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Negin Saffarzadeh,1 Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard,2 Zahra Rezaei,1 Keyvan Aghazadeh,3,4 Farzad Yazdani,4,5 Mehdi Mohebi,2 Mohsen Ahmadi,6,7 Abbas Shakoori,1,8 Javad Tavakkoly-Bazzaz1 1Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Head and Neck Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Otolaryngology Research Center, Amiralam Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 5Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 6Booali Medical Research Center, Qom, Iran; 7Booali Office of USERN, Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Qom, Iran; 8Department of Medical Genetics, Cancer Institute of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranCorrespondence: Abbas Shakoori; Javad Tavakkoly-Bazzaz Tel/Fax +98 2188953005Email shakooria@sina.tums.ac.ir; tavakkolybazzazj@tums.ac.irBackground: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) includes a group of heterogeneous tumors with generally invasive behavior. The PI3K/AKT pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HNSCC.Methods: In the current study, we investigated the expression of two negative feedback regulators of the PI3K pathway, namely PHLDA3 and GRHL3, in 45 paired samples of HNSCC and adjacent non-cancerous tissues (ANCTs).Results: While expression of GRHL3 was down-regulated in tumoral tissues compared with ANCTs by the factor 4.21, PHLDA3 expression levels were up-regulated by 5.99-times. Gender-based analysis revealed a significant down-regulation of GRHL3 gene expression level in male patients compared with the control samples and significant up-regulation of PHLDA3 gene expression level in both sexes compared with the control samples. Differences in the expressions of both genes were significant in patients aged more than 60 years, but not in the younger patients. Expression of GRHL3 was only down-regulated in patients with positive smoking history. Expression of GRHL3 was decreased in grades 2 and 3 samples compared with controls. There was a significant increase in transcript levels of PHLDA3 in stages II and III HNSCC samples compared with the controls group. ROC curve analysis indicated that the expression level of PHLDA3 could be a promising marker for the diagnosis of HNSCC patients with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.666 and 0.688, respectively. In addition, sensitivity and specificity of GRHL3 were 0.755 and 0.577, respectively.Discussion: The current study indicates dysregulation of regulators of PI3K pathway in HNSCC and their potential application as putative biomarkers for this cancer.Keywords: GRHL3, PHLDA3, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Tin oxide (SnO2) has gained much attention in various fields such as optoelectronic industries and gas sensors. SnO2 thin films have been extensively used as electron transport layers (ETL) in planar perovskite solar cells due to their high stability, good processability, and appropriate band alignment. However, it suffers from relatively low charge mobility. Although there were some successful attempts to improve the charge mobility of SnO2 thin films by incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNT) or graphene in its structure, the simultaneous addition of these 1D/2D mixed nanostructures in SnO2, which can lead to far better optoelectronic properties, has never been reported. 1D/2D mixed nanocomposite thin films based on SnO2/CNT/graphene are successfully synthesized in this research, and the structural, morphological, and optoelectrical properties of the films are investigated. For this purpose, SnO2 sols were prepared by dissolving and refluxing SnCl2.2H2O in 1-propanol at 87 °C for 2 h. In order to synthesize nanocomposite samples, various amounts of CNT and/or graphene were added to the solution prior to refluxing. The films were deposited by dip coating and subsequently calcined at 180 °C. The thin films were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The XRD results confirm the formation of the SnO2 phase. FESEM images thoroughly demonstrate the presence of CNTs and graphene beside SnO2 nanoparticles. The absorbance of the films as well as their band gaps remained almost constant after CNT/graphene addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The health benefits of probiotic bacteria are not unknown to anyone. On the other hand, indigenous dairy sources are a potential source of native probiotics. This study aimed to describe the inhibitory activity of Cell-Free Supernatant (CFS), planktonic cells, and biofilm form of Lactobacillus strains isolated from native dairy sources on food pathogens. Methods: Antibacterial activities of the CFS of Lactobacillus strains were assessed by the microplate method and via violet staining, and in planktonic cells, and biofilm forms were performed by the spread plate method. Results: The results showed that despite the large differences in biofilm formation power among the strains, most of them can produce biofilm. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Lactis, Lactobacillus brevis, and Lactobacillus lactis subsp. lactis formed the strongest biofilm, respectively. Planktonic states reduce the pathogens bacterial by about 1.43 log, but in biofilm forms, decreased Listeria monocytogenes by about 4.8 log compared to the control, and in the case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a growth reduction of about 2.8 logs was observed. Conclusion: According to the study, biofilm produced by probiotic strains can be considered a new approach for biological control. Also, indigenous dairy sources can be considered by researchers to extract natural and beneficial probiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Supplementing the semen extender with various antioxidants can increase the quality of semen. Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the addition of pyridoxine (vitamin B6), a phenolic compound with antioxidant properties, to soybean lecithin extender on motility and quality indices of goat sperm after freezing-thawing process. Methods: Semen was collected at weekly intervals from four Mahabadi goats, mixed, and was divided into 7 subsamples. They were then diluted with the basal extender supplemented with 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 mM pyridoxine. Following freeze-thawing process, quality parameters such as sperm motility characteristics, viability, plasma membrane integrity, and malondialdehyde content were determined. Results: The results showed that pyridoxine at the level of 6 mM caused the highest total motility rate (P<0.05). Progressive sperm motility was highest at the 4, 6, and 8 mM pyridoxine (P<0.05). Although the control group showed the least progressive motility, it was not statistically significantly different from the 12 mM level. Among the pyridoxine levels, the 6 mM level recorded the best performance in term of plasma membrane integrity, sperm viability, and decreasing malondialdehyde concentration compared to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The findings indicated that soybean lecithin extender supplemented with 6 mM pyridoxine can improve motility and quality parameters such as viability, plasma membrane integrity, and reduce oxidative stress of goat sperm after thawing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a major health concern in patients with HIV infection in endemic areas of VL. In these areas, a substantial number of infected individuals are asymptomatic and the risk of acute VL infection in HIV/VL co-infected cases is high. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic VL infection among HIV-infected patients in Fars province, southern Iran. Subjects of the study were 251 HIV-confirmed patients who all were clinically asymptomatic for leishmaniasis. Blood samples were obtained from each participant. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were detected in the sera using ELISA. DNA was extracted from the buffy coat of each subject and PCR amplified, targeting an ITS-2 gene of Leishmania. PCR products were purified from the gel and were sequenced. Overall, 19 out of 251 (7.6%) HIV-infected patients were found to be infected with Leishmania, using serological or molecular methods. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were detected in 13 (5.2%) patients and leishmanial DNA in 8 (3.2%) of the patients. The sequence analysis of DNA-positive cases revealed the species of the parasite as L. infantum. The high prevalence of VL among the patients with HIV is a serious challenge which demands further attention to improve the prophylaxis and treatment measurements of VL/HIV co-infection and thereby promoting the life expectancy and quality of life of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the liquid gas phase transition for the spin polarized nuclear matter. Applying the lowest order constrained variational (LOCV) method, and using two microscopic potentials, AV18 and UV14+TNI, we calculate the free energy, equation of state (EOS), order parameter, entropy, heat capacity and compressibility to derive the critical properties of spin polarized nuclear matter. Our results indicate that for the spin polarized nuclear matter, the second-order phase transition takes place at lower temperatures with respect to the unpolarized one. It is also shown that the critical temperature of our spin polarized nuclear matter with a specific value of spin polarization parameter is in good agreement with the experimental result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the Lorentz violated extension of the standard model. In this framework, there are terms that explicitly violate CP-symmetry. We examine the CPT-even dμv- term to find the electric dipole moment of charged leptons. We show that the form factors besides the momentum transfer, depend on a new Lorentz-scalar, constructing by dμv and the four momenta of the lepton, as well. Such an energy dependence of the electric dipole form factor leads to an enhancement of the lepton electric dipole moment at high energy, even at the zero momentum transfer. We show that at ...~ 1 the electric dipole moment of the charged lepton can be as large as 10-14 ecm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of two-stream free electron lasers (FELs) consisting of a relativistic two stream electron beam transported along the axis of a planar wiggler in the presence of an ion-channel guiding was proposed and investigated. The electron trajectories and the small signal gain are derived. The characteristics of the linear gain and the normalized maximum gain are studied numerically. The comparison of the normalized gains by employing the axial magnetic field and ion-channel guiding in FEL has been studied numerically. The result shows that the maximum gain of the two-stream FEL is more than ten times stronger than conventional gain. Numerical results shown that in two-stream FEL with ion-channel guiding, the maximum value of maximum gain occurs at special range of two electron beam energy difference (Δγ = γ2 - γ1) and energy ratio (γ1/γ2). The results show that the normalized maximum gain in FEL with axial magnetic field is more than 20 times larger than that for using ion-channel guiding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the lowest order constrained variational method is used to investigate the magnetic properties of spin-polarized neutron matter in the presence of strong magnetic field at zero temperature employing the AV18 potential. Our results indicate that a ferromagnetic phase transition is induced by a strong magnetic field with strength greater than 1018 G, leading to a partial spin polarization of the neutron matter. It is also shown that the equation of state of neutron matter in the presence of a magnetic field is stiffer than in the absence of a magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metronidazole (MTZ) and its derivatives have been extensively used to treat infections caused by protozoa and anaerobic bacteria. In this investigation several novel imidazole and nitroimidazol derivatives namely: 2-(1H-1-imidazolyl)-1-phenyl-1-ethanol 1a, 2-(2-methyl-1H-1-imidazolyl)-1-phenyl-1-ethanol 1b, 2-(2-methyl-4-nitro-1H-1-imidazolyl)-1-phenyl-1-ethanol 1c, 2-(1H-1-imidazolyl)-1-cyclohexanol 2d and 2-(2-methyl-4-nitro-1H-1-imidazolyl)-1-cyclohexanol 2e were prepared by the reaction of the corresponding imidazoles with styrene oxide or cyclohexene oxide respectively and their biological activity against Giardia lamblia cyst in compareison with MTZ were determined by flotation technique based on Bingham method. These compounds were less active than metronidazole but showed significant antigiardiasis activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We study thermalization on rotating probe branes in background in the presence of constant external electric and magnetic fields. In the AdS/CFT framework this corresponds to thermalization in the flavour sector in field theory. The horizon appears on the worldvolume of the probe brane due to its rotation in one of the sphere directions. For both electric and magnetic fields the behaviour of the temperature is independent of the probe brane dimension. We also study the open string metric and the fluctuations of the probe brane in such a set-up. We show that the temperatures obtained from open string metric and observed by the fluctuations are larger than the one calculated from the induced metric. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The current study tries to find the impact of the integration of laccase enzyme (Lac) onto magnetized chitosan (Cs) nanoparticles composed of molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 NPs) (Fe 3 O 4 /Cs/MoS 2 /Lac NPs) on the removal of AFM 1 in milk samples. The Fe 3 O 4 /Cs/MoS 2 /Lac NPs were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, BET, TEM, FESEM, EDS, PSA, and VSM analysis. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized nanoparticles in different concentrations was evaluated using the MTT method. The results show that the synthesized nanoparticles don't have cytotoxic activity at concentrations less than 20 mg/l. The ability of the prepared nanoparticles to remove AFM 1 was compared by bare laccase enzyme, MoS 2 , and Fe 3 O 4 /Cs/MoS 2 composite, indicating that the Fe 3 O 4 /Cs/MoS 2 /Lac NPs the highest adsorption efficiency toward AFM 1 . Besides, the immobilization efficiency of laccase with a concentration range of 0.5-2.0 was investigated, indicating that the highest activity recovery of 96.8% was obtained using 2 mg/ml laccase loading capacity. The highest removal percentage of AFM 1 (68.5%) in the milk samples was obtained by the Fe 3 O 4 /Cs/MoS 2 /Lac NPs at a contact time of 1 h. As a result, Fe 3 O 4 /MoS 2 /Cs/Lac NPs can potentially be utilized as an effective sorbent with high capacity and selectivity to remove AFM 1 from milk samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pregnancy as a sensitive period has a critical effect on the mother and infant's life. It is well understood that dietary habits and mother awareness can improve health status and prevent pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and nausea and vomiting. The current study was conducted to investigate the association between dietary habits and self-care behaviors with pregnancy complications. This cross-sectional study was conducted across 300 pregnant women in their third trimester referred to healthcare centers and Yas hospital in Tehran, Iran. Dietary habits and self-care behaviors were assessed by valid and reliable questionnaires. Dietary intake and physical activity were evaluated using valid and reliable Food Frequency Questionnaires and Pregnancy Physical Activity questionnaires, respectively. Women with self-care behaviors had a lower rate of pre-eclampsia (P = 0.9). Regarding food habits, pregnant women who ate their meals faster had a non-significantly higher rate of gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. Pregnant women who consumed red meat on a daily frequency had a significantly higher rate of nausea and vomiting (OR 1.85; 95% CI 1.05-3.28, P = 0.03). Also, there was a significant positive association between the mother's pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia [(OR 2.03; 95% CI 1.03-3.98, P = 0.03) and (OR 4.23; 95% CI 1.12-16.0, P = 0.03) respectively]. There was no significant association between pregnant women's dietary habits and GDM and pre-eclampsia. However, pregnant women with pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity had increased odds of gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia significantly., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a significant cardiovascular disease that restricts blood flow, resulting in massive cell death and leading to stiff and noncontractile fibrotic scar tissue formation. Recently, sustained oxygen release in the MI area has shown regeneration ability; however, improving its therapeutic efficiency for regenerative medicine remains challenging. Here, a combinatorial strategy for cardiac repair by developing cardioprotective and oxygenating hybrid hydrogels that locally sustain the release of stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha (SDF) and oxygen for simultaneous activation of neovascularization at the infarct area is presented. A sustained release of oxygen and SDF from injectable, mechanically robust, and tissue-adhesive silk-based hybrid hydrogels is achieved. Enhanced endothelialization under normoxia and anoxia is observed. Furthermore, there is a marked improvement in vascularization that leads to an increment in cardiomyocyte survival by ≈30% and a reduction of the fibrotic scar formation in an MI animal rodent model. Improved left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions by ≈10% and 20%, respectively, with a ≈25% higher ejection fraction on day 7 are also observed. Therefore, local delivery of therapeutic oxygenating and cardioprotective hydrogels demonstrates beneficial effects on cardiac functional recovery for reparative therapy., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Nowadays, petroleum hydrocarbon pollution is one of the most widespread types of contamination that poses a serious threat to both public health and the environment. Among various physicochemical methods, bioremediation is an eco-friendly and cost-effective way to eliminate petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants. The successful degradation of all hydrocarbon components and the achievement of optimal efficiency are necessary for the success of this process. Using potential microbial consortia with rich metabolic networks is a promising strategy for addressing these challenges. Mixed microbial communities, comprising both fungi and bacteria, exhibit diverse synergistic mechanisms to degrade complex hydrocarbon contaminants, including the dissemination of bacteria by fungal hyphae, enhancement of enzyme and secondary metabolites production, and co-metabolism of pollutants. Compared to pure cultures or consortia of either fungi or bacteria, different studies have shown increased bioremediation of particular contaminants when combined fungal-bacterial treatments are applied. However, antagonistic interactions, like microbial competition, and the production of inhibitors or toxins can observed between members. Furthermore, optimizing environmental factors (pH, temperature, moisture, and initial contaminant concentration) is essential for consortium performance. With the advancements in synthetic biology and gene editing tools, it is now feasible to design stable and robust artificial microbial consortia systems. This review presents an overview of using microbial communities for the removal of petroleum pollutants by focusing on microbial degradation pathways, and their interactions. It also highlights the new strategies for constructing optimal microbial consortia, as well as the challenges currently faced and future perspectives of applying fungal-bacterial communities for bioremediation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by significant memory loss and cognitive impairments. Studies have shown that the expression level and activity of the butyrylcholinesterase enzyme increases significantly in the late stages of Alzheimer's disease, so butyrylcholinesterase can be considered as a promising therapeutic target for potential Alzheimer's treatments. In the present study, a novel series of 2,4-disubstituted quinazoline derivatives (6a-j) were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinestrase (BuChE) enzymes, as well as for their antioxidant activities. The biological evaluation revealed that compounds 6f, 6h, and 6j showed potent inhibitory activities against eqBuChE, with IC 50 values of 0.52, 6.74, and 3.65 µM, respectively. These potent compounds showed high selectivity for eqBuChE over eelAChE. The kinetic study demonstrated a mixed-type inhibition pattern for both enzymes, which revealed that the potent compounds might be able to bind to both the catalytic active site and peripheral anionic site of eelAChE and eqBuChE. In addition, molecular docking studies and molecular dynamic simulations indicated that potent compounds have favorable interactions with the active sites of BuChE. The antioxidant screening showed that compounds 6b, 6c, and 6j displayed superior scavenging capabilities compared to the other compounds. The obtained results suggest that compounds 6f, 6h, and 6j are promising lead compounds for the further development of new potent and selective BuChE inhibitors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Long-term video-EEG monitoring (LTM) is a new technique to assess and track fluctuations, classify seizures, identify epileptic syndromes, and determine the number of seizures and epilepsy-simulating disorders. The present study aims to evaluate the concordance of traditional EEG and LTM in assessing childhood epilepsy., Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional before-after study was performed on 120 children with epilepsy who were referred to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at the Children's Medical Center between September 2021 and September 2022 and were monitored for at least eight hours in this unit. The source of the study information collection was the patients' recorded files. A neurologist reviewed the primary EEGs, and two experts blindly reviewed and interpreted the patients' LTMs under a clinical neurophysiologist's supervision., Results: The diagnoses changed after employing LTM in most children with epilepsy. Based on the diagnostic agreement analysis between EEG and LTM, the coefficient value for LTM was calculated at -0.37 (p= 0.229), showing that LTM has significantly expanded patients' diagnoses and care plans., Conclusion: The use of LTM improves the diagnosis, classification, and monitoring of epilepsy in affected children and can be a reliable supplement to EEG in some instances., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest, (© 2023 The Authors.)

The gastrointestinal tract is chronically inflamed in ulcerative colitis (UC), which has a complicated etiology involving immunological, environmental, and genetic factors. The inflammatory response that is typical of UC is significantly regulated via the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Latest research has displayed that NF-κB signaling is controlled by three main types of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs): circular RNAs (circRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs). These ncRNAs can change the expression of key genes within the NF-κB pathway by acting as molecular sponges, transcriptional regulators, and epigenetic modifiers. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the functions by which ncRNAs modulate NF-κB signaling in UC, discusses their potential as biomarkers for disease prognosis and diagnosis, and explores their therapeutic potential. Understanding the intricate interactions between ncRNAs and NF-κB signaling may provide novel insights into UC pathogenesis and targeted therapeutic strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests, (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

MicroRNA-98 (miR-98) stands as an important molecule in the intricate landscape of oncology. As a subset of microRNAs, these small non-coding RNAs have accompanied a new era in cancer research, underpinning their significant roles in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and therapeutic interventions. This review provides a comprehensive insight into the biogenesis, molecular properties, and physiological undertakings of miR-98, highlighting its double-edged role in cancer progression-acting both as a tumor promoter and suppressor. Intriguingly, miR-98 has profound implications for various aspects of cancer progression, modulating key cellular functions, including proliferation, apoptosis, and the cell cycle. Given its expression patterns, the potential of miR-98 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, especially in liquid biopsies and tumor tissues, is explored, emphasizing the hurdles in translating these findings clinically. The review concludes by evaluating therapeutic avenues to modulate miR-98 expression, addressing the challenges in therapy resistance, and assessing the efficacy of miR-98 interventions. In conclusion, while miR-98's involvement in cancer showcases promising diagnostic and therapeutic avenues, future research should pivot towards understanding its role in tumor-stroma interactions, immune modulation, and metabolic regulation, thereby unlocking novel strategies for cancer management., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Noninvasive monitoring of biofabricated tissues during the biomanufacturing process is needed to obtain reproducible, healthy, and functional tissues. Measuring the levels of biomarkers secreted from tissues is a promising strategy to understand the status of tissues during biofabrication. Continuous and real-time information from cultivated tissues enables users to achieve scalable manufacturing. Label-free biosensors are promising candidates for detecting cell secretomes since they can be noninvasive and do not require labor-intensive processes such as cell lysing. Moreover, most conventional monitoring techniques are single-use, conducted at the end of the fabrication process, and, challengingly, are not permissive to in-line and continual detection. To address these challenges, we developed a noninvasive and continual monitoring platform to evaluate the status of cells during the biofabrication process, with a particular focus on monitoring the transient processes that stem cells go through during in vitro differentiation over extended periods. We designed and evaluated a reusable electrochemical immunosensor with the capacity for detecting trace amounts of secreted osteogenic markers, such as osteopontin (OPN). The sensor has a low limit of detection (LOD), high sensitivity, and outstanding selectivity in complex biological media. We used this OPN immunosensor to continuously monitor on-chip osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) cultured 2D and 3D hydrogel constructs inside a microfluidic bioreactor for more than a month and were able to observe changing levels of OPN secretion during culture. The proposed platform can potentially be adopted for monitoring a variety of biological applications and further developed into a fully automated system for applications in advanced cellular biomanufacturing.

Breast milk (BM) is considered as the best source of nutrition which could have prevention effects on various diseases in the first years of a child. Along with nutritive compounds, presence of contaminants such as mycotoxins in BM could be transmitted into neonate. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence, levels, and factors associated with the presence of aflatoxin M 1 (AFM 1 ) and ocratoxin a (OTA) in BM samples of nursing mothers in rural centers of Yazd, Iran. The presence and average AFM 1 and OTA concentration in 72 BM samples was measured by competitive ELISA. The demographic and diet parameters of nursing mothers were collected by a questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS 18 software. AFM 1 and OTA were detected in 63 (87.5%) and 47 (65.2%) samples with the mean concentration levels of 19.46 ± 13.26 ng/L (ranges from 5.1 to 53.9) and 200 ± 160 ng/L (ranges from 100 to 2460), respectively. Of these, 32 samples (50.7%) for AFM 1 and 23 samples (48.9%) for OTA had values exceeding the limit set by the European Union regulation for infant foods (25 ng/L for AFM 1 and 500 ng/L for OTA). It was also found that the risk of AFM 1 and OTA occurrence in BM increased significantly with the consumption of beans, bread, cereals, fruit juice and crackers, and cream, respectively. This study showed that the estimated daily intake for AFM 1 and OTA by 1 month of age infants was 2.7 and 28.5 ng/kg bw/day, respectively, while, as the age of the infant increased, the values were lower and close to 0.9 and 9.9 ng/kg bw/day for AFM1 and OTA in 12 months of age infants, respectively. The high occurrence and noticeable levels of AFM 1 and OTA detected in this study indicated that some infants receive undesirable exposures to AFM 1 and OTA with breast milk. Therefore, it is recommended that mothers are advised to avoid certain foods during pregnancy and breastfeeding that are likely sources of mycotoxins., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Mycotoxin (Research Gesellschaft für Mykotoxinforschung e.V.) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: To investigate the genetics of early-onset progressive cerebellar ataxia in Iran, we conducted a study at the Children's Medical Center (CMC), the primary referral center for pediatric disorders in the country, over a three-year period from 2019 to 2022. In this report, we provide the initial findings from the national registry., Methods: We selected all early-onset patients with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance to assess their phenotype, paraclinical tests, and genotypes. The clinical data encompassed clinical features, the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) scores, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) results, Electrodiagnostic exams (EDX), and biomarker features. Our genetic investigations included single-gene testing, Whole Exome Sequencing (WES), and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)., Results: Our study enrolled 162 patients from various geographic regions of our country. Among our subpopulations, we identified known and novel pathogenic variants in 42 genes in 97 families. The overall genetic diagnostic rate was 59.9%. Notably, we observed PLA2G6, ATM, SACS, and SCA variants in 19, 14, 12, and 10 families, respectively. Remarkably, more than 59% of the cases were attributed to pathogenic variants in these genes., Conclusions: Iran, being at the crossroad of the Middle East, exhibits a highly diverse genetic etiology for autosomal recessive hereditary ataxia. In light of this heterogeneity, the development of preventive strategies and targeted molecular therapeutics becomes crucial. A national guideline for the diagnosis and management of patients with these conditions could significantly aid in advancing healthcare approaches and improving patient outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)