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Immunosuppression plays a pivotal role in assisting tumors to evade immune destruction and promoting tumor development. We hypothesized that genetic variation in the immunosuppression pathway genes may be implicated in breast cancer tumorigenesis. We included 42,510 female breast cancer cases and 40,577 controls of European ancestry from 37 studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (2015) with available genotype data for 3595 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 133 candidate genes. Associations between genotyped SNPs and overall breast cancer risk, and secondarily according to estrogen receptor (ER) status, were assessed using multiple logistic regression models. Gene-level associations were assessed based on principal component analysis. Gene expression analyses were conducted using RNA sequencing level 3 data from The Cancer Genome Atlas for 989 breast tumor samples and 113 matched normal tissue samples. SNP rs1905339 (A>G) in the STAT3 region was associated with an increased breast cancer risk (per allele odds ratio 1.05, 95 % confidence interval 1.03–1.08; p value = 1.4 × 10−6). The association did not differ significantly by ER status. On the gene level, in addition to TGFBR2 and CCND1, IL5 and GM-CSF showed the strongest associations with overall breast cancer risk (p value = 1.0 × 10−3 and 7.0 × 10−3, respectively). Furthermore, STAT3 and IL5 but not GM-CSF were differentially expressed between breast tumor tissue and normal tissue (p value = 2.5 × 10−3, 4.5 × 10−4 and 0.63, respectively). Our data provide evidence that the immunosuppression pathway genes STAT3,IL5, and GM-CSF may be novel susceptibility loci for breast cancer in women of European ancestry.

Let (G;M) be a pair of groups, in whichM is a normal subgroup of a group G:We study some properties of n-isoclinism of pair of groups. In fact, we show that the subgroups and quotient groups of two n-isoclinism pair of groups are m-isoclinic for all m ≤ n: Moreover, the properties of π-pair and supersolvable pair of groups which are invariant under n-isoclinism has be studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we introduce the concept of probability of normality of chains in finite groups. For any normal subgroup N of a finite group G, the relation between the probability of normality of chains of G and of its factor group G=N are obtained. Finally, we give explicit formulas for such probability of dihedral groups D2n, quasi-dihedral groups QD2n, generalized quaternion groups Q2n, and the modular p-groups Mpn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, using high-ductility structures in the construction and use of significant buildings is highly appreciated. To use more ductile structures, effort has been made in this research to introduce box-plate beam-to-column connections. They underwent hysteretic loading and it was found from their moment-rotation curves that the bending capacity and ductility of the box-plate connection were more than ordinary rigid connection, and those of the latter were more than those of the normal typical one. It was also shown that stress concentration in box-plate connections disappears over the top and bottom flange plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the independent correlation between serum uric acid and low-grade inflammation (measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, hs-CRP) in postmenopausal women.Methods: A total of 378 healthy Iranian postmenopausal women were randomly selected in a population-based study. Circulating hs-CRP levels were measured by highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method and an enzymatic calorimetric method was used to measure serum levels of uric acid. Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between uric acid and hs-CRP levels.Results: A statistically significant correlation was seen between serum levels of uric acid and log-transformed circulating hs-CRP (r = 0.25, p < 0.001). After adjustment for age and cardiovascular risk factors (according to NCEP ATP III criteria), circulating hs-CRP levels were significantly associated with serum uric acid levels (β = 0.20, p < 0.001). After adjustment for age and cardiovascular risk factors, hs-CRP levels ≥3 mg/l were significantly associated with higher uric acid levels (odds ratio =1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.18-1.96).Conclusion: Higher serum uric acid levels were positively and independently associated with circulating hs-CRP in healthy postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overweight and obesity are risk factors for many non-communicable diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and 6-year incidence of obesity and overweight in adults through the prospective study of the Persian Gulf Healthy Heart Study. Materials and Methods: In the first phase of the study which was started from 2003, totally 3735 people aged 25 years and more from Bushehr, Genaveh and Deylam cities participated. In the second phase which was conducted in 2009, 1856 people (49.7%) of them were investigated again. Demographic data and the information about obesity and overweight were collected through personal interview. The crude prevalence of obesity and overweight and the age and gender adjusted rates were calculated by using direct standardization method for both phases of the study. Results: Crude prevalence of obesity in the first and second phases of the study were 26.5 % (25%- 27.8%) and 30.5% (28.4%-32.7%), respectively. The crude prevalence of overweight in two phases of the study were 39.8% (38.2%-41.3%) and 43.4% (41.1%-45.7%), respectively. The standardized prevalence of obesity in two phases of the study were 27.2% (25.8%-28.6%) and 29.6% (27.4%- 31.8%) respectively and the standardized prevalence of overweight were 40% (38.4%-41.6%) and 42.8% (40.3%-45.31%), respectively. The 6 year incidence rate of obesity and overweight were 9.12% (7.13%-11.46%) and 29.81% (24.86%-35.13%) in men and 13.96% (11.35%-16.92%) and 29.18% (23.43%-35.47%) in women, respectively. Conclusion: The incidence and prevalence of overweight and obesity in Bushehr province is significantly high. It is recommended to conduct more studies to determine the contributing factors and ways of controlling this trend and also to prevent the related diseases in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low circulating IGF-1 and high hs-CRP may be associated with cardiovascular diseases. Hence, it is an important question that is there any correlation between these important biomarkers? Since the correlation between IGF-1 and hs-CRP has not been adequately investigated, the main aim of this study was to evaluate the association between these biomarkers among postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: A total of 361 healthy Iranian postmenopausal women were randomly selected in a population-based study. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to NCEP, ATPIII criteria. Circulating hs-CRP and IGF-1 levels were measured by highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results: Women with higher than median hs-CRP levels had lower IGF-1 levels, in comparison to women with lower than median hs-CRP levels (p<0.0001). In multiple regression analysis, after adjustment for age and the metabolic syndrome, IGF-1 levels had a significant inverse correlation with circulating hs-CRP levels (β=-0.139, p<0.007). After adjustment for age, body mass index and type 2 diabetes mellitus, IGF-1 levels also showed an inverse correlation with hs-CRP levels (β=-0.130, p<0.014). Conclusion: There is a significant inverse correlation between serum IGF-1 and hs-CRP levels in postmenopausal women. This finding provides evidence of the potential cardioprotective effect of IGF-1 via anti-inflammatory mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Swimming is highly recommended because of its potentially beneficial effects on the joints and people's general sense of well-being. But unfortunately the discharing of urban and industrial wastewaters into sea with their high level of pathogens, heavy metals and other pollutants, increase concerns about its consequences on swimmers' health and ecology. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial and chemical quality of Persian Gulf Sea beaches in Bushehr port and compare it to the existing standards. Materials and Methods: In this study, 30 samples were taken from the beaches at TV-Park, Daneshjo-Park and Eskele-Jofreh, in August 2012. The mean values of total coliforms, fecal coliforms, pseudomonas, HPC, heavy metals and BOD were determined by standard methods. Results: The mean values of total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and pseudomonas along Bushehr port beaches were 540, 165.56 and 6 MPN/100ml respectively.The mean value of HPC was 1580.66 CFU/ml. Also the mean concentrations of Fe, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu and BOD were 0.1676, 0.013, 0.025, 0.0016, 0.039, 0 and 21.3 mg/l respectively.? Conclusion: The results showed that the mean values of indicator microorganisms in all stations were higher than the existing standards and the mean concentration of heavy metals were lower than the existing standard, which indicates higher pollution more due to urban wastewater compare to industrial wastewater. Therefore Bushehr port beaches are contaminated considering indicator bacteria measurments that can be dangerous for swimmers health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape fragmentation has threatened the landscape continuity of Ray which was maintained from prehistoric times until recent decades. From 19th century that Tehran sprawl growth affected Ray's landscape as a satellite city of Tehran, Ray experienced rapid landscape fragmentation and underwent many changes. In order to cope with the threat, the process of changes from landscape fragmentation should be studied. For this purpose, integrated approach was applied to assess landscape fragmentation. Landscape fragmentation is analyzed based on physical and quantitative evaluation using landscape metrics and perceptual and quantitative evaluation through an in-depth interview with natives. The results have cleared an image of the structural changes and also great change of people's perception during the time. Based on the results, Ray's landscape is structurally fragmented, but native do not perceive it. This is while people perceive landscape functional fragmentation. This inconsistent perception of landscape has caused the native's dissatisfaction about their living place. With the prepared image of landscape fragmentation in the City of Ray, city managers, designers, and planners will be able to deal with rapid changes and preserve landscape continuity of Ray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The determination of goiter prevalence in children by thyroid ultrasound is an important tool for assessing iodine deficiency disorders. The main aim of this study was to determine thyroid volume and goiter prevalence in schoolchildren of Bushehr port, based on 2007 normative values. Materials and Methods : A probability proportionate-to-size cluster sampling method was used to obtain a representative sample of 1148 school children of Bushehr port aged 7-10 years. The median and 97th percentile of thyroid volumes for age and body surface area (BSA) was measured by data of ultrasonography. The normative value of thyroid volume of the 2007 study was used as reference. Results: The 97th percentile of thyroid volume based on age or BSA in school children was higher than the international normative reference. The age-, and BSA-adjusted mean of thyroid volume was higher in both sexes than the thyroid volume of school children in the 2007 study (p<0.0001). Application of the native thyroid volume reference resulted in a goiter prevalence of 7.57%. Conclusion The thyroid volumes of schoolchildren and goiter prevalence in Bushehr port were generally high compared to the baseline data obtained 6 years ago. The environmental goiterogenic factors should be investigated in this iodine-sufficient area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is not known whether infection by a specific pathogens is associated with type 2. We examined the association between chronic infection with four pathogens (Chlaydia pneumonia, Helicopacter pylori, Herpes simplex virus type 1 and cytomegalovirus) and type 2 diabetes mellitus in a general Iranian population, in the northern Persian Gulf. Materials and Methods : In a population-based study of men and women aged >25 years, a random sample of 1754 (49.2 % males, 50.8 % females) subjects were evaluated. Sera were analyzed for immunoglobulin G antibodies to C. pneumoniae, HSV-1, H. pylori, and CMV using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was defined according to criteria of American Diabetes association. Results: A total of 150 (8.6%) subjects had type 2 diabetes mellitus. In the diabetic group, 42% were seropositive for C. pneumoniae, 64.7% for H. pylori, 92.9% for HSV-1 and 94.7% for CMV. In multiple logistic regression analyses, seropositivity for C.pneumoniae (OR=0.89, CI: 0.60-1.34, P=0.602), H. pylori(OR= 0.95, CI: 0.64-1.41, P= 0.808), HSV-1(OR= 1.76, CI: 0.86-3.62, P=0.120),CMV(OR=0.99, CI: 0.43-2.27, P=0.982) did not show a significant independent association with type 2 diabetes mellitus after adjustment for age, sex, chronic low-grade inflammation, and cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion: There was not a strong association between type 2 dibetes mellitus and prior infection with viral and bacterial pathogens that had been previously correlated with coronary artery disease as well as carotid atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The date palm cultivation has a long history in Bushehr province. Throughout the recent decade; the dusts, in addition to direct harmful effects on humans, have adverse effects on health of the population living in this area. The infestation of pests in the southern province of Bushehr has groves. Due to the importance of dates in this area, the total ash and acid insoluble ash as indexes for assessing of chemical pollution and also, mold and yeast as indicators for microbial contamination were evaluated. Recently in a number of dates packaging industries, washing the products after the harvest is done. In current study, the effects of rinsing to decrease the dust pollution on date palm along with, the time effect on the quality and durability of washed and un-washed dates were investigated. Materials and Methods: Overall, 48 washed and un-washed dates were sampled from traditional and technologically advanced packaging industries, equally, and were confirmed according to ISIRI methods. Results: The Averages of total and acid insoluble ashes in washed date samples were:1.05±0.14 and 3.32±0.32%, and for un-washed samples were 1.36±0.27 and 4.59±1.64 percent, respectively. In all date samples were presented the yeast, however, their means were lower than the maximum limit (1 x 104 CFU). Also, all date samples were moldy. The Mean percentage of total ash samples in un-rinsed and rinsed dates were approximately, 1.84 and 1.33 times more than the maximum permissible limit, respectively. The mean of acid insoluble ash in all samples (100%), and 98% of total ash were higher than acceptable levels (p<0.05). The results revealed that the average percentage difference between the two groups were transpicuous, while this difference was not significant (p=0.13). Under the similar conditions, the average amount of yeast in washed date samples, were significantly different (p<0.05) and more than un-wash samples. The Mold levels in un-rinsed and rinsed samples; were 83.3 and 75% higher than the maximum permissible limit. According to the results, regardless of a decrease in amount of molds in washed samples than un-wash samples, the rinsing, was unable to eliminate the pollution, or even decreased it to acceptable levels. Conclusion: According to the findings, present rinsing is not an appropriate method for long storage. Observations, after one year upkeep in the same conditions, expressed that all un-washed date samples were apparently healthy, without any pests and insects. While 91.6% of the washed samples were insectivores, also their textured appearances were very unpleasant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is conflicting evidence regarding adipocytokines in relation to bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporotic fractures in women and men. Recently, we found that circulating omentin-1 levels had an inverse correlation with BMD at the lumbar spine in postmenopausal women. The main aim of this study was to investigate the predictive role of adipocytokines for bone loss and incident osteoporosis among postmenopausal women after a 5.8- year follow-up Material and methods: A total of 382 healthy postmenopausal women who participated in a prospective cohort study were followed for 5.8 years. Omentin-1, visfatin, adiponectin, and the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) were measured by highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. BMD was determined for the lumbar spine (L2-L4) and the proximal femur using dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry Results: The femoral neck and lumbar spine bone loss at the 5.8-year follow-up were 1.0% and 3.4% per year.In logistic regression analysis, none of the studied adipocytokines predicted BMD at any skeletal sites or incident osteoporosis at the femoral neck or lumbar area after 5.8 year follow-up. However, RANKL levels predicted BMD at the lumbar spine (β=-0.19, p=0.003) and femoral neck (β=-0.341, p=0.018) after controlling for body mass index Conclusion: Serum levels of omentin-1, visfatin and adiponectin did not predict bone loss and incident osteoporosis among postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is accumulation evidence regarding the protective role of higher serum uric acid in bone loss and osteoprotic fractures. This effect may arise from its antioxidant properties. The main aim of this study was to investigate serum uric acid in relation to bone turnover markers in postmenopausal women. Material and methods: A total of 382 postmenopausal women who participated in a prospective study were selected randomly from Bushehr port. Serum uric acid levels and biochemical markers including serum alkaline phosphatase were measured. Circulating levels of CrossLaps, osteocalcin and hsCRP were also measured by ELISA. Results: Uric acid levels had significant correlation with osteocalcin & alkaline phosphatase. However, no correlation could be found between uric acid and CrossLaps. The correlation between uric acid & osteocalcin (r= 0.25, P=0.0001) & alkaline phosphatase(r=0.12, P=0.019) remained after adjustment with age, BMI & hsCRP. Conclusion: Serum uric acid had a positive and significant correlation with osteoblastic born turnover markers. Hence, the role of uric acid in osteoblastic function should be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ethnopharmacology has been seen as a multidisciplinatary approach for novel drug discovery by providing valuable data about medicinal plants in different cultures. The aim of this ethnopharmacological study was to identify medicinal plants of the Genaveh port in the North of Persian Gulf. Material and Methods: The medical uses of medicinal plants were gathered from 30 local informants by face to face interview. The relative frequency of citation (FRC) and cultural importance (CI) indices were calculated. Results: A total of 93 medicinal plants belonging to 55 families were identified. Plantago psyllium, Teucrium polium, Peganum harmala, Descuraninia sophia, Cichorium intybus, Achillea erophora DC, Matricarria charmomilla and Citrolus colocynthis had the highest cultural importance indices. Plantago psyllium, Descuraninia sophia and Zataria multiflora had the highest FRC indices. The highest medical uses were for gastrointestinal diseases, gynocological diseases, respiratory disorders, infectious diseases, nature of cool and metabolic disorders, respectively. In addition to the use of these plants to treat diseases as in Iran's traditional medicine, people in the Genaveh port particularly use Plantago psyllium for drainage of infective boils and abscesses, cough, skin diseases, Teucrium polium for diabetes mellitus, wound washing and sterilizing, Peganum harmala for uterus infections and abdominal cramps, Descuraninia sophia for heart diseases and heatstroke, Cichorium intybus for heatstroke and liver diseases, Achillea eriophora DC for reflex, diabetes mellitus and wound healing, Matricarria charmomilla for seizure and dysmenorrhea, Citrolus colocynthis for hemorrhoid, diabetes mellitus and rheumatism and Zataria multiflora for sedation, abdominal pain and respiratory diseases. Conclusion: There is a vast variety of medicinal plants in Genaveh port. Although most of therapeutic applications of these plants in the Genaveh port are the same as Iran's traditional medicine, but the people of this region use some of these plants for some diseases which are unique for this area. Thus, investigation about these plants should be initiated to discover novel drugs for clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection may contribute to the development of extra-gastrointestinal manifestations like cardiovascular diseases. Detection of Helicobacter pylori in Athrosclerotic plaques is a strong evidence for this association which may play a role in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis with classic cardiovascular risk factor such as hypertension and lipid profile. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of H. pylori infection on lipid profiles in a large community- based study. Material and Methods: A total of 1754 (50.8% Female & 49.2% male) subjects (age >25 years old) were selected randomely from Monica Healthy Heart Study project. H. pylori status was determined by IgG ELISA method. Subjects with titers > 30 Iu/ml were cansidered seropositive. Data were analazed by using statistical software Spss version 18 and probability values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: In multiple logistic regression analyses H.pylori infection did not show significant association with Lipid profiles (low HDL- cholesterol and High LDL- cholesterol) after controlling for age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, smoking and circulating hsCRP levels.(P>0.05) Conclusion: According to this large -- scale population- based study in large northern cities of Persian Gulf, there was no significant association between H.pylori IgG seropositivity and lipid profiles in both men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physics of fluid flow in shale reservoirs cannot be predicted from standard flow or mass-transfer models because of the presence of nanopores, ranging in size from one to hundreds of nanometers, in shales. Conventional continuum-flow equations, such as Darcy's law, greatly underestimate the fluid-flow rate when applied to nanopore-bearing shale reservoirs. As a result of the existence of nanopores in shales, the molecular mean free path becomes comparable with the characteristic geometric scale, and we hypothesize that under this condition, Knudsen diffusion, in addition to correction for the slip boundary condition, becomes the dominant mechanism. Recently, a few models have been developed that use various empirical parameters to account for these modifications (Javadpour 2009; Civan 2010; Darabi et al. 2012). This paper aims to provide a different approach to modeling apparent permeability in shale reservoirs. The proposed model is analytical, free of any empirical coefficients, and has been derived without invoking the assumption of slip flow at the pore wall. Our model of apparent permeability represented by a single analytical equation, depends only on pore size, pore geometry, temperature, gas properties, and average reservoir pressure. The proposed model is valid for Knudsen numbers less than unity and it stands up under the complete operating conditions of a shale reservoir. Our model reasonably predicts results as reported by other models. Finally, the model shows that pore-surface roughness and mineralogy have a negligible influence on gas-flow rate, whereas pore geometry and pore size play a significant role in the proportion of diffusion in total flow rate. Our study shows that a combination of Darcy flow and Knudsen flow--ignoring the Klinkenberg effect--can describe gas flow for a range of Knudsen flow applicable to a shale-gas system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Based on previous studies, tobacco smoking generally and water pipe smoking particularly, have high prevalence in Bushehr province. This study is a new analysis of the Persian Gulf healthy heart study with goal of determination of prevalence and pattern of cigarette and water pipe smoking in Bushehr province. Materials and methods: A total of 3735 men and women aged 25 years old or higher from three districts of Bushehr province (Bushehr, Genaveh, and Deylam) were participated in the study phase I in 2003, from which 1833 persons (49.7%) were participated in the phase II 6 years later in 2009. Demographic data and pattern of smoking, either cigarette or water pipe, were collected with personal interview. Gender specific crude and directly standardized prevalence of cigarette and water pipe smoking was calculated for both phases of the study. Results: Prevalence of cigarette smoking were 11.9% and 7.5% for the first and second phase, respectively. 21.6% of men and 0.4% of women in the first phase and 13% of men and 0.7% of women in the second phase were cigarette smokers. Prevalence of water pipe smoking were 17.9% and 12.9% in the first and second phase, respectively. 10.7% of men and 25.8% of women in the first phase and 7.1% of men and 19.05% of women in second phase were water pipe smokers. Conclusion: Water pipe smoking in women in Bushehr province was significantly higher than other non- southern areas of Iran. More studies are needed to determine main causes of women tendency in water pipe smoking in southern provinces of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Muslims participation in Mecca & Medina (Saudi Arabia) for Hajj which is the largest organized annual mass gathering in the world. In addition of Hajj, many pilgrims attend in Saudi Arabia for Umrah that is performed year-round. This great human immigration is an important challenge of health care and infection control systems. Current study reviews the most prevalent infectious diseases among pilgrims during Hajj along with their mode of transmission and control. Materials and methods: A comprehensive search was done on PubMed, Science Direct & Google Scholar databases by using Hajj, Pilgrims, Infectious Diseases & Mecca as keywords. Our search was restricted to English & Persian papers from 1994 to 2014. Results: Overall, 97 papers were found. After omitting old and repeated reports, 64 articles were reviewed finally. Conclusion: Due to scale of Hajj and prevalence of various infectious diseases such as meningococcal infections, diarrheal diseases and Influenza preventive measures and vaccination are recommended both before and during pilgrimage. Pilgrims and health care workers must be educated about health hazards and protective behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we compute the number of fuzzy subgroups of some classes of non-abeilan groups. Explicit formulas are given for dihedral groups D2n, quasi-dihedral groups QD2n, generalized quaternion groups Q4n and modular p-groups Mpn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers are hormone-related and may have a shared genetic basis, but this has not been investigated systematically by genome-wide association (GWA) studies. Meta-analyses combining the largest GWA meta-analysis data sets for these cancers totaling 112,349 cases and 116,421 controls of European ancestry, all together and in pairs, identified at P < 10(-8) seven new cross-cancer loci: three associated with susceptibility to all three cancers (rs17041869/2q13/BCL2L11; rs7937840/11q12/INCENP; rs1469713/19p13/GATAD2A), two breast and ovarian cancer risk loci (rs200182588/9q31/SMC2; rs8037137/15q26/RCCD1), and two breast and prostate cancer risk loci (rs5013329/1p34/NSUN4; rs9375701/6q23/L3MBTL3). Index variants in five additional regions previously associated with only one cancer also showed clear association with a second cancer type. Cell-type-specific expression quantitative trait locus and enhancer-gene interaction annotations suggested target genes with potential cross-cancer roles at the new loci. Pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment of death receptor signaling genes near loci with P < 10(-5) in the three-cancer meta-analysis., Other Research Unit

Background: Although the inverse correlation of adiponectin with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance has been suggested in various studies, but there is few studies about correlation between serum adiponectin level and metabolic syndrome in post menopause women. Materials and Methods: In an extension of a large epidemiological study, the Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study, a total of 382 healthy postmenopausal women (age, 58.5±7.4 years) were randomly selected from 13 clusters in Bushehr port. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to NCEP, ATPIII criteria. Serum adiponectin and hsCRP level were measured by highly specific enzyme linked immunosobent assay (ELISA). Results: The geometric mean (±SD) of adiponectin was lower (10.23±1.54µg/ml) in individuals with metabolic syndrome than healthy subjects (12.02±1.58 µg/ml)(p=0.003). In multiple logistic regression analysis, metabolic syndrome correlated with adiponectin after adjusting for age, hsCRP and BMI (OR=0.15, CI=0.04-0.59, P=0.007). Conclusion: In post menopause women, metabolic syndrome is significantly associated with lower serum levels of adiponectin. In order to increase circulatory adiponectin levels, weight reduction and increase of physical activity may be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision on the location of new wells through infill drilling projects is a complex problem that depends on the reservoir rock and fluid properties, well and surface facilities specifications, and economic measures. Conventional approach to address this is a direct optimization that uses the numerical flow simulation. However, this is computationally very extensive. In this study the authors use a hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) optimization technique based on the genetic algorithm (GA) with helper functions based on the polytope algorithm and the neural network. This hybridization introduces hill-climbing into the stochastic search and makes use of proxies created and calibrated iteratively throughout the run. It is emphasized that the numerical models are constructed based on scarce data, hence the simulation forecasts are uncertain and consequently the deterministic global solution is not achievable. To resolve this the authors used a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS). For economic evaluation they use net present value (NPV). Therefore, the FIS output is incorporated into the NPV, and a new objective function called corrected NPV (CNPV) is constructed. The authors validate the method by optimizing the placement of water injection wells in a section of an oil reservoir located in the west of Iran by maximizing the CNPV. It was observed that the number of simulations required to find the optimal well configurations were reduced significantly by using HGA. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Studies of smoking and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have yielded inconsistent results, possibly due to subtype heterogeneity and/or genetic variation impacting the metabolism of tobacco-derived carcinogens, including substrates of the N-acetyltransferase enzymes NAT1 and NAT2.Methods: We conducted a pooled analysis of 5,026 NHL cases and 4,630 controls from seven case-control studies in the international lymphoma epidemiology consortium to examine associations between smoking, variation in the N-acetyltransferase genes NAT1 and NAT2, and risk of NHL subtypes. Smoking data were harmonized across studies, and genetic variants in NAT1 and NAT2 were used to infer acetylation phenotype of the NAT1 and NAT2 enzymes, respectively. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) for risk of NHL and subtypes were calculated using joint fixed effects unconditional logistic regression models.Results: Current smoking was associated with a significant 30 % increased risk of follicular lymphoma (n = 1,176) but not NHL overall or other NHL subtypes. The association was similar among NAT2 slow (OR 1.36; 95 % CI 1.07-1.75) and intermediate/rapid (OR 1.27; 95 % CI 0.95-1.69) acetylators (p (interaction) = 0.82) and also did not differ by NAT1*10 allelotype. Neither NAT2 phenotype nor NAT1*10 allelotype was associated with risk of NHL overall or NHL subtypes.Conclusion: The current findings provide further evidence for a modest association between current smoking and follicular lymphoma risk and suggest that this association may not be influenced by variation in the N-acetyltransferase enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Naturally fractured reservoirs are generally complex and highly heterogeneous. There are usually scarce data sources in these reservoirs that may be found over a wide range of scales. Therefore, fracture characterization is a complicated task and an integrated method is required to effectively overcome this multi-scaled problem and to combine data obtained from as many tools as possible. One sophisticated tool for this purpose is artificial intelligence. Recently, Fuzzy Logic and Neural Network have been used to obtain a 2D fracture intensity map in Hassi Messaoud field. The aim of this paper is to show the applicability of Artificial Neural Network and Fuzzy Logic in characterizing Parsi naturally fractured reservoir. First, using Fuzzy Inference System (FIS), Fracture Index (Fracture Intensity Index or FI) is calculated along the wellbore. For decreasing the uncertainty, using FIS, static and dynamic data (log, well test and core data) are coupled which results in a more reliable Fracture Index. Moreover, use of log data in FIS makes it possible to calculate the fractured index in those blocks where wells are perforated. Hence, a 3D characterization becomes possible. Then, for calculating the spatial distribution of the Fracture Index, two types of Neural Networks, Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and Radial Basis Function (RBF), are used. The inputs of these networks are some geological and geomechanical drivers (e.g. shale volume, porosity, permeability, bed thickness, proximity to faults, slopes and curvatures of the structure), and the output is the Fracture Index. Because of the overfitting problem in MLP network, fuzzy ranking method is used for selecting only parts of the mentioned drivers as inputs of MLP network, and also a partially connected MLP network are used. RBF network produces more reasonable Fracture Index. Next, a 3D fracture intensity map in Parsi oil field is developed. According to this map, the high production rate of some wells can be explained in this field. Also, this 3D fracture intensity map can reduce the uncertainty in reservoir simulation. Therefore, a better field development scenario can be designed. The results are promising and can be easily extended in other naturally fractured reservoir. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigated common genetic variation in the entire ESR1 and EGF genes in relation to endometrial cancer risk, myometrial invasion and endometrial cancer survival. We genotyped a dense set of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in both genes and selected haplotype tagging SNPs (tagSNPs). The tagSNPs were genotyped in 713 Swedish endometrial cancer cases and 1567 population controls and the results incorporated into logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models. We found five adjacent tagSNPs covering a region of 15 kb at the 5' end of ESR1 that decreased the endometrial cancer risk. The ESR1 variants did not, however, seem to affect myometrial invasion or endometrial cancer survival. For the EGF gene, no association emerged between common genetic variants and endometrial cancer risk or myometrial invasion, but we found a five-tagSNP region that covered 51 kb at the 5' end of the gene where all five tagSNPs seemed to decrease the risk of dying from endometrial cancer. One of the five tagSNPs in this region was in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with the untranslated A61G (rs4444903) EGF variant, earlier shown to be associated with risk for other forms of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regeneration is one of the most important phenomena in forest ecosystems and the most important factor of development and sustainability of forests. Assessment of the regeneration is one of the best criteria for monitoring forest function stability. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial variability of regeneration diversity and its relationship with tree species diversity in Zagros Forests, Kermanshah (Gahvareh).This study was conducted at 70 hectares of Gahvareh forests. In this area, 67 sample plots (400 m2) were used in a 100 × 100 m sampling grid. In each plot, total number and species of trees and all seedlings which had diameter less than 7.5 cm were recorded. We also recorded asexual regeneration in 1/4 plots (100 m2). Then the spatial continuity was described using geostatistics (variogram and cross- variogram). The variograms of variables revealed the presence of spatial autocorrelation except evenness index (Sheldon) of trees and sexual regeneration. They had spatial dependence at large ranges that showed the large distance of dependency and homogeny of condition. In addition, cross-variograms indicated a strong spatial relationship between diversity of sexual regeneration and tree diversity and between diversity and richness of asexual regeneration and tree abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-adherence to prescribed medication regimens can lead to suboptimal control of chronic health conditions and increased hospitalizations. Older adults may find it particularly challenging to self-manage medications due to physical and cognitive limitations, resulting in medication non-adherence. While automated medication dispensing technologies may offer a solution for medication self-management among older adults, these technologies must demonstrate usability before effectiveness can be investigated and products made available for widespread use. This study will aim to measure usability, workload, and unassisted task completion rates of an automated medication dispenser and medication adherence dashboard on the Medipense portal with older adults and their clinicians, respectively. This study is designed as a convergent parallel mixed-methods observational study with older adults and their clinicians. Usability will be examined with the use of the System Usability Scale (SUS) while NASA Load Index (NASA-TLX) will be utilized to assess the workload of both the device and the adherence monitoring platform. Cognitive walkthrough will be utilized prior to usability testing to identify series of steps required to use the automated dispenser and adherence dashboard. The study will assess the unassisted task completion rates to successfully operate the device. Semi-structured interviews with both types of participants will provide qualitative data with which to comprehensively gauge the automated dispenser user experience. The results of this study will allow us to examine usability of both the automated medication dispensing system and the adherence monitoring dashboard from older adult and health-care provider perspectives. The results of this study will highlight and address the challenges with usability that older adults and health-care providers may face with this device and dashboard. The results of this study will be used to optimize the usability of both the automated medication dispenser and the adherence dashboard. In clinical practice, usability of technology is important to establish prior to full-scale implementation. Products that are not user friendly, add to workload, impact workflow, or are difficult to navigate by both clinicians and population in general may not be adopted. Usability permits an evaluation of the products, to identify problems that must be addressed prior to implementation and to ensure products are useful in clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Patel et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Study Design: Retrospective with follow-up., Objective: To evaluate the long-term satisfaction of surgically treated patients with zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fractures in relation to the use of internal fixation, number of fixation points, and orbital floor (OF) reconstruction. Secondary objectives were to describe the use of antibiotics and post-operative infections., Methods: Patients with unilateral ZMC fractures between 2007-2018 and treatment with either open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) or closed reduction (CR) were identified from medical records and invited to follow-ups between 2018-2020. Patients were examined, photographed, and completed a questionnaire. A review panel of 3 experienced surgeons evaluated photographs and computed tomography (CT) scans pre- and post-surgery., Results: The study sample consisted of 136 patients (108 ORIF, 28 CR) with a median follow-up time of 76 months. Patient satisfaction of surgical outcome was high (97.8%), with no significant differences in relation to the use of internal fixation, number of fixation points, or OF reconstruction. Dissatisfaction was primarily related to hypoesthesia. On post-operative CT scans, malar asymmetry was more often predicted in patients with 1-point fixations. On questionnaires and photographs, malar asymmetry was more common in patients with 3-point fixations. Prophylactic antibiotics had no effect on the rate of post-operative infections., Conclusions: Patient satisfaction was not influenced by internal fixation, number of fixation points, or OF reconstruction. Selected ZMC fractures can be treated with less invasive approaches. Caution should be observed when predicting long-term malar asymmetry on post-operative CT scans. The findings of this study highlight the importance of a rational and ethical use of surgery., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Even though many studies have been thus far devoted to landscape services (LS) or vulnerability assessment (VA) alone, the relationship between these two concepts has been less investigated. The current study attempts to model the spatial relationship between LS and VA in the Tarhan area (west of Iran). For this purpose, a combination of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), remote sensing (RS), and geographic information system (GIS) techniques are applied to assess vulnerability. Variogram models and geostatistical simulations are used for mapping and evaluating landscape services. Moreover, the geographically weighted regression (GWR) is operated to predict the relationship between LS and VA. The results indicate that landform and socioeconomic variables are also two main factors shaping variations in VA. As well, the levels of services provided in the possible landscape are affected by the vulnerability. The assessment accordingly establishes that natural and cultural values have significant effects on services, in terms of their spatial distribution and nature. Exploring the relationship between LS and VA correspondingly depicts that VA has a direct influence on the capacity and entity of LS provision (adjusted R 2  = 0.67). The outcomes of the study provide a foundation for nature management and conservation, although it is less able to analyze the trade-off between ecosystem degradation and future development trends. The nexus of LS and future ecological processes in an integrated system can be thus the subject of further research., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Wildfires have a significant impact on ecosystems worldwide, especially on the degradation of arid and semi-arid rangelands. This research focuses on assessing the effects of wildfires on the habitat of Trigonella elliptica, a valuable herb species found in the central rangelands of Iran. To achieve this, the Random Forest (RF) algorithm has been deployed to predict T. elliptica habitat and fire hazard using socio-environmental variables in Yazd province, Iran. 225 fire points and 103 habitat locations were used for model training and testing. The IncNodePurity index and Probability Curves (PC) have been utilized to determine the influence of socio-environmental variables. The combination of the prediction maps of the habitat and wildfires pointed out the possible damage due to fire. The high performance of the RF model is confirmed by the area under the curve (AUC) and the true skill statistic (TSS) values (0.90 and 0.81 for the habitat; 0.92 and 0.82 for the wildfire). The importance assessment of variables revealed that elevation, slope, and precipitation are the most influential variables in the distribution of T. elliptica, while distance to roads, population density, and wind speed are the key factors affecting wildfire occurrence. In the final map, a comparison of different regions of T. elliptica habitat under fire hazard with fire-free habitats using Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests indicated that the fire hazard in the T. elliptica habitat is a serious concern. Since the areas with the highest fire hazard and the highest presence of T. elliptica cover approximately 2311.38 km 2 , neglecting these regions could lead to the gradual reduction of T. elliptica, and create conditions for secondary succession dominated by less valuable annual species. The findings of this study underscore the importance of implementing fire management strategies, protection projects, and continuous monitoring to ensure the safety and conservation of the T. elliptica habitat., 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 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Study Design: Retrospective with follow-up., Objective: This study described the long-term outcomes of patients who received either conservative or surgical treatment for zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fractures. It accounted for the perspectives of both patients and surgeons, and explored factors associated with patient satisfaction., Methods: Patients with unilateral ZMC fractures 2007-2018 were invited to follow-up clinical examinations and photographic documentation. Patient experiences were recorded using a questionnaire. A review panel assessed computed tomography (CT) scans and photographs. Patient and surgeon perspectives of detecting functional sequelae were assessed, and a correlation matrix was used to evaluate different perspectives of perceiving malar asymmetry., Results: The study sample consisted of 180 patients, of which conservative treatment was given to 43 patients and surgical treatment to 137 patients. Median follow-up time was 72.5 months after trauma. Overall satisfaction was 92.8%, with no significant difference between treatment groups. Patients and surgeons showed marked differences in detecting functional sequelae. Predicted malar asymmetry on CT scans did not correlate to findings on photographs or reports by patients., Conclusions: A predicted sunken cheek on CT imaging does not necessarily lead to long-term visible asymmetry of the malar region. Surgeons should acknowledge different perspectives when predicting and assessing long-term sequelae of ZMC fractures, and seek consensus on when to perform surgical reconstructions., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

The monitoring and modeling of changes, based on a time-series LULC approach, is fundamental for planning and managing regional environments. The current study analyzed the LULC changes as well as estimated future scenarios for 2027 and 2037. To achieve accuracy in predicting LULC changes, the Land Change Modeler (LCM) was used for the Latian Dam Watershed, which is located approximately in the northeast of Tehran. The LULC time-series technique was specified utilizing four atmospherically endorsed surface reflectance Landsat images for the years t 1 (1987), t 2 (1998), t 3 (2007), and t 4 (2017) to authenticate the LULC predictions, so to obtain estimates for t 5 (2027) and t 6 (2037). The LULC classes identified in the watershed were water bodies, build-up areas, vegetated areas, and bare lands. The dynamic modeling of the LULC was based on a multi-layer perceptron (MLP), the neural network in LCM, which presented good results with an average accuracy rate equivalent to 84.89 percent. The results of the LULC change analysis showed an increase in the build-up area and a decrease in bare lands and vegetated areas within the duration of the study period. The results of this research could help in the formulation of public policies designed to conserve environmental resources in the Latian Dam Watershed and, consequently, minimize the risks of the fragmentation of orchards and vegetated areas. Also, careful regional planning ensuring the preservation of natural landscapes and open spaces is critical to creating a resilient regional environment and sustainable development., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)