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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease with a profound effect on the life quality of the patients due to its chronic, painful, and disabling nature. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effects of progressive muscle relaxation technique on life quality in RA patients. Methods: This clinical trial was conducted in a rheumatologist office on 62 RA patients. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: progressive muscle relaxation group and control group. While the intervention group underwent a daily 20-minute relaxation period for 8 weeks, no intervention was given in the control group. Data were collected using a two part questionnaire including demographic characteristic form and SF-36 life quality questionnaire, completed at the beginning and the end of the intervention. Data analysed using Chi-square test, independent t-test and paired t-test with SPSS software version 19. Results: The findings of the study showed that, in the experimental group, the mean score of life quality changed from 37.84 to 54.54 after the intervention (p=0.0001), while, in the control group, it altered from 37.47 to 43.20. There fore, the difference between the two groups was not considered as significant before intervention (p=0.112). Moreover, there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups regarding the six aspects of life quality including physical function (p=0.041), vitality (p=0.029), social function (p=0.017), mental health (p=0.001), general health (p=0.002), and psychological health (p=0.002). However, no significant difference was found in case of bodily pain (p=0.149) and physical constraint (p=0.82). Conclusion: According to the findings, progressive muscle relaxation training could be an effective therapeutic method to improve quality of life in RA patients

It is predictable that the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone and kinin–kallikrein systems are dysregulated in COVID-19 (COV) patients because SARS-CoV-2 requires ACE2 to cause an infection. This study aimed to assess the serum levels of des-arg(9)-bradykinin (DABK) and angiotensin 1–7 (ang-(1–7)) in patients with COV who had the above-mentioned cardiovascular disease risk factors. In a cross-sectional study, 69 COV patients were selected among patients referred to the main referral center for these patients, in Kerman, Iran, and 73 matched control (non-COV) individuals among individuals who participated in the KERCARD cohort study. Serum levels of DABK and ang-(1–7) were measured by ELISA in the groups of CTL (healthy), HTN, DM, OB, COV, COV + HTN, COV + DM, and COV + OB. Ang-(1–7) levels were lower in the COV + HTN group compared to the HTN group. DABK levels were higher in the COV, HTN, and OB groups and in DM + COV subjects compared to their corresponding control group. The levels of ang-(1–7) and DABK were related to HTN and OB, respectively. According to the findings, we can infer that an increase in DABK production in those with the cardiovascular disease risk factors of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension or a decrease in ang-(1–7) in those with hypertension may contribute to the adverse outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Key Clinical Message The immune activation in COVID‐19 may trigger narcolepsy in vulnerable patients. We suggest clinicians carefully evaluate patients with post‐COVID fatigue and hypersomnia for primary sleep disorders, specifically narcolepsy. Abstract The patient is a 33‐year‐old Iranian woman without a significant past medical history with the full range of narcolepsy symptoms that started within 2 weeks after her recovery from COVID‐19. Sleep studies revealed increased sleep latency and three sleep‐onset rapid eye movement events, compatible with a narcolepsy‐cataplexy diagnosis.

Abstract: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most prevalent symptomatic type of human primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID). Clinically, CVID is characterized by increased susceptibility to infections and a wide variety of autoimmune and rheumatologic disorders. All patients with CVID registered in Iranian PID Registry (IPIDR) were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. We investigated the frequency of rheumatologic diseases and its association with immunological and clinical phenotypes in patients with CVID. A total of 227 patients with CVID were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of rheumatologic disorders was 10.1% with a higher frequency in women than men. Most common rheumatologic manifestations were juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed by juvenile spondyloarthritis (JSpA) and undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis (UIA). Septic arthritis in patients with CVID with a history of RA and JIA was higher than patients without rheumatologic complication. Patients with CVID with a history of autoimmunity (both rheumatologic and non‐rheumatologic autoimmunity) had lower regulatory T cells counts in comparison with patients without autoimmune disorders. There was an association between defect in specific antibody responses and negative serologic test results in patients with rheumatologic manifestations. JIA, RA, JSpA and UIA are the most frequent rheumatologic disorders in patients with CVID. Due to antibody deficiency, serologic tests may be negative in these patients. Therefore, these conditions pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for immunologists and rheumatologists in charge of the care for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Internal evaluation demonstrates the justification of the members of each group about their practical procedures and the rate of aims achievement and is an opportunity for its quality improvement. The aim of this study was internal evaluation of the Oral Health & Community Dentistry Department of Tehran University of Medical sciences. Methods Present cross-sectional study was carried out, in Oral Health & Community Dentistry Department of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2008 and the group manager, internal evaluation committee staffs, faculty members, students' in field education personnel and managers and some alumni members were selected for study. Each group's questionnaire was designed in 10 fields of purposes and aims, organizational and management structure, faculty members, educational courses and curriculum, teaching and learning process, educational and research equipment, educational fields of students in society, students, research and alumni. Data was analyzed by SPSS 11.5 statistical software and Chi Squar and ANOVA tests. Results The weakest point of Oral Health & Community Dentistry Department was "Low experience and lack of a suitable model for the establishment of the group in Iran", the strongest point was "presence of young and interested faculty members", the most threatening point was "limited financial resources of the group" and the most important opportunity was "active participation of group members in activities". Conclusion The status of Oral Health & Community Dentistry Department was nearly good in all 10 studied fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been observed that irregular decoders for low density parity-check (LDPC) codes can be more robust to channel estimation errors compared to conventional decoders. In this work, by presenting a robustness measure, we propose a method for the joint optimization of irregular LDPC code-decoder pairs to have the widest convergence region when channel estimation errors exist. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It has been shown that under min-sum (MS) decoding, scaling the messages at the output of check nodes can improve the performance of regular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. However, for irregular codes designed for the sum-product decoder, linear scaling can hinder the performance. The problem of code design for MS and linear scaling min-sum (LSMS) decoders have been recently investigated. It is shown that the gap to the capacity for LSMS codes is better than MS codes, but compared to sum-product codes the gap is still considerable. In this letter, a modified MS decoding is proposed and studied. We use the stability analysis of density evolution to show that the proposed method allows for a larger fraction of edges connected to degree-2 variable nodes than LSMS codes. Finally, by designing codes based on the modified method, we show that compared to MS and LSMS codes, a smaller gap to the capacity can indeed be achieved while the complexity of decoding remains essentially the same. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Discusses research being done on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in elderly patients with osteoporosis. Reference to a study by R. Yazdani and colleagues, presented at the autumn meeting of the British Geriatrics Societies in October 2004; Analysis of serum samples from patients with osteoporosis; Association between calcium, vitamin D and bisphosphonates administration.

Background: Patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are susceptible to developing cancer due to defects in the immune system. The prevalence of cancer is higher in IEI patients compared to the immunocompetent population and cancers are considered as an important and common cause of death in IEI patients., Objectives: To systematically review demographic, genetic and cancer-related data of IEI patients with a history of malignancy. Moreover, we performed a meta-analysis aiming to determine the frequency of cancer in patients with different types of IEI., Methods: We conducted electronic searches on Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus (until September 2023) introducing terms related to IEI and cancer. Studies with human subjects with confirmed IEI who had developed at least one malignancy during their lifetime were included., Results: A total number of 4607 IEI patients with a cancer history were included in the present study. Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) had the highest number of reported cases (1284 cases), mainly due to a higher relative proportion of patients with predominantly antibody deficiencies (PAD) and their increased life expectancy contributing to the higher detection and reporting of cancers among these patients. The most common malignancy was hematologic/blood cancers (3026 cases, mainly diffuse large B cell lymphoma). A total number of 1173 cases (55.6%) succumbed to cancer, with the highest rate of bone marrow failure (64.9%). Among the patients with monogenic defects in IEI-associated genes, the majority of cases had ATM deficiency (926 cases), but the highest cancer frequency rate belonged to NBS1 deficiency (50.5%). 1928 cases out of total 4607 eligible cases had detailed data to allow further statistical analysis that revealed BRCA2 deficiency had the earliest cancer development (~ 38 months), lowest cure frequency, and highest fatality rate (85%), while ATM deficiency had the lowest cure frequency and highest fatality rate (72%) among total cases reviewed with exclusion of Fanconi anemia., Conclusion: The overall reported cancer frequency in the cases reviewed with and without exclusion of Fanconi anemia was 11.1% (95% confidence interval: 9.8-12.5%) and 12.0% (95% confidence interval: 10.6-13.5%), respectively. Our study revealed that the incidence of cancer is significantly dependent on the molecular and pathway defects in IEI patients, and individualized early screening and appropriate treatment, might improve the prognosis of these patients., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) may help the brain resist both functional and structural neurodegeneration, which is critical for maintaining cognitive and neurological health in older adults. This meta-analysis and meta-regression seek to elucidate the impact of physical activity on these biomarker levels in healthy seniors, as well as to examine the influence of several moderator factors, including age, sex, period length, and time, for the first time. The standardized mean effect metric was used to assess the influence of weights, which reflected each group's relative importance in comparison to baseline data. The study looked at potential moderating factors including age, gender, and physical activity levels. The analysis of 11 studies indicated no significant effect of physical activity on VEGF levels [0.328, CI 95 % (-0.871 to 1.52); I 2  = 0.00; p = 0.592; Q = 4.14]. Physical activity had a substantial impact on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (0.827, 95 % confidence interval: 0.487 to 1.16; I 2  = 0.00; p = 0.00; Q = 78.46), with females showing particularly notable effects (Tau 2  = 0.327, Tau = 0.571, I 2  = 80.90 %, Q = 68.05, df = 15, p = 0.00). Physical activity also had a substantial effect on insulin-like growth factor 1 (0.276, 95 % confidence interval: 0.065 to 0.487; I 2  = 0.00; p = 0.10; Q = 8.35), indicating that it positively influences IGF-1 levels. Overall, while physical exercise has a significant effect on BDNF and IGF-1, more research is needed to fully understand its impact on vascular endothelial growth factor and to investigate how individual characteristics may influence exercise outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests in this work., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

In this two-year field study, the impacts of pre-plant soil management strategies, including soil fumigation, nematicide application, and organic amendments, on the growth and nematode community dynamics on cherry cultivars 'Emperor Francis' and 'Ulster' grafted to 'Mahaleb' rootstock were investigated in a replanted orchard site. In the first year, fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene - chloropicrin mixture (Telone C-35) led to significantly increased trunk cross-sectional area and canopy height in both cultivars. Pratylenchus penetrans population densities were suppressed only short-term. Plots treated with the fungicide/nematicide fluopyram (Velum® Prime) had P. penetrans reproduction factors below one throughout both years independent of the scion. Additionally, the combined application of Seed Starter 101®, Dairy Doo® compost, and straw mulch reduced the reproduction factor of P. penetrans to below one in the first year. In the same time period, this combinatory treatment had the highest reproduction factor for bacterivore and fungivore nematodes. Based on results of this study, fumigation with Telone® C-35 resulted in improvement of tree establishment and provided effective short-term suppression of P. penetrans. Velum® Prime exhibited longer-term efficacy for the suppression of P. penetrans.

Background: The IL-7 receptor alpha (IL-7Rα) binds both IL-7 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). IL-7Rα is essential for the development and survival of naive CD4 + T cells and their differentiation to effector/memory CD4 + T cells. Mice lacking IL-7Rα have severe lymphopenia and are resistant to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for multiple sclerosis. However, it has been reported that IL-7Rα on peripheral CD4 + T cells is disposable for their maintenance and EAE pathogenesis, which does not align with the body of knowledge on the role of IL-7Rα in the biology of CD4 + T cells. Given that a definitive study on this important topic is lacking, we revisited it using a novel approach, an inducible knockout of the IL-7Rα gene in CD4 + T cells., Methods: We generated Il7ra fl/fl /CD4CreER T2 double transgenic mouse line (henceforth CD4 ΔIl7ra ), susceptible to tamoxifen-induced knockout of the IL-7Rα gene in CD4 + T cells. CD4 ΔIl7ra mice were immunized with MOG 35 - 55 for EAE induction and monitored for disease development. The expression of IL-7Rα, CD4 + T cell numbers, and MOG 35 - 55 -specific CD4 + T cell response was evaluated in the central nervous system (CNS) and lymphoid tissues by flow cytometry. Additionally, splenocytes of CD4 ΔIl7ra mice were stimulated with MOG 35 - 55 to assess their proliferative response and cytokine production by T helper cells., Results: Loss of IL-7Rα from the surface of CD4 + T cells in CD4 ΔIl7ra mice was virtually complete several days after tamoxifen treatment. The loss of IL-7Rα in CD4 + T cells led to a gradual and substantial decrease in their numbers in both non-immunized and immunized CD4 ΔIl7ra mice, followed by slow repopulation up to the initial numbers. CD4 ΔIl7ra mice did not develop EAE. We found a decrease in the total numbers of TNF-, IFN-γ-, IL-17 A-, and GM-CSF-producing CD4 + T cells and regulatory T cells in the spleens and CNS of immunized CD4 ΔIl7ra mice. Tracking MOG 35 - 55 -specific CD4 + T cells revealed a significant reduction in their numbers in CD4 ΔIl7ra mice and decreased proliferation and cytokine production in response to MOG 35 - 55 ., Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that IL-7Rα on peripheral CD4 + T cells is essential for their maintenance, immune response, and EAE pathogenesis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a major pest of soybean crops, causing significant yield losses and economic impact. Current management strategies primarily rely on resistant varieties, cover crops, and seed treatments. In addition, there is a growing interest in developing sustainable, ecologically based approaches to integrate SCN risk reduction into soybean production systems. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of various compost and manure amendments in suppressing SCN populations and promoting soybean productivity. An in vitro egg hatching assay was conducted to screen the inhibitory effects of different compost and manure extracts on SCN egg hatching. Results indicated that poultry manure, Layer Ash Blend, and swine manure extracts significantly inhibited SCN hatching compared with other treatments across multiple time points. Greenhouse trials further validated the effectiveness of Layer Manure, poultry manure, High Carbon Dairy Doo, and Seed Starter 101 in suppressing SCN cysts, eggs, and juveniles. A field microplot trial confirmed the potential of Layer Ash Blend and poultry manure in SCN management, with significant reductions in SCN populations and increased soybean yields. The study also investigated the impact of these amendments on promoting the population of bacterivorous and frugivorous nematodes, contributing to a biological diverse soil ecosystem. Overall, the results indicate that amending SCN-infested soil with specific compost or manure formulations can effectively suppress nematode populations while improving soybean productivity. These findings contribute to the development of sustainable strategies for SCN management in soybean production systems., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

The essential role of interleukin 7 (IL-7) signaling via its receptor (IL-7Rα; CD127) in T cell development and function has been well documented. However, CD127 expression and function in myeloid cells, including monocytes, are less clear, especially in mice. In the present study we report an inducible CD127 expression in mouse monocytes/macrophages. This induction is dependent on the presence of other immune cells, highlighting that regulation of CD127 expression on monocytes differs in mice and humans. We demonstrate that CD127 is functional, as IL-7 downregulated its expression. We also saw decreased CD127 expression during inflammation in vivo . Overall, upregulation of CD127 expression in vitro and its downregulation in vivo confirm that CD127 is an inducible marker on mouse monocyte/macrophage cells, in contrast to findings recently published by others. Characterizing the role of CD127 signaling in myeloid cells in inflammatory disorders would be worthwhile in future study., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Yazdani, Askari, Ahmadi, Azizi, Ciric, Boehm, Zhang and Rostami.)

Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of a flipped oral health educational program for primary healthcare providers (PHCPs) on their knowledge, attitude, and practice. Materials and Methods: This field trial was conducted on PHCPs (N=118; 61 cases and 57 controls) in District Health Centers (DHCs) of Tehran, Iran in 2012. The participants filled out a self-report questionnaire with questions on knowledge (N=34), attitude (N=8), and oral health practice (N=14). The intervention included an educational booklet delivered to the staff followed by a brief educational session using the flipped approach and a reminder pamphlet after 1 month. After 4 months, the questionnaire was completed again by the participants. Statistical analysis included paired sample t-test, ANCOVA, and linear and logistic regression. Results: Most participants were females (N=114), and the mean age was 37±8 years. The scores of the three domains of knowledge and also the total knowledge score, the attitude score, and the practice score significantly improved in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.001). Knowledge about the oral health of children (P=0.001) and the total knowledge score (P<0.05) significantly increased in the control group, but the increase in other domains was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: The oral health knowledge of PHCPs was insufficient, and their practice and attitude were not desirable. The oral health educational program with the flipped approach had a positive impact on the PHCPs' knowledge, attitude and practice, and may be utilized in the academic curriculum or continuing medical education (CME) courses., Competing Interests: None declared., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is considered the most symptomatic type of inborn errors of immunity in humans. Along with infectious complications, which have numerous consequences, noninfectious complications are a major challenge among CVID patients., Methods: All CVID patients registered in the national database were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the presence of B-cell lymphopenia. Demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, noninfectious organ involvement, autoimmunity, and lymphoproliferative diseases were evaluated., Results: Among 387 enrolled patients, 66.4% were diagnosed with noninfectious complications and 33.6% with isolated infectious presentations. Enteropathy, autoimmunity, and lymphoproliferative disorders were reported in 35.1%, 24.3%, and 21.4% of patients, respectively. Some complications, including autoimmunity and hepatosplenomegaly, were reported to be significantly more frequent among patients with B-cell lymphopenia. As for organ involvement, the dermatologic, endocrine, and musculoskeletal systems were predominantly affected in CVID patients with B-cell lymphopenia. Among autoimmune manifestations, the frequency of rheumatologic, hematologic, and gastrointestinal autoimmunity was reported to be higher than that of other types of autoimmunity not associated with B cell-lymphopenia. Furthermore, hematological cancers, particularly lymphoma, were the most common type of malignancy. The mortality rate was 24.5%, and respiratory failure and malignancies were the most common causes of death, with no significant differences between the 2 groups., Conclusions: Considering that some of the noninfectious complications might be associated with B-cell lymphopenia, regular patient monitoring and follow-up with proper medication (in addition to immunoglobulin replacement therapy) are highly recommended to prevent sequelae and increase patient quality of life.