Iran as compared with matched control normal population corresponding samples., Materials and Methods: Methylation-specific PCR was used to detect hypermethylation in DNA extracted from 48 polypoid tissue samples and 25 healthy individuals., Results: Of total polyp samples, 89.5% had at least one promoter gene hypermethylation. The most frequent methylated locus was SFRP2 followed by MGMT-B (81.2 and 66.6 percent respectively). Serologic detection of hypermethylation was 95% sensitive as compared with polyp tissue. No hypermethylation was detected in normal tissue and serum and its detection in patients with polyps, especially of serrated type, was specific., Conclusions: Serologic investigation for detection of MGMT-B, SFRP2 hypermethylation could facilitate prioritization of high risk patients for colonoscopic polyp detection and excision.

Background & Aim: Colon polyps are important lesions and a concern because of the potential for colorectal cancer. Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths in Iranian population. The distribution of polyps in the colon may affect the efficacy of a screening modality. The aim of this study was to determine clinical & pathology characteristics of colorectal polyps in Iranian population., Material & Methods: In this study is cross sectional survey that 856 polypectomies were done in 716 patients. Anatomical distribution, size and histopathology of polyps were described in 2004 - 2008 in the educational hospital of Taleghani in Tehran., Results: polyps were observed in 437 males and 279 females and gastroenterologists did colonoscopic polypectomy. 3.12 percent of polyps were located in the rectum, 19.6 percent in sigmoid, 24.4 percent in descending colon, 13.9 percent in transverse colon, 29.6 percent were in cecum and ascending colon. 77 (9%) polyps were non-neoplastic and 779 (91%) were neoplastic. Adenomas were present in 727 (85%) cases, of these 411 (56% of adenomas) were left-sided and 316 (44% of adenomas) were right-sided. Carcinoma was observed in 52 cases, of these 18 (34.5%) were left sided and 34 (65.5% of carcinomas) were right sided. Of them 354 were advance polyp (> 1 cm, villous type, high grade dysplasia). 87 (34%) of Advance polyps were in under 50 year patients and 149 (58.6%) were right sided., Conclusion: This study has shown that a significant number of adenomas and carcinomas lie proximal to the splenic flexure. Thus, in the absence of left-sided lesions, it is expected that examination of the colon limited to the splenic flexure would miss 44% of such lesions. The increasing right-sided prevalence of these lesions with age suggests that evaluation of the proximal bowel is particularly important in older people. In addition there were higher stages of dysplasia and malignancy in larger polyps.

Purpose: Although colchicine has been tested in clinical trials for treatment of constipation, the index groups in those trials were composed of special patient groups with developmental neuromuscular defects or failed surgical management. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of colchicine in patients with refractory slow transit constipation., Materials and Methods: Sixty patients with chief complaint of chronic constipation due to slow transit consented to be included in the double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. These patients were randomly divided into two groups (each containing 30 patients) to receive either colchicine, 1 mg QD, (group A) or placebo (group B) for 2 months. At the end of the study, Knowles-Eccersly-Scot symptom (KESS, a valid technique to assist in the diagnosis and evaluation of symptoms in constipation) scores were compared between the case and control groups., Results: The mean KESS score measured at the end of 2 months was 11.67 +/- 3.91 for colchicine and 18.66 +/- 3.72 for placebo group (p = 0.0001)., Conclusion: This trial shows that low-dose colchicine is effective in treatment of slow transit constipation.