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The rapid growth of deep learning (DL) has raised serious concerns about users’ data and neural network (NN) models’ security and privacy, particularly the risk of backdoor insertion when outsourcing the training or employing pre-trained models. To ensure resilience against such backdoor attacks, this work presents GuardianMPC, a novel framework leveraging secure multiparty computation (MPC). GuardianMPC is built upon garbled circuits (GC) within the LEGO protocol framework to accelerate oblivious inference on FPGAs in the presence of malicious adversaries that can manipulate the model weights and/or insert a backdoor in the architecture of a pre-trained model. In this regard, GuardianMPC is the first to offer private function evaluation in the LEGO family. GuardianMPC also supports private training to effectively counter backdoor attacks targeting NN model architectures and parameters. With optimized pre-processing, GuardianMPC significantly accelerates the online phase, achieving up to $13.44\times $ faster computation than its software counterparts. Our experimental results for multilayer perceptrons (MLPs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) assess GuardianMPC’s time complexity and scalability across diverse NN model architectures. Interestingly, GuardianMPC does not adversely affect the training accuracy, as opposed to many existing private training frameworks. These results confirm GuardianMPC as a high-performance, model-agnostic solution for secure NN computation with robust security and privacy guarantees.

Abstract Background Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is characterized by the co-occurrence of various metabolic risk factors, significantly increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This study investigates the potential of hematological indices, specifically the neutrophil to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (NHR) and lymphocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (LHR), as predictors of MetS in a population from southern Iran. Methods Utilizing baseline data from the Bandare-Kong Non-Communicable Diseases (BKNCD) Cohort, part of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN), A total of 2,684 participants aged 35–70 years were analyzed. Participants were evaluated using the Iranian National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) criteria to diagnose MetS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the predictive validity of NHR and LHR across different demographic categories. Results The mean LHR and NHR values were significantly higher in individuals diagnosed with MetS (P

Background and Purpose: Today, one of the most effective and appropriate treatment strategies for edentulous areas is the use of dental implants to improve esthetics and chewing, which may affect the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients. This study aimed to investigate the impact of dental implant treatment on OHRQoL in patients referred to specialized private practices. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, 349 patients who underwent dental implant procedures in private practices of maxillofacial surgeons or periodontists in Sari from 2018 to 2022 were randomly selected. These patients were asked to complete the OHIP-14 questionnaire to evaluate their OHRQoL. The variables of age, gender, implant site, and the number of implants were examined in relation to quality of life. Based on the average scores from the questionnaire, each patient was categorized into one of the following groups: very good (0–11), good (12–22), average (23–34), bad (35–45), and very bad (46–56). The data were then analyzed using an independent t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression tests, with a significance level set at P=0.05. Results: A total of 325 questionnaires were completed, with 167 (51.4%) patients being female, and the mean age of the participants was 44.18 ± 8.46 years. The overall mean OHRQoL after implant treatment was good (16.80±3.56). In total, 98.8% of the patients reported good OHRQoL, while only 1.2% reported poor OHRQoL. Significant differences were found between the number of implants, implant site, time elapsed since implant treatment, and gender in relation to OHRQoL (P

Background: The association between dietary patterns and chronic diseases and mortality risk has been demonstrated in recent studies. Considering that dietary patterns can provide an approach that is comprehensive to both disease prevention and treatment, this study was conducted to find out prominent dietary patterns among Bandare-Kong participants. Materials and Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study was performed on Bandare-Kong non-communicable disease (BKNCD) Cohort study participants aged 35-70. A food frequency questionnaire was used to determine food intake. The factor analysis method with the principal component analysis approach was employed to extract major dietary patterns. Results: Healthy, Western, and traditional diets were identified as the three major dietary patterns. The healthy pattern was the prominent dietary pattern (10.2%). Healthy, Western, and traditional nutritional patterns explain 10.20%, 6.30%, and 4.28% of the variance in food intake, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that consumption of a healthy dietary pattern in BKNCD participants tended to be high, followed by Western as the second pattern. It is recommended that further longitudinal studies be conducted to assess the role of dietary patterns in cardiometabolic disease incidence.

Abstract Background Obesity is a significant public health issue associated with various chronic diseases. Research has indicated that chia seeds have the potential to improve cardiometabolic health. However, due to the diversity of research and inconsistencies in study design, further investigation is needed to fully understand their clinical effects on overweight individuals. This review aims to comprehensively analyze the available evidence on the effects of chia seeds on cardiometabolic indices in overweight populations through a meta-analysis. Methods A comprehensive literature search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase databases from their inception until 01-03-2024 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of chia on cardiometabolic indices in overweight subjects. The search strategy incorporated both Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Following the screening, ten RCTs were finally included. The data, including subject characteristics, study design, and changes in serum biomarkers, were extracted and analyzed using Stata software version 18. Results The meta-analysis results reveal that chia supplementation no significant changes in lipid profile, including triglycerides (TG) (MD: − 5.80 mg/dL, p = 0.47), total cholesterol (TC) (MD: − 0.29 mg/dL, p = 0.95), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (MD: 1.53 mg/dL, p = 0.33), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (MD: 0.63 mg/dL, p = 0.88). Similarity fasting blood glucose (FBG) (MD: − 0.03 mg/dL, p = 0.98), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (MD: − 0.13%, p = 0.13), and insulin levels (MD: 0.45 µIU/mL, p = 0.78). However, chia seed supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP) (MD: − 1.18 mg/L, p

Foodborne diseases are a significant global public health concern due to their high prevalence, mortality, and economic losses. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of identified foodborne pathogens and outbreaks in Iran over the past 23 years to provide an overview of the risk assessment and prevention approaches in the country. Using appropriate keywords and searching major databases, such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Iranian Scientific Knowledge Database, we initially identified 4,740 articles. Finally, 328 articles were selected for evaluation. Among these articles, publications on Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria were the most numerous. Poultry meat was found to be the main source of major foodborne pathogens in Iran, including Campylobacter (46.21%), Listeria monocytogenes (38.45), Salmonella (24.83%), and Yersinia enterocolitica (16.81%). Given the high prevalence of foodborne bacteria in Iranian foods, it is crucial to implement effective control measures to reduce the risk and burden of foodborne diseases. In particular, poultry meat, which poses a high risk for the occurrence of foodborne diseases in Iran, should be subjected to further risk assessment and control measures throughout the food chain.

Recent advancements in minimally invasive osteosynthesis have improved atraumatic techniques for bone fracture fixation. Pedicle screws are implants primarily used for the internal fixation of the spine. To our knowledge, no studies have assessed the use of Pedicle screw-Rod for fixing long bone fractures or osteotomies. Our study aimed to assess the efficiency and performance of this implant as an external fixation method for experimentally induced tibial fractures, offering a novel surgical approach to tibial fixation. With approval from the Institutional Animal Care Committee, eight healthy, intact male dogs weighing 20–22 kg and aged 10–12 months of mixed breeds underwent aseptic surgical fixation of tibial osteotomies with Pedicle screw-Rod configuration using a minimally invasive medial approach to the tibia. All dogs were placed in the single treatment group. Postoperative clinical and radiographic evaluations were performed. The fixation device functioned effectively until removal. Lameness was fully resolved in all animals by 21 days post-operation. Clinical union occurred at 5.80 ± 1.30 weeks, while complete bone union was achieved at 11.40 ± 1.51 weeks after surgery. Postoperative mechanical medial proximal and distal tibial angles were, 92.00° (92.00°, 91.50°) and 93.40° ± 1.14°, respectively. The tibial valgus was 5.20° ± 1.48°, and tibial plateau angles measured 22.00° (23.00°, 22.00°). There were no significant differences noted when comparing values before and after the operation. Postoperative rotational alignment was anatomical, with satisfactory bone apposition. The study found that using a Pedicle Screw-Rod configuration for non-articular tibial osteotomy fixation is effective without significant complications.

Currently, a large number of people favor meals that are rich in nutraceuticals and phytochemical compounds, which help with the treatment or prevention of chronic diseases. Oral bioavailability is a crucial component of phytochemical bioefficiency, and endogenous mechanisms have a significant impact on how well nutraceuticals and phytochemicals are absorbed by the body. In addition to endogenous variables, exogenous factors that impact the bioavailability of bioactives include the food matrix, food processing, and food storage. Different delivery systems have evolved in this regard, and nanoscale delivery tools have also been created. Delivery methods that use nanostructured lipid carriers show benefits such as enhanced loading capacity, solubility, encapsulation effectiveness, storage stability, bioavailability, and half-life. They also provide safe food systems and regulated release. In this review, the outcomes of recent experimental reports are comprehensively reviewed. In addition, the food processing, storage, gut milieu circumstances, the release process from the food and nano delivery systems in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) milieu, interactions with other GIT constituents, main delivery systems based on nanostructured lipid carriers for their encapsulation and eventually encapsulating technological barriers, food safety concerns, and regulatory issues of nutraceutical and phytochemical compounds are discussed.

Abstract Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a significant risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Increased fasting blood sugar (FBS), fasting insulin (FI), and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) are observed in patients with NAFLD. Gut microbial modulation using prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics has shown promise in NAFLD treatment. This meta-umbrella study aimed to investigate the effects of gut microbial modulation on glycemic indices in patients with NAFLD and discuss potential mechanisms of action. Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library until March 2023 for meta-analyses evaluating the effects of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on patients with NAFLD. Random-effect models, sensitivity analysis, and subgroup analysis were employed. Results Gut microbial therapy significantly decreased HOMA-IR (ES: −0.41; 95%CI: −0.52, −0.31; P

Masking has become one of the most effective approaches for securing hardware designs against side-channel attacks. Regardless of the effort put into correctly implementing masking schemes on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), leakage can be unexpectedly observed. This is due to the fact that the assumption underlying all masked designs, i.e., the leakages of different shares are independent of each other, may no longer hold in practice. In this regard, extreme temperatures have been shown to be an important factor in inducing leakage, even in correctlymasked designs. This has previously been verified using an external heat generator (i.e., a climate chamber). In this paper, we examine whether the leakage can be induced using the circuit components themselves without making any changes to the design. Specifically, we target masked neural networks (NNs) in FPGAs, one of the main building blocks of which is block random access memory (BRAM). In this respect, thanks to the inherent characteristics of NNs, our novel internal heat generators leverage solely the memories devoted to storing the user’s input, especially when frequently writing alternating patterns into BRAMs. The possibility of observing first-order leakage is evaluated by considering one of the most recent and successful first-order secure masked NNs, namely ModuloNET. ModuloNET is specifically designed for FPGAs, where BRAMs are used to store inputs and intermediate computations. Our experimental results demonstrate that undesirable first-order leakage can be observed and exploited by increasing the temperature when an alternating input is applied to the masked NN. To give a better understanding of the impact of extreme heat, we further perform a similar test on the design using an external heat generator, where a similar conclusion can be drawn.

There is little data regarding the impact of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) gene polymorphisms on tuberculosis. The current study designed to survey the possible association between RAS polymorphisms and the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in a sample of the southeast Iranian population. This case-control study was done on 170 PTB patients and 170 healthy subjects. The AGT rs699 C>T, ACE rs4341 C>G and AT1R rs5186 C>A variants were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and ACE rs4646994 (287bp I/D) variant by PCR method. Regarding AT1R rs5186 A>C polymorphism, the findings revealed that AC genotype and C allele significantly decreased the risk of PTB (OR=0.39, 95% CI=0.22–0.67, p=0.001, and OR=0.53, 95% CI=0.25–0.72, p=0.002, C vs. A, respectively). The TC genotype and C allele of AGT rs699 T>C significantly associated with decreased the risk of PTB (OR=0.45, 95% CI=0.28–0.74, p=0.002, TC vs. TT and OR=0.51, 95% CI=0.32–0.80, p=0.005, C vs. T, respectively). The ID genotype of ACE 287bp I/D significantly increased the risk of PTB (OR=1.88, 95% CI=1.12–3.17, p=0.017). Our finding did not support an association between ACE rs4341 C>G variant and the risk of PTB. In summary, the findings revealed an association between AT1R rs5186 A>C, AGT rs699 T>C and ACE 287bp I/D polymorphisms and the risk of PTB in a sample of the southeast Iranian population. Further investigation with higher sample sizes and diverse ethnicities are required to confirm our findings.

A universal circuit (UC) can be thought of as a programmable circuit that can simulate any circuit up to a certain size by specifying its secret configuration bits. UCs have been incorporated into various applications, such as private function evaluation (PFE). Recently, studies have attempted to formalize the concept of semiconductor intellectual property (IP) protection in the context of UCs. This is despite the observations made in theory and practice that, in reality, the adversary may obtain additional information about the secret when executing cryptographic protocols. This paper aims to answer the question of whether UCs leak information unintentionally, which can be leveraged by the adversary to disclose the configuration bits. In this regard, we propose the first photon emission analysis against UCs relying on computer vision-based approaches. We demonstrate that the adversary can utilize a cost-effective solution to take images to be processed by off-the-shelf algorithms to extract configuration bits. We examine the efficacy of our method in two scenarios: (1) the design is small enough to be captured in a single image during the attack phase, and (2) multiple images should be captured to launch the attack by deploying a divide-and-conquer strategy. To evaluate the effectiveness of our attack, we use metrics commonly applied in side-channel analysis, namely rank and success rate. By doing so, we show that our profiled photon emission analysis achieves a success rate of 1 by employing a few templates (concretely, only 18 images were used as templates).

IntroductionKefir beverage has beneficial microorganisms that have health-giving properties; therefore, they have a good potential to be probiotic. This study evaluated the probiotic potential, technological, and safety characteristics of Enterococcus faecalis, Lactococcus lactis, and Pichia fermentans isolated from traditional kefir beverages.MethodFirst, isolates were evaluated in terms of resistance to acid, alkali, bile salts, trypsin, and pepsin of the gastrointestinal tract. The auto-aggregation and co-aggregation ability of isolates were measured using spectrophotometry. Antimicrobial activities were assayed against important food-borne pathogens using the agar well diffusion method. Moreover, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production was investigated by thin-layer chromatography (TLC).ResultAmong the isolates, P. fermentans had an 85% total survival rate, but its amount reached below 6 log CFU/ml which is considered non-resistant, and it showed the highest auto-aggregation (74.67%). Moreover, only L. lactis showed antimicrobial activity and had the highest co-aggregation with E. coli PTCC 1338 (54.33%) and L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644 (78%). Finally, an evaluation of the technological and safety characteristics of the strains showed that the strains produced GABA and were safe.DiscussionAlthough the isolates were not resistant to the gastrointestinal tract, their supernatant contained valuable natural compounds, including antioxidants, GABA, and antimicrobials, which can be used to produce functional foods and medicines. In addition, other approaches, such as increasing the initial number of strains, using foods as carriers of isolates, and encapsulating the isolates, can effectively increase the survivability of isolates in the gastrointestinal tract.

Studying the changes in seismicity, and the potential of the occurrences of large earthquakes in a seismic zone is not only extremely important from the aspect of seismological research, but it is additionally significant in the decisions of crisis management. Since, nowadays Machine learning techniques have proven the high ability for analyzing information, and discovering the relations among the parameters, in this research were tested some of these techniques for the earthquake prediction. For analysis, the north Zagros seismic catalogue was selected. A region that is an active seismic zone, and large cities are located there. Moreover, nine seismic parameters were used to study the possibility of large earthquake prediction for 1 month using three different Machine Learning (ML) techniques (Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine (SVM)). The accuracy of prediction models was evaluated using four different statistical measures (recall, accuracy, precision, and F1-score). The results showed that the (ANN) method is more accurate than other methods. Based on three investigated methodologies, greater accuracy results have been produced to forecast the earthquakes with bigger scale earthquakes about the completeness of the seismic catalogue in large magnitude. These achievements promise the possibility of successful prediction in a short period, which is hopeful for better crisis management performance.

Detection of sperm in the peritoneal fluid of animals is unusual and has not been reported in the literature. In this report, we describe the presence of sperm cells in the peritoneal fluid of a two-year-old ram. The ram was presented with dyspnea, reduced rumen contractions, a mild degree of dehydration, cyanotic mucosa, difficulty in standing, and anuria. Ancillary diagnostics, including ultrasonography, radiography, complete blood cell count, and abdominocentesis were performed. In the peripheral blood sample, no blood parasites were observed, although thrombocytosis with toxic neutrophilia, and atypical lymphocytes were seen in the blood smear. In radiographs, urolithiasis was confirmed just on the sigmoid flexure position. Ultrasound examination revealed a distended bladder and large amounts of free fluid within the peritoneal cavity. The electrocardiogram analysis showed the absence of P waves, bradycardia, wide QRS complexes, ST-segment elevation, and tented T waves. In the peritoneal fluid smears, a large number of spermatozoa, and increased inflammatory cells were observed. It was concluded that the trauma or rupture in colliculus seminalis, ductus deferens, or the urethra with urinary stones resulted in leakage of spermatozoa to the peritoneal cavity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of spermatozoa in the peritoneal fluid of large animals.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to identify methods for detecting composition and fraud in meat foods.Methods: An extensive literature review was conducted in 2022 using the electronic databases: Web of Science, Scopus, SID, and PubMed. The search was limited to articles published in English from 1970 to 2022. Search terms used were “fraud”, “meat products”, “Iran,” “ authentleication,” “detection,” and “adulteration”.Results: Genetic-based molecular tests (PCR) and less use of histological and chemical tests were used to detect fraud and its type in meat products. PCR was used in 30 cases to identify the type of cheating in meat products such as sausages. Histological methods were used in 19 cases to detect type of violation.Conclusion: Molecular methods for detecting food fraud are highly accurate; therefore, they have the highest detection rate.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, transradial cardiac catheterization has become the preferred method. However, it can result in a significant complication known as radial artery occlusion (RAO). The medical management of RAO remains controversial, especially with the emergence of novel oral anticoagulants. Nevertheless, there is limited data on the use of these agents for treating RAO, which is the focus of this study using apixaban.METHOD: This pilot double-blinded randomized clinical trial involved 30 patients who developed RAO following transradial coronary angiography. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either apixaban (2.5 mg twice daily) or a conservative approach for 30 days. Doppler ultrasonography was performed at baseline and at the end of the intervention to assess radial artery diameter and the resolution of arterial patency. Demographic, medical, medication, and clinical characteristics were collected.RESULTS: The mean age of the studied population was 59.43±12.14 years, and the majority were males (60%). Radial artery resolution was observed in 21 (70%) patients, independent of medication use. There was no significant association between resolution and age (P-value=0.62), gender (P-value=0.74), body mass index (P-value=0.23), smoking (P-value=0.64), diabetes (P-value=0.999), hypertension (P-value=0.74), statins (P-value=0.999), antiplatelet therapy (P-value=0.999), length of angiography (P-value=0.216), or follow-up arterial diameter (P-value=0.304). Recanalization occurred in 13 (86.7%) cases in the apixaban treatment group, compared to 8 (53.3%) individuals in the control group, indicating a significant difference (P-value=0.046).CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest no demographic, medical, medication, or clinical factors were associated with arterial recanalization. However, a one-month treatment with apixaban at a dose of 2.5 mg twice daily appeared to be effective.

INTRODUCTION: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the gold standard approach to restore blood flow in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); however, the no-reflow phenomenon as a potential complication of PPCI can worsen the outcomes. It has been hypothesized that adjunctive prophylactic intracoronary infusion of low-dose fibrinolytic might improve the PPCI outcomes; however, this theory is a matter of debate. The current study aims to investigate the value of adjunctive prophylactic intracoronary low-dose alteplase to prevent the no-reflow phenomenon in patients with STEMI.METHOD: This case-control study was conducted on 80 STEMI patients who underwent PPCI. The patients were assigned into the case group who were intervened by 10 mg adjunctive intracoronary alteplase immediately at the end of the balloon angioplasty (n=40) and controls (n=40) who underwent conventional PPCI only. The angioplasty-associated outcomes including final TIMI score, need for no-reflow treatment, ST-segment resolution, post-PPCI complications, and death were compared between the groups.RESULTS: Alteplase use was accompanied by significantly improved final TIMI flow scores (P-value0.05).CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, adjunctive infusion of low-dose intracoronary alteplase during PPCI could not efficiently prevent the no-reflow phenomenon. Although the final TIMI flow and need for post-stenting no-reflow treatment improved, ST-segment resolution did not occur dramatically. Given that, this approach requires further investigations and should be considered cautiously.

Background: Supply chain management (SCM) plays a fundamental role in the progress and success of organizations and has continuously evolved to better adapt to today’s complex business environments. Consequently, the issue of supplier evaluation and selection (SES), which is one of the most critical decisions in SCM, has gained special significance and has been examined from various perspectives. The concept of green and resilient (gresilient) SCM has emerged in response to recent concerns about environmentally friendly production and operations, as well as organizations’ ability to cope with crises and disasters. In the rapidly growing construction industry, applying gresilient principles can ensure green operations and help overcome future challenges. Methods: This study focuses on gresilient SES in a real-world construction case study, proposing a streamlined FUCOM (S-FUCOM) approach. The proposed method streamlines traditional FUCOM processes to solve decision-making problems in deterministic and uncertain environments. Several numerical examples are provided to illustrate its applicability. Results: the case study results identify air emissions, environmental management systems, and restorative capacity as the most critical gresilient SES criteria. Conclusions: The third supplier emerged as the top performer based on decision-making indicators. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted across 20 scenarios, demonstrating that S-FUCOM is robust and provides stable results.

There are different types of metabolic bone diseases, and nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, or nutritional metabolic bone disease, is the most common one in turtles. This disease may cause deformities and paralysis of the posterior limb. In this article, we describe a tortoise (Testudo gareca) with soft shell syndrome and cloacal inflammation. A 1.5-year-old tortoise weighing 600 grams was referred to the faculty clinic for anorexia and inability to defecate. During the clinical examination, the shell was observed to be curvy and excessively soft when touched, along with swelling around the cloaca. Lateral and dorsal-ventral radiographs were performed to further evaluate the patient. This clinical report presents the clinical findings and radiographic profile of a soft shell in a tortoise.

Abstract A number of high‐sensitivity microwave sensors with compact resonators are designed, fabricated, and tested for non‐invasive blood glucose monitoring. In the first step, a split ring resonator (SRR)‐based sensor is designed, and then it’s sensing parameters, viz. the reflection coefficient magnitude and phase coupled with its input impedance, are extracted and calibrated by different glucose solutions. The results of this structure are subsequently saved as a reference sensor. During the second step, the swastika‐shaped and electric‐LC (ELC) geometries are substituted for the SRR to enhance the sensitivity of the reference sensor, and the sensing parameters of these structures, which are sensitive to the glucose solutions, are obtained. In the third step, the sensitivity of the three proposed designs is calculated and compared, using the reflection coefficient amplitude, phase, and input impedance. The comparisons typically demonstrate that the sensitivity of the swastika‐shaped structure is equal to 148.367 (Ω/mgmL−1) if the sensitivity is acquired from the imaginary part of the input impedance, which is better than the SRR and ELC geometries. On the contrary, the sensitivity of the SRR geometry is at a maximum and equal to 16.79 (deg/mgmL−1) if the sensitivity is calculated in terms of the reflection coefficient phase.

Abstract Aims Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignancy in women, predominantly caused by human papillomavirus. The most subtypes are adenocarcinomas (AC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), which show various features and treatment responses. Programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) as Immune checkpoint molecules, play a role in immune evasion. We investigated PD‐L1 expression in AC and SCC of the cervix and explored its link to clinical characteristics. Methods and results The present cross‐sectional research was done between 2016 and 2022 on samples in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences‐affiliated hospitals in Iran. Histological tissue samples of CCs (16 AC and 48 SCC) were assessed, and clinical information was obtained by reviewing their medical documents. PD‐L1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and we used the combined positive score. SCC cases showed a higher (not significant) PD‐L1 expression. The PD‐L1 expression and clinical characteristics were not significantly correlated in both subgroups. Conclusion Although SCC cases exhibited higher PD‐L1 expression, this difference was non‐significant. More investigations should highlight the role of PD‐L1 in CC and the potential benefits of immunotherapy.

Background: Toxocara canis is one of the most important causes of animal toxocariasis with global distribution. We aimed to find out the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in dogs in a rural area in Fars Province, south of Iran. Methods: Dogs blood samples were collected from 60 dogs in three rural areas in the Sar Mashhad region, Fars Province. Dog sera were evaluated for anti-Toxocara antibodies by an indirect ELISA method. The association between the seropositivity and age, gender, and the sampling location were statistically evaluated. Results: Serological assay detected anti-Toxocara antibodies in sera of 32 out of 60 dogs, corresponding to a seroprevalence of 53.3%. The rate of seropositivity was higher in the male dogs. The rate of seropositivity was higher in old dogs. This rate increased with increasing age, however, the association between age and Toxocara seropositivity was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The high prevalence of Toxocara infection in dogs in the current study area confirms that infected dogs are an important source of Toxocara infection for their owners and people who are in close contact with these animals, especially children.

Abstract Background Trace elements are essential for human nutrition, and their deficiencies or excesses are strongly associated with several diseases, such as cardiovascular ones. Objectives The current cross‐sectional study investigated the concentration of essential trace elements (copper, non‐metal selenium, iron, zinc, cobalt and manganese) in eggs and diets of five strains of laying hens. Methods The yolk and albumen were analysed separately, and wet preparation was carried out following inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry detection. The target hazard quotients (THQs) for the non‐carcinogenic disease were calculated by the United States environmental protection agency (USEPA) method. Results The highest concentrations of selenium, zinc and manganese were found in egg yolks of native hens (0.76, 44.22 and 6.52 mg/kg, respectively). The highest amounts of copper and cobalt were recorded in the egg yolk of Lohman (2.07 and 0.023 mg/kg, respectively). On the other hand, the egg yolk of Bovans contained the highest amount of iron (57.46 mg/kg). Conclusion Overall, the potential health risks were minimal, and the consumption of eggs was generally safe.

Magnesium alloys are of considerable current interest for use as degradable implants due to their unique properties including biodegradability, biocompatibility, low density and adequate mechanical properties. Nevertheless, there is a need to further improve these properties either by alloying or through the use of appropriate processing. Among the different biodegradable Mg alloys now in use, the Mg‒Zn series are of special interest and have been the subject of many research investigations. This is primarily because Zn is an essential element for the human body in addition to its positive effects in improving the mechanical strength and lowering the degradation rate of the implant. The properties of Mg‒Zn alloys may be further improved both through the addition of third and fourth alloying elements such as Ca, Ag, Sn or Sr and/or by thermo-mechanical processing where the latter is more environmentally and economically favorable. In practice, procedures based on the application of severe plastic deformation (SPD) are especially suited to produce fine-grained microstructures with improved mechanical, degradation and cell behavior. Equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) is a popular SPD technique that has the capability of producing bulk materials that are sufficiently large for use as typical implants. Accordingly, this review is designed to provide a comprehensive summary of the research that has been undertaken on ECAP-processed biodegradable Mg‒Zn alloys.

Introduction : It has been shown that angioplasty and endovascular stent deployment, used after coronary revascularization, are associated with an inflammatory response. Inflammation has a key role in the complications of atherosclerotic plaque, coronary artery disease (CAD) and in-stent restenosis (ISR). The objectives of the present study was to investigate serum levels of 12 pro/anti-cytokines and growth factors and their relationship with restenosis.Methods: A total of 244 subjects were recruited in current study including unrelated patients who previously underwent coronary stent implantation (between 2014 and 2017) and were subsequently indicated for coronary angiography. According to angiography results patients were allocated into two groups: cases with stenosis more than 50% within the stent (N=79) and controls with stenosis less than 50% within the stent (N=165). Serum was separated by centrifuging the blood for 15 min at 1000 rpm. Serum cytokines levels including IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ, MCP-1, EGF, and VEGF were measured using an EV 3513 cytokine biochip array (Randox Laboratories, Crumlin, UK).Results: The mean age of the NISR and ISR groups were 62.47±9.2 and 59.49±8.48 years, respectively. The diabetes frequency was significantly higher in the ISR group (55.1%) compared with NISR group (30.9%) (p0.05).Conclusions: The results showed that serum levels of pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors did not have a significant difference between NISR and ISR study groups.

Background: Over the last decade, artificial intelligence in medicine has been growing. Since endometrial cancer can be treated with early diagnosis, finding a non-invasive method for screening patients, especially high-risk ones, could have a particular value. Regarding the importance of this issue, we aimed to investigate the risk factors related to endometrial cancer and find a tool to predict it using machine learning. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 972 patients with abnormal uterine bleeding from January 2016 to January 2021 were studied, and the essential characteristics of each patient, along with the findings of curettage pathology, were analyzed using statistical methods and machine learning algorithms, including artificial neural networks, classification and regression trees, support vector machine, and logistic regression. Results: Out of 972 patients with a mean age of 45.77 ± 10.70 years, 920 patients had benign pathology, and 52 patients had endometrial cancer. In terms of endometrial cancer prediction, the logistic regression model had the best performance (sensitivity of 100% and 98%, specificity of 98.83% and 98.7%, for trained and test data sets respectively,) followed by the classification and regression trees model. Conclusion: Based on the results, artificial intelligence-based algorithms can be applied as a non-invasive screening method for predicting endometrial cancer.

The rapid advancement of unmanned aerial systems in various civilian roles necessitates improved safety measures during their operation. A key aspect of enhancing safety is effective collision avoidance, which is based on conflict detection and is greatly aided by accurate trajectory prediction. This paper represents a novel data-driven trajectory prediction methodology based on applying the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) prediction algorithm to the UAS-S4 Ehécatl. An LSTM model was designed as the baseline and then developed into a Staked LSTM to better capture complex and hierarchical temporal trajectory patterns. Next, the Bidirectional LSTM was developed for a better understanding of the contextual trajectories from both its past and future data points, and to provide a more comprehensive temporal perspective that could enhance its accuracy. LSTM-based models were evaluated in terms of mean absolute percentage errors. The results reveal the superiority of the Bidirectional LSTM, as it could predict UAS-S4 trajectories more accurately than the Stacked LSTM. Moreover, the developed Bidirectional LSTM was compared with other state-of-the-art deep neural networks aimed at aircraft trajectory prediction. Promising results confirmed that Bidirectional LSTM exhibits the most stable MAPE across all prediction horizons.

ObjectiveAlthough milk and dairy products are almost complete food, they can contain toxic heavy elements with potential hazards for consumers. This review aims to provide a comprehensive report on the occurrence, concentration, and health risks of selected heavy metals in pasteurized and sterilized milk recorded worldwide.MethodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) was used to develop this systematic review. Databases included the Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Scientific Information Database, Google Scholar, and PubMed from inception until January 2023. Keywords related to the terms "Heavy metals", "Arsenic" and "Pasteurized and sterilized milk" and "Risk Assessment" were used. The potential health risks to human health from milk daily consumption were estimated using extracted data on heavy metals concentration based on metal estimated daily intake, target hazard quotient, and carcinogenic risk.ResultsA total of 48 potentially relevant articles with data on 981 milk samples were included in the systematic review. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry were the most common valid methods to measure heavy metals in milk samples. Following the initial evaluation, Cu, Cd, Zn, and Pb were the most contaminants, which exceeded the maximum permissible criteria in 94%, 67%, 62%, and 46% of the milk samples tested. Relying on target hazard quotient and carcinogenic risk results, milk consumers in 33(68.75%) and 7 (14.5%) studies were exposed to moderate to high levels of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk, respectively. The highest level of risk is due to the consumption of pasteurized and sterilized milk detected in Pakistan, Brazil, Egypt, Slovakia, and Turkey.ConclusionThe elevated levels of heavy metals in milk samples, especially Pb and Cd is a public health concern; therefore, maximum control and strict regulations must be adopted to decrease heavy metals contaminants in the dairy industry. Further studies are required to develop safe milk processing and handling methods for the decontamination of heavy metals in milk and its products.

Background and objectives: The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of electrolyzed water and chitosan coating incorporated with thymol and carvacrol, on the inoculation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Listeria monocytogenes in rainbow trout fillets. This assessment was conducted during cold storage on days 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12. Furthermore, the antimicrobial effectiveness of thymol and carvacrol was assessed against the designated bacteria through the determination of their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC). Results: The MIC and MBCvalues for both thymol and carvacrol exhibited uniformity among all strains. Relative to the control samples, the chitosan coatings produced using electrolyzed water containing either thymol or carvacrol (EW/CH/THY and EW/CH/CAR) exhibited the most significant reduction in Listeria monocytogenes (approximately 3 log10 CFU/g), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (around 3 log10 CFU/g), and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (about 2 log10 CFU/g). Furthermore, when chitosan or electrolyzed water was used individually, a decrease of approximately 1 log10 CFU/g in bacterial growth was observed compared to the control samples. Additionally, on day 0, a reduction rate of 1–3 log10 CFU/g in bacterial growth was recorded when compared to the control. Conclusions: The study suggests that a combination of chitosan, electrolyzed water, and essential oils can provide protection against pathogenic bacteria in food products. The findings highlight the possibility of utilizing chitosan coating as a feasible and secure substitute for artificial preservatives.

Mycotoxins are important for farmers and public health. Due to the widespread use of cereals around the world, their monitoring is of great importance. In this study, the simultaneous determination and analysis of aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEN) in Iranian cereal samples, including 150 rice, 150 wheat, and 150 corn samples, were carried out using an immunoaffinity column and analyzed using HPLC-FLD. Under the optimal conditions, the linear range was 0.01–30, 0.03–40 and 0.2–350 ng g-1 for AFs, OTA, and ZEN, respectively. The detection of limit was between 0.0028–0.0035, 0.015 and 0.061 ng g−1, and the qualitative of limit was between 0.0093–0.015, 0.052 and 0.203 for AF, OTA, and ZEN, respectively. In conclusion from the 450 cereal samples, only 7 % contained mycotoxins, and the maximum residue limit (MRL) were less than 1 %. These results show that grain products in Iran are well controlled by the Health and Food and Drug Organization.

Antibiotic resistance is a critical global health concern, with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) posing a significant challenge due to its resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Recent research has revealed the potential of natural compounds and microorganisms in combatting MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this systematic review, we studied the effect of essential oils, bacteriophages, bacteriocins, and probiotics on S. aureus, including MRSA in particular, in the food industry. Essential oils (EOs) have gained significant attention because of their antimicrobial properties, inhibiting MRSA growth by damaging bacterial cells and inhibiting essential enzymes and compounds. Cinnamon oil liposomes caused the most significant decrease in MRSA populations among our reviewed essential oils. Bacteriophages can lyse the bacterial host. They encode peptidoglycan hydrolases called endolysins that target the bacterial cell wall. In our study, S. aureus phage (containing CHAPLysGH15 and LysGH15), and phage SA11 endolysin (LysSA11) were the most effective against S. aureus. Bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria, also show potential in combatting MRSA, mainly by generating organic acids that interfere with bacterial metabolism. According to our review, the most effective bacteriocins against S. aureus were Enterocin AS-48 with phenolic compounds or with 2NPOH, Bacteriocin isolated from Lactobacillus pentosus - Pentocin JL-1, and bacteriocin produced by S. pasteuri RSP-1, respectively. Probiotics can compete with pathogens by producing antimicrobial compounds that disrupt MRSA cell production and ultimately lead to bacterial death. In our review, the most effective probiotics were Streptomyces griseus, Pediococcus acidilactici strains A11 and C12, Lactococcus lactis, and Lactobionic acid respectively. A multi-hurdle approach combining these natural agents has shown promising results in targeting and eliminating MRSA cells. By harnessing the power of nature, we can potentially overcome the challenges posed by MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Anophthalmia refers to the most severe ocular congenital malformation that results from inadequate development of the primitive forebrain and is always associated with blindness. The exact etiology of anophthalmia is not well understood; however, heritable and environmental factors may be involved. A 2-month-old Asian Shepherd puppy was presented with the absence of one eye. The puppy was alert, responsive, and had a good body score. The eyelids with eyelashes and palpebral conjunctiva were bilaterally present. However, in the right eye, the palpebral fissure was narrow, and the orbit was shallow without a distinct globe. Further inspection revealed no ocular structures, although the left eye was ophthalmoscopically quite normal. Also, there were no cytologic characteristics of conjunctivitis in either eye. Using the transpalpebral ultrasonography technique, a semi-oval anechoic area without any obvious ocular chambers or structures was observed in the right eye, and finally, unilateral clinical anophthalmia was diagnosed. General physical examination revealed no other malformation. The long-term prognosis is favorable for this pup. However, surgical strategies (e.g., implants and expanders) can be used to improve cosmetic appearance.

Abstract Background Obesity is one of the major determinants of blood pressure. This study aimed to determine the optimal sex- and age-specific cut-off points of anthropometric indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), wrist circumference (WrC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-height ratio (WHtR), to screen for hypertension (HTN) in a cohort of Iranian adults aged 35 to 70 years, and to compare the predictive performance of the indices based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Methods This population-based study was carried out on the participants aged 35 to 70 years of the Bandare-Kong Non-Communicable Diseases (BKNCD) Cohort Study, a part of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN). Using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and Youden's J index, optimal sex- and age-specific cut-off points of the anthropometric indices in association with HTN were calculated. Results This study included a total of 2256 females and 1722 males. HTN was diagnosed in 736 females (32.6%) and 544 males (31.6%). The optimal cut-off of WC for HTN was 90 cm in males and 95 cm in females, with an area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.60 and 0.64, respectively. For HC, the optimal cut-off was 95 cm for males and 108 cm for females (AUROC = 0.54 for both). Moreover, WrC optimal cut-offs were 17 cm for males (AUROC = 0.56) and 15 cm for females (AUROC = 0.57). As for BMI, the optimal cut-off was 25 kg/m2 in males and 27 kg/m2 in females (AUROC of 0.59 and 0.60, respectively). Also, a cut-off of 0.92 was optimal for WHR in males (AUROC = 0.64) and 0.96 in females (AUROC = 0.67). On the other hand, WHtR optimal cut-offs were 0.52 for males and 0.60 for females (AUROC of 0.63 and 0.65, respectively). Conclusions WHR and WHtR, as anthropometric indices of obesity, were demonstrated to be significant predictors of HTN. Further, we suggest using WHR (cut-off point of 0.92 for males and 0.96 for females) and WHtR (cut-off point of 0.52 for males and 0.60 for females) as measures of preference to predict HTN among the southern Iranian population. Further multicenter longitudinal studies are recommended for a more accurate prediction of HTN.

Objective To investigate the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Iranians vaccinated with either AZD1222 Vaxzevria, CovIran[R] vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated (lnCoV) or Sputnik V. Methods We enrolled individuals 18 years or older receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose between April 2021 and January 2022 in seven Iranian cities. Participants completed weekly follow-up surveys for 17 weeks (25 weeks for AZD1222) to report their COVID-19 status and hospitalization. We used Cox regression models to assess risk factors for contracting COVID-19, hospitalization and death. Findings Of 89 783 participants enrolled, incidence rates per 1 000 000 person-days were: 528.2 (95% confidence interval, CI: 514.0-542.7) for contracting COVID-19; 55.8 (95% CI: 51.4-60.5) for hospitalization; and 4.1 (95% CI: 3.0-5.5) for death. Compared with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), hazard ratios (HR) for contracting COVID-19 were: 0.70 (95% CI: 0.61-0.80) with AZD1222; 0.73 (95% CI: 0.62-0.86) with Sputnik V; and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63-0.86) with Covlran[R]. For hospitalization and death, all vaccines provided similar protection 14 days after the second dose. History of COVID-19 protected against contracting COVID-19 again (HR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.69-0.84). Diabetes and respiratory, cardiac and renal disease were associated with higher risks of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination. Conclusion The rates of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination were relatively high. SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) provided lower protection against COVID-19 than other vaccines. People with comorbidities had higher risks of contracting COVID-19 and hospitalization and should be prioritized for preventive interventions. [phrase omitted] [phrase omitted] Objectif Analyser l'incidence des cas, hospitalisations et deces lies a la maladie a coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) chez les Iraniens vaccines avec Vaxzevria AZD1222, CovIran[R], le vaccin contre le SARS-CoV-2 (cellule Vero), le vaccin inactive (lnCoV) ou Spoutnik V. Methodes Nous avons recrute des individus de minimum 18 ans ayant recu leur premiere dose de vaccin contre la COVID-19 entre avril 2021 et janvier 2022 dans sept villes iraniennes. Les participants ont rempli des enquetes de suivi hebdomadaires pendant 17 semaines (25 semaines pour AZD1222) afin de communiquer sur leur statut COVID-19 et leur hospitalisation. Nous avons utilise des modeles de regression de Cox pour evaluer les facteurs augmentant les risques de contracter la COVID-19, d'etre hospitalise et de mourir. Resultats Sur 89 783 participants recrutes, le taux d'incidence pour 1 000 000 jours-personnes etait de 528,2 (intervalle de confiance de 95%, IC: 514,0-542,7) en termes d'infection a la COVID-19; de 55,8 (IC de 95%: 51,4-60,5) en termes d'hospitalisation; et de 4,1 (IC de 95%: 3,0-5,5) en termes de deces. Compare au vaccin contre le SARS-CoV-2 (cellule Vero), le rapport de risque (RR) de contracter la COVID-19 s'elevait a 0,70 (IC de 95%: 0,61-0,80) avec AZD1222; a 0,73 (IC de 95%: 0,62-0,86) avec Spoutnik V; et a 0,73 (IC de 95%: 0,63-0,86) avec CovIran[R]. Concernant l'hospitalisation et le deces, tous les vaccins offraient un niveau de protection similaire 14 jours apres la seconde dose. Avoir contracte la COVID-19 par le passe premunissait contre une reinfection (RR: 0,76; IC de 95%: 0,69-0,84). Le diabete et les maladies respiratoires, cardiaques et renales entrainaient un risque accru de contracter la COVID-19 apres la vaccination. Conclusion Le taux d'infection a la COVID-19 apres la vaccination etait relativement eleve. D'autre part, le vaccin contre le SARS-CoV-2 (cellule Vero) s'est revele moins efficace que les autres vaccins. Enfin, les personnes souffrant de comorbidites avaient plus de risques de contracter la COVID-19 et d'etre hospitalisees; elles devraient donc etre prioritaires lors des interventions preventives. [phrase omitted] Objetivo Analizar la Incidencia de los casos, hospitalizaciones y muertes a causa de la enfermedad por coronavirus de 2019 (COVID-19) en los iranies vacunados con Vaxzevria AZD1222, la vacuna CovIran[R], la vacuna contra el SARS-CoV-2 (celula Vero), la vacuna inactivada (lnCoV) o la Sputnik V. Metodos Se inscribieron personas de 18 anos o mas que recibieron su primera dosis de la vacuna contra la COVID-19 entre abril de 2021 y enero de 2022 en siete ciudades iranies. Los participantes completaron encuestas de seguimiento semanales durante 17 semanas (25 semanas para AZD1222) para informar sobre su estado de la COVID-19 y la hospitalizacion. Se utilizaron modelos de regresion de Cox para valorar los factores de riesgo de contraer la COVID-19, de ser hospitalizado y de morir. Resultados De los 89 783 participantes inscritos, las tasas de incidencia por 1 000 000 de dias-persona fueron 528,2 (intervalo de confianza del 95 %, IC: 514,0-542,7) en el caso de contraer la COVID-19; 55,8 (IC del 95 %: 51,4-60,5) en el caso de hospitalizacion; y 4,1 (IC del 95 %: 3,0-5,5) en el caso de muerte. En comparacion con la vacuna contra el SARS-CoV-2 (celula Vero), los cocientes de riesgos instantaneos (CRI) de contraer la COVID-19 fueron 0,70 (IC 95 %: 0,61-0,80) con AZD1222; 0,73 (IC 95 %: 0,62-0,86) con Sputnik V; y 0,73 (IC 95 %: 0,63-0,86) con CovIran[R]. En cuanto a la hospitalizacion y la muerte, todas las vacunas proporcionaron una proteccion similar 14 dias despues de la segunda dosis. Los antecedentes de la COVID-19 protegieron contra la contraccion de la COVID-19 de nuevo (CRI: 0,76; IC 95 %: 0,69-0,84). La diabetes y las enfermedades respiratorias, cardiacas y renales se asociaron a un mayor riesgo de contraer la COVID-19 despues de la vacunacion. Conclusion Las tasas de contraer la COVID-19 despues de la vacunacion fueron relativamente altas. La vacuna contra el SARS-CoV-2 (celula Vero) proporciono una menor proteccion contra la COVID-19 que otras vacunas. Las personas con comorbilidades tenian un mayor riesgo de contraer la COVID-19 y de ser hospitalizadas, por lo que deberian ser prioritarias para las intervenciones preventivas., Introduction To end the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is imperative to have safe and effective vaccines that can provide immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome [...]

In this study, the effect of chitosan coating containing emulsion and nanoemulsion of Hyssopus officinalis essential oil (EO) on the chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) was investigated. The minimum value of TVB-N (Total volatile basic nitrogen), TBARS (Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), PV (peroxide value), TMA-N (Trimethylamine-nitrogen) and FFA (Free fatty acids) after 12 days were shown in NE + HEO 1% (coating containing chitosan with nanoemulsion of EO) with 20.53 mg N/100 g, 0.5 µg/kg, 0.88 MAQ peroxide/kg, 1.3 mg/100 g and 12.16 mg 100% of oleic acid, respectively. Also, minimum value of pH after 12 days was related to the CE + HEO 1% (coating containing chitosan with emulsion of EO) with 7.60. The minimum value of psychrophilic and mesophilic microbial count after 12 days were shown in NE + HEO 1%, 4.40 ± 0.36 and 4.03 ± 0.06 cfu/g, respectively. The best score of sensory evaluation was observed in the NE-HEO 1% treatment. As a result, the edible coating containing chitosan-based nanoemulsion could be effective to the preservation of shrimp's microbiological, chemical, and sensory characteristics.

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, to avoid the use of synthetic preservatives, which do more harm than good, numerous studies are currently focused on using natural ingredients to enhance food product quality and shelf life. Since no study has been conducted on combining coatings with electrolyzed water containing natural antimicrobial compounds, the present study has innovation and priority. In the present study, the effect of chitosan coating prepared through Neutral Electrolyzed Water (NEW) on inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated in rainbow trout fillet over 12 days at 4 ˚C was examined. Material and Methods: Fish samples were allocated into six groups following inoculation with E. coli O157:H7 (final concentration: ~ 105 CFU/g). Treatments included control (CON), distilled water (DW), neutral electrolyzed water (NEW), chitosan 2% (CH), chitosan coating prepared by neutral electrolyzed water (CH/NEW), and neutral electrolyzed water followed by chitosan (NEW+CH). Treatments were kept at low temperature (refrigerator) and counting bacteria was done on 0, 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th days. Data analyses were done through repeated measure ANVOA and Bonferroni post hoc tests. Results: As indicated by the findings, the reduction rate of EW, CH, CH+WE, and CH/EW samples were 1.04, 1.45, 2.01, and 2.02 log CFU/g compared with the CON, respectively. The highest reduction rate was observed in the CH/NEW sample, due to the antimicrobial activity of chitosan and neutral electrolyzed water. Conclusion: Chitosan coating can be combined with NEW in fish to increase the safety against pathogenic bacteria and E. coli O157:H7. Therefore, it can suggest the use of these natural antimicrobial compounds in the food industry.

An ever-growing demand for depleted natural resources is one of the significant challenges facing the global asphalt pavement industry in building and maintaining global asphalt pavements. Because plastics are ubiquitous in the global economy, they are the latest in a series of high-profile materials to attract attention. Their low material recovery rates and the environmental impact of current disposal methods pose a threat to plastic recycling. Recycling plastic wastes in asphalt pavement is a possible approach to reducing environmental pressure and the demand for depleted natural resources. Many studies have proposed recycling plastic waste in asphalt pavement using dry- and wet-processed technologies. This review aims to comprehensively evaluate the feasibility of various recycled plastics in asphalt pavement concerning the properties of compatibility, storage stability, microstructure, thermo-rheology, and mechanical performance and to identify challenges and recommendations for the future. This review discusses recent developments and the feasibility of using plastic wastes as modifiers or additives to asphalt binders or asphalt mixtures in dry and wet processes, focusing on different materials from waste streams, how to produce such modified materials, and the characteristics of plastic waste modified asphalt, thus contributing to the sustainable management of resources and production of useful paving materials.

Abstract This study presents the design and synthetic pathway of unsymmetric ligands based on pyridine-pyrazolate scaffold with Donor–Acceptor (D–A) molecular arrays and their boron complexes to achieve a large Stokes shift. Intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) triggered by the uneven molecular charge distribution from electronically dense pyrazolate (donor) part of the ligands to electron-deficient boron centre (acceptor) resulted in a mega Stokes shift up to 263 nm for selected compounds while retaining the characteristic quantum efficiency and chemical stability. The photophysical properties of derivatization of pyrazolate group in the pyridine-pyrazolate scaffold of diaryl boron complexes were explored based on UV–Visible, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. An interesting dual emission along with quenching behaviour was also observed for 2-(6-methoxynaphthelene) 5-(2-pyridyl) pyrazolate boron complex (P5) due to the formation of a twisted intermolecular charge transfer (TICT) state from a locally excited (LE) state rendering it a potential candidate for sensing applications based on H-Bond quenching. In addition, the extended excited state lifetime of the reported compounds compared to classical boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) makes them suitable as potential probes for analytical applications requiring a longer excited state lifetime.

Objectives: Bee venom (BV) therapy is performed by a bee sting or subcutaneous injection of BV. However, there is not much information on the effect of BV on blood parameters after entering the body. This project aimed to assess the side effects of subcutaneous BV injections in healthy rats by measuring the hematological and biochemical parameters.Methods : Various amounts of BV, including 100, 200, and 500 (μg/day), were subcutaneously injected into rats for 30 days. The results showed that BV affected the metabolism of the liver, kidney, and glands.Results : An increase in blood sugar and a decrease in other biochemical parameters, including cholesterol, triglyceride, urea, creatinine AST, ALT, ALP, and phosphorous, were observed. Results : also showed increased counts of white blood cells, neutrophils (%), and platelets and decreased levels of red cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit.Conclusion : This study demonstrates that BV therapy in medical clinics requires routine care and testing to prevent eventual metabolic and anemia side effects.

Abstract Background and Aims The fatty acid‐binding proteins (FABPs) gene polymorphisms are related to several metabolic properties. We investigated the association of SNPs rs2241883 of FABP 1 gene with obesity to evaluate the role of FABP1 gene in the pathogenesis of obesity in the population of MASHAD study cohort. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, 2731 individuals (1883 Obese and 848 nonobese) aged 35 to 65 years old, were enrolled from the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorder (MASHAD) study cohort. DNA Quantitation was determined using the NanoDrop®‐1000 instrument (NanoDrop‐Technologies). The rs2241883 polymorphisms were genotyped by double ARMs PCR (double amplification refractory mutation system) reactions. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS 22 and a p

Background: COVID-19 has become a global problem. In this case study, the experiences gained from disease control in rural areas are reported. Methods: An observational study was done in 2020 in Sistan and Balochestan, the largest province with most rural areas in the southeast of Iran. Results: After identification of the first patient of Covid-19 in a rural area, three measures were taken including: 1. Diagnosis, screening and treatment of the disease (Incident command post was established and the village was completely quarantined, etc.; 2. Intersectoral coordination for epidemiological management (limiting traffic for people and any gathering); and 3. Identification of any Covid-19 positive cases. The results of these measures showed that after quarantining the village and performing the mentioned actions, the number of patients decreased, and the disease was controlled. Conclusion: Quarantine of the contaminated rural area and people’s traffic routes is one of the most important measures in controlling Covid-19.

Accurate aircraft trajectory prediction is fundamental for enhancing air traffic control systems, ensuring a safe and efficient aviation transportation environment. This research presents a detailed study on the efficacy of the Random Forest (RF) methodology for predicting aircraft trajectories. The study compares the RF approach with two established data-driven models, specifically Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Logistic Regression (LR). The investigation utilizes a significant dataset comprising aircraft trajectory time history data, obtained from a UAS-S4 simulator. Experimental results indicate that within a short-term prediction horizon, the RF methodology surpasses both LSTM and LR in trajectory prediction accuracy and also its robustness to overfitting. The research further fine-tunes the performance of the RF methodology by optimizing various hyperparameters, including the number of estimators, features, depth, split, and leaf. Consequently, these results underscore the viability of the RF methodology as a proven alternative to LSTM and LR models for short-term aircraft trajectory prediction.

This study provides an overview of how phase change materials (PCMs) can improve the resistance of concrete pavement to freeze–thaw cycles and mitigate the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The investigation covers different types of PCMs and methods for integrating them into concrete pavement, as well as the mechanical properties and compressive strength of concrete pavement when employing various PCMs. Prior studies have identified porous aggregates, microencapsulation, and pipelines containing liquid PCM as common approaches for PCM integration. Researchers have observed that the utilization of PCMs in concrete pavement yields favorable thermal properties, suggesting the potential for anti-freezing and UHI mitigation applications. However, the choice of PCM materials should be informed by local climate conditions.

Meningocele is a congenital defect defined as a herniation of dura through the defect of cranial bone (cranium bifidum) with an accumulation of CSF in it. This anomaly has been described in calf, lamb, foal, piglet, dog, and cat. The etiology of meningocele is unknown but genetic and environmental factors may cause meningocele in lambs. A seven-day-old female Kurdish lamb with a congenital mass (8 cm in diameter) in the caudal part of its head was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Urmia University. The lamb was lateral recumbent and the vital signs were in the normal range. Symptoms of pain and paddling were revealed while manipulating the mass. The fluid obtained from the mass was examined under a microscope and showed no signs of bacteria or inflammatory cells. Total serum protein was 8.9 g/dL and mean platelet volume (MPV) was 2.5 fl and other blood parameters were normal. In radiography, there was a bone defect in the skull and congenital cranium bifidum and meningocele were confirmed. The meningocele mass was removed with surgery and the skin was stitched. The clinical condition of the lamb did not improve after surgery. The lamb had died 5 days after surgery. This report presents the clinical findings and radiographs of cranium bifidum in a Kurdish lamb. The prognosis for surgical treatment is poor in cases where the animal has not been able to stand and suckle since birth.

Enthesis joins tendon, ligament, or joint capsule to the bone, which are two very different tissues. As a result, it is more prone to stress and increased risk of rupture. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the role of limb movement or immobilization in enthesis healing after surgical repair and found out if radiography could be a reliable method for determining its prognosis. Fourteen New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into two groups. After detaching the Achilles tendon from the bone surface, the tendon was re-attached to the bone with a modified Kessler suture pattern. The limb of group 1 rabbits was externally fixed with the fiberglass cast. In group 2, however, no cast was used. Radiographs were taken after surgery and in weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 post-operation. Samples were taken from the area after 8 weeks and stained by the hematoxylin-eosin method. The results were reported descriptively. Bone growth, increased chondrocytes in the cartilaginous region, and increased fibroblasts and fibrocytes were seen in group 1. While erosion, collagen fibers regularity, and tissue maturity were more predominant in group 2. Although early limb movement during the enthesis healing period helps to increase the regularity of collagen fibers in the tendinous zone of the enthesis, it does not increase the amount of callus in the bone and increases the risk of bone erosions and even fractures. While stabilizing the limb in the first two months of enthesis healing protects the bone against the forces and helps bone formation, which has a positive role in healing the enthesis.

Abstract Background Iran was one of the first countries to be affected by COVID-19. Identifying factors associated with the severity of COVID-19 is effective in disease management. This study investigated the epidemiological and clinical features and factors related to the severity of COVID-19 in one of the less privileged areas in Iran. Methods In a multi-center study, all patients admitted to Zahedan University of Medical Sciences hospitals in southeastern Iran were investigated from February 29 to April 31, 2020. Demographic, epidemiological, and clinical data of patients were extracted from medical records. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the risk factors associated with the severity of COVID-19. Results Among the 413 patients, 55.5% were male, and 145 (35.10%) were in a severe condition at admission time. Multivariate analysis showed that the adjusted odds of the disease severity increased in patients with older age (OR 2.27; 95% CI 1.41–3.65), substance abuse (OR 2.49; 95% CI 1.14–5.43), having one underlying disease (OR 1.52; 95% CI 0.90–2.55), having two underlying disease (OR 2.31; 95% CI 1.19–4.50), and having three or more underlying disease (OR 2.60; 95% CI 1.19–5.66). Conclusions COVID-19 was more severe in older patients, patients with a history of substance abuse, and patients with the underlying disease. Understanding the factors affecting the disease severity can help the clinical management of COVID-19, especially in less privileged areas where fewer resources are available.