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Background: This study aimed to assess possible changes in mineral intake correlation between family pairs over time. Mineral intake was measured using a food frequency questionnaire., Methods: FCOR command of the Statistical Analysis for Genetic Epidemiology software was used to determine the correlation coefficients of minerals in relative pairs. Our first analysis was conducted on adults (n = 748) who had four complete dietary and familial data on the third to sixth surveys of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. In addition, we assessed respectively the 3-year, 6-year, and 9-year changes in mineral correlations among populations with n = 1773, n = 1672, and n = 1352 samples with two mineral intake measurements., Results: Most of the mineral correlations among various pairs were found to be in the same direction in both four and two measurement analyses. Among the mother-daughter and brother-sister pairs, there was a decreasing correlation for all minerals over time. In father-daughter, we observed decreasing or regression to the mean of correlations. For father-son and spouse pairs, the correlations between minerals showed a decreasing trend or regression to the mean over time, whereas increased for sodium in the father-son and phosphorus in the spouse pair. For mother-son and brother-brother pairs, iron intake correlation increased and other minerals correlations generally showed a decreasing trend or regression to the mean. Among sister-sister pairs, the correlation of calcium and phosphorus decreased, however, the correlation of chromium, selenium, sodium, and potassium increased., Conclusion: Our study revealed a decreasing trend in correlation or regression towards the mean over time for most minerals in family pairs., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Informed written consent was obtained from participants. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants adhered to the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study’s protocol was approved by the ethics research committee of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Observational studies have suggested a link between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and multiple sclerosis (MS) progression, but the causal relationship remains uncertain. This study investigates the causal association between LTL and MS progression using a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. We analyzed genome-wide association summary statistics data from 472,174 individuals for LTL and 12,584 MS patients for disease progression. The primary method was the inverse variance weighted (IVW) approach, supported by sensitivity analyses to ensure robustness. The forward analysis revealed a significant positive causal relationship between LTL and MS progression (β = 0.107, 95 % CI = 0.006 to 0.209, P = 0.037). Conversely, the reverse analysis indicated a negative causal relationship (β = -0.010, 95 % CI = -0.020 to -0.001, P = 0.037). No heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was found, and the sensitivity analyses confirmed consistent results. These findings suggest that telomere dynamics play a complex role in MS progression and highlight their potential as therapeutic targets. Further research is essential to uncover the biological mechanisms underlying the influence of telomeres on MS progression., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In recent two decades, considerable efforts have been devoted to the room-temperature green syntheses of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to reduce energy consumption and increase safety. It could improve some properties (e.g., catalysis, gas adsorption) and facilitate the utilities of sensitive compounds. Herein, the magnetic hybrid catalyst (Fe 3 O 4 @MOF-5) was synthesized through a mixing procedure at room temperature and confirmed by various techniques. The SEM images exhibit cubic crystals that were uniformly coated by the Fe 3 O 4 cores. Then, the catalytic ability of Fe 3 O 4 @MOF-5 was studied in the green synthesis of tetrahydropyridines via a domino multi-component reaction, which led to the desired products with high yield. Magnetic solid properties make it easily separated from the reaction medium, so the proposed catalyst can be reused five times while maintaining the catalytic activity over 80%., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Familial dietary intake can be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors; the current study aimed to examine the role of these two factors on dietary intake by investigating the resemblance in energy, nutrient, and food group intake among spouses and siblings in twin and family-based studies., Methods: The online literature databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched up to September 2024. The pooled correlation coefficient (r) of studies was calculated using Fisher's z and standard error (SE) of z's of all studies and our final results were reported in six groups including non-twin siblings, monozygotic (MZ) twins, dizygotic (DZ) twins, all-twins, all siblings, and spouse., Results: Our findings on 30 observational studies indicate that siblings, especially MZ twins, tend to have similar dietary intake, with high correlations for vegetables (r: 0.59), red meat (r: 0.58), and fruits (r: 0.56). Among DZ twins, the lowest correlations were observed for eggs (r: 0.07), soft drinks (r: 0.14), and daily intake of simple carbohydrates (r: 0.17). DZ twins did not show significant differences in dietary resemblance compared to non-twin siblings. Among spouses, the highest correlations for dietary intake were found for polyunsaturated fats (r: 0.41), saturated fats (r: 0.40), and total fats (r: 0.39), while the lowest correlation was for protein intake (r: 0.24)., Conclusions: While the greatest similarity in dietary intake was observed among MZ twins, no significant difference in dietary intake similarity was noted between DZ twins and non-twin siblings. Furthermore, spouses exhibited a significant degree of similarity in their dietary consumption. Therefore, dietary intake is shaped by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, warranting further investigation to validate these observations., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences at the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Tannic acid (TA), as a plant polyphenol, has many active sites for chelation with metals, so TA-oligomers (TA-Olig) were used for the first time as ligands on the surface of Ce-Mn-LDH to prepare the layered double hydroxide-based metal-organic framework (Ce-Mn-LDH@CPTMS@TA-Olig@Co-MOF = E) nanocomposite. In this regard, a homogeneous water/ethanol solution was prepared by sol-gel method using polyethylene glycol and ammonia solution, and then TA was converted into a set of oligomers in the presence of formaldehyde. In the next step, Ce-Mn-LDH was prepared in a ratio of 1 : 4 of Ce to Mn, modified with 3-chloropropylmethoxysilane, functionalized by TA-Olig, and then cobalt salt was used to prepare E. Finally, the structure of E was determined by FT-IR, ICP, XRD, BET, EDX, SEM, SEM-mapping, TEM, and TGA-DTA techniques and used as a new and potent nanocatalyst for the synthesis of tetrazoloquinazolines a(1-12). One of the advantages of this nanocatalyst is the active surface to form products in a limited time in mild conditions with high efficiency and easy separation. Also, the catalytic activity is maintained even after four consecutive runs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Metal-based catalysts play an essential role in organic chemistry and the chemical industry. This research designed and successfully synthesized a pillar-layered metal-organic framework (MOF) with the urea linkers, namely Basu-HDI, as a novel and efficient heterogeneous catalyst. Various techniques such as FT-IR, EDX, elemental mapping, SEM, XRD, BET, and TGA/DTA studied its structure and morphology. Then, we investigated the synthesis of new 1,8-naphthyridines utilizing Basu-HDI in mild conditions via a one-pot, three-component tandem Knoevenagel/Michael/ cyclization/anomeric-based oxidation reaction. Final products were achieved by anomeric-based oxidation without employing an oxidation agent. Remarkably, this tandem process gave a good range of new 1,8-naphthyridines with high yields in a short reaction time. The pure products were confirmed by FT-IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and mass spectrometry techniques. Moreover, the introduced catalyst showed good efficiency and stability and can be reused four times without significantly reducing efficiency., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The Ce-Mn binuclear LDH was prepared at four different molar ratios of Ce to Mn (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4), modified with both 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane (CPTMS) and N-amino-phthalimide (NAP), complexed with Cu(II), and characterized by the FT-IR, ICP, XPS, XRD, BET, UV/Vis, EDX, SEM, SEM-mapping, TEM, and TGA-DTA techniques. The ICP, XPS, BET, and UV-vis techniques showed that the 1:4 molar ratio of Ce to Mn is the best, therefore it was used as a heterogeneous nanocatalyst for the green synthesis of fourteen spiro[acridine-indole]triones from the three-component condensation reaction of isatin, aniline, and 1,3-diketone in mild reaction conditions. The advantages of this method include the absence of harmful organic solvents, easy separation of the catalyst and products, and rapid achievement of excellent yields. Furthermore, the activity of the catalyst was maintained even after four consecutive runs without a significant loss of activity., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study aims to assess the effect of familial structures on the still-missing heritability estimate and prediction accuracy of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) using pedigree estimated risk values (ERV) and genomic ERV. We used 11,818 individuals (T2D cases: 2,210) with genotype (649,932 SNPs) and pedigree information from the ongoing periodic cohort study of the Iranian population project. We considered three different familial structure scenarios, including (i) all families, (ii) all families with ≥ 1 generation, and (iii) families with ≥ 1 generation in which both case and control individuals are presented. Comprehensive simulation strategies were implemented to quantify the difference between estimates of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. A proportion of still-missing heritability in T2D could be explained by overestimation of pedigree-based heritability due to the presence of families with individuals having only one of the two disease statuses. Our research findings underscore the significance of including families with only case/control individuals in cohort studies. The presence of such family structures (as observed in scenarios i and ii) contributes to a more accurate estimation of disease heritability, addressing the underestimation that was previously overlooked in prior research. However, when predicting disease risk, the absence of these families (as seen in scenario iii) can yield the highest prediction accuracy and the strongest correlation with Polygenic Risk Scores. Our findings represent the first evidence of the important contribution of familial structure for heritability estimations and genomic prediction studies in T2D., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), an autosomal dominant disease, is associated with an increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to examine the variations in serum levels of calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) among FH patients, as these factors have been associated with an increased susceptibility to CVD., Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the authors used data from Isfahan FH registry. The Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) criteria was used for diagnoses of FH patients. Control group included participants with hyperlipidemia and were unlikely FH according to DLCN criteria. All biochemical parameters were measured using standard methods., Results: A total of 131 patients (mean age, 53.1 ± 12.2; male, 51.4%) were included in the analysis. Patients with FH had lower serum vitamin D levels compared with control groups in the unadjusted model ( P = 0.028). The relationship between serum vitamin D and FH was not significant after adjustment for traditional risk factor ( P = 0.184). No significant association was observed between FH and serum calcium ( P = 0.886), phosphorus ( P = 0.463), and PTH ( P = 0.849). Besides, there was no significant association between LDL-C or total cholesterol and serum minerals in FH patients., Conclusion: This study found no significant changes in serum calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, and PTH in patients with FH., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Following the Taliban's resurgence, Afghan girls were probited from attending school and university, likely causing adverse psychological effects. Therefore, the present study investigated depression, suicidal ideation, and quality of life (QoL) among Afghan girls banned from education by the Taliban., Methods: A survey study assessed depression, suicidal ideation, and QoL among 426 females prohibited from attending secondary schools, high schools, and universities by the Taliban. The study used the CES-D 20 Scale to assess depression, and the WHOQOL-Bref Questionnaire to assess QoL. Associations between variables were tested with chi-square tests, and predictors of QoL were analyzed through multivariate regression analysis., Results: Among the 426 participants, 87.6% exhibited depression symptoms and 49.8% reported suicidal thoughts. Significant predictors of overall QoL included monthly family income (B = 0.147, P = 0.001), recent others' behavior toward participants (B = -0.247, P < 0.001), physical illness (B = 0.110, P = 0.011), experiencing a recent traumatic event (B = 0.108, P = 0.015), depression (B = -0.159, P < 0.001) and suicidal ideation (B = -0.187, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the results indicated that female students who have been prohibited from studying in classes have a high prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation. Having depression and suicidal ideation significantly predicted decreased quality of life among female students., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

A gentisic acid based-Deep Eutectic Solvent (MTPPBr/GA-DES) was synthesized by mixing one mole of methyl triphenylphosphonium bromide (MTPPBr) and one mole of gentisic acid (GA: 2,5-dihydroxy-benzoic acid) based on the eutectic point phase diagram. Then, it was characterized by FT-IR, NMR, densitometer, and TGA/DTA techniques and used as a potent and novel catalyst for the fast and green synthesis of: (i) Five new 2(a-e) and five known 2(f-j) benzo[6,7]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidines and (ii) One new (3a) and eleven known 3(b-l) pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidines, in solvent-free conditions, short reaction times, and high yields. It is important to mention that for the synthesis of 2(a-j), there is only one reference which states that the reaction times are extremely long (720-2400 min), while these times are reduced to approximately 35-50 min in our proposed strategy, indicatinging that the rate of reactions will be 20-48 times faster, which is the clear and most obvious advantage of our approach., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A novel protocatechuic acid-based deep eutectic solvent (ETPPBr/PCA-DES) was prepared by mixing ethyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (ETPPBr) and protocatechuic acid (PCA = 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid), and its structure was fully investigated by using the FT-IR, TGA/DTA, densitometer, eutectic point and 1 H NMR techniques. Different molar ratios of ETPPBr to PCA were examined and the eutectic point phase diagram showed that the best ratio for the synthesis of the new DES is the one-to-one ratio of the two starting materials (ETPPBr and PCA). Then, the novel DES was used as a new and capable catalyst for the green synthesis of diverse 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles a1-a12 from the four-component condensation reaction of phenanthrene-9,10-dione, aromatic amine, aromatic aldehyde, and ammonium acetate with high yields and very short reaction times. High yields and very short reaction times are two advantages of our proposed method compared with the previous reported methods., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

MTPPBr/THFTCA-DES was prepared as a new deep eutectic solvent (DES) from a mixture (molar ratio 7:3) of methyltriphenyl-phosphonium bromide (MTPPBr) and tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetra-carboxylic acid (THFTCA), and characterized with various spectroscopic techniques, densitometer, and eutectic point. Then, it was used as a new and powerful catalyst for the synthesis of two sets of biologically important compounds, namely the Henna-based benzopyranophenazines and benzoxan-thenetriones. Solvent-free conditions, short reaction time, high efficiency, and easy recycling and separation of the DES catalyst are among the most important features of the presented method. Also, there is a nice consistency between the proposed structure of the DES compound, the integration values of the 1 H NMR peaks, and the ratio of MTPPBr to THFTCA obtained from the eutectic point phase diagram. In addition, the reduction of peak splitting patterns in DES compared to the two primary materials can be good evidence of the formation of hydrogen bonds between the two components., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A new DES (MTPPBr-PHTH-DES) was prepared from a mixture of methyltriphenyl-phosphonium bromide (MTPPBr) and phthalic acid (PHTH). The eutectic point phase diagram showed that a one-to-one molar ratio of MTPPBr to PHTH is the optimal molar ratio for the synthesis of new DES. Then, it was characterized with various techniques such as FT-IR, TGA/DTA, densitometer, eutectic point, and NMR and used as a novel acid catalyst in the synthesis of pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidines and pyrano[3,2-c]chromes in solvent-free condition. Short reaction time, low temperature, high efficiency, green condition, and easy recycling and separation of the DES catalyst are among the most important features of the presented method., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Aims: The putative association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration [25(OH)D] and the risk of cardioembolic stroke (CES) has been examined in observational studies, which indicate controversial findings. We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to determine the causal relationship of serum 25(OH)D with the risk of CES., Methods and Results: The summary statistics dataset on the genetic variants related to 25(OH)D was used from the published GWAS of European descent participants in the UK Biobank, including 417,580 subjects, yielding 143 independent loci in 112 1-Mb regions. GWAS summary data of CES was obtained from GIGASTROKE Consortium, which included European individuals (10,804 cases, 1,234,808 controls). Our results unveiled a causal relationship between 25(OH)D and CES using IVW [OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.67-0.98, p = 0.037]. Horizontal pleiotropy was not seen [MR-Egger intercept = 0.001; p = 0.792], suggesting an absence of horizontal pleiotropy. Cochrane's Q [Q = 78.71, p-value = 0.924], Rucker's Q [Q = 78.64, p-value = 0.913], and I 2  = 0.0% (95% CI: 0.0%, 24.6%) statistic suggested no heterogeneity. This result remained consistent using different MR methods and sensitivity analyses, including Maximum likelihood [OR = 0.82, 95%CI: 0.67-0.98, p-value = 0.036], Constrained maximum likelihood [OR = 0.76, 95%CI: 0.64-0.90, p-value = 0.002], Debiased inverse-variance weighted [OR = 0.82, 95%CI: 0.68-0.99, p-value = 0.002], MR-PRESSO [OR = 0.82, 95%CI 0.77-0.87, p-value = 0.022], RAPS [OR = 0.82, 95%CI 0.67-0.98, p-value = 0.038], MR-Lasso [OR = 0.82, 95%CI 0.68-0.99, p-value = 0.037]., Conclusion: Our MR analysis provides suggestive evidence that increased 25(OH)D levels may play a protective role in the development of cardioembolic stroke. Determining the role of 25(OH)D in stroke subtypes has important clinical and public health implications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: Burns often cause severe pain, especially during dressing changes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure on pain during dressing changes in burn patients., Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 76 burn patients. The eligible patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups after obtaining informed consent. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups by blocking. The study was conducted over two days using the same method. Before entering the dressing room, acupressure was performed in the intervention group for 10 min in acupressure points and the control group in other points. Pain intensity was measured in two groups 30 min before entering the dressing room and 15 and 30 min after leaving the dressing room using VAS. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software 25th edition., Results: Pain scores were similar for the two groups before the dressing change. The results of this study revealed a significant decrease in the patient's pain intensity mean in the test group following acupressure compared to the control group on day one which remained on day two (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Considering the experience of severe pain in burn patients, acupressure is recommended as a complementary method along with modern medicine to reduce these patients' pains., 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 © 2023 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although acupressure is proposed to boost sleep quality and alleviate anxiety in various disorders, no trials have yet documented these consequences in burn victims. Considering the high importance of managing sleep quality and anxiety among burn patients utilizing adjunctive non-pharmacological measures, this study sought to investigate the impacts of acupressure on sleep quality and anxiety among a population of Iranian patients with burn injuries., Methods: This trial was performed on 72 patients with second- or third-degree burns, who were divided into two equal arms to receive routine care plus 10-minute acupressure on either real acupoints (i.e., Yintang and Shen men) or sham points for three consecutive nights. Sleep quality and anxiety were investigated at baseline (T1) and on the fourth day (T2) by using St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire (SMHSQ) and Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for State Anxiety (STAI-S), respectively., Results: The mean scores of SMHSQ and STAI-S were significantly lower in the real acupressure arm at T2 (P < 0.001 in two cases), implying better sleep quality improvement and higher anxiety alleviation. Also, the reduction in mean changes of SMHSQ and STAI-S scores from T1 to T2 was significantly more in the real acupressure arm (P < 0.001 in two cases)., Conclusion: Acupressure, as a low-cost complementary method, could be potentially helpful in enhancing sleep quality and decreasing the anxiety of burn patients. Additional long-term trials are required to identify the sustainability of the findings., Trial Registration No: IRCT20130424013110N13 (Registration date: 19/03/2021, https://www.irct.ir/trial/55076 )., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Several attempts for preparation of 4,4'-(2-thioxoimidazolidine-1,3-diyl)bis(butane-1-sulfonic acid) were not successful despite taking 2 mmol of 1,4-butane sultone in reaction with 1 mmol of imidazolidine-2-thione. Instead, 4-(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-ylsulfanyl)butyl hydrogen sulfite (DISBHS) was prepared unexpectedly, characterized and used for the synthesis of diverse pyrazolophthalazines from the one-pot three component condensation reaction of phthalhydrazide, malononitrile and aldehydes under mild conditions., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Deep eutectic solvents have countless advantages over normal solvents, and in addition to complying with the principles of green chemistry, depending on their nature, they can also act as catalysts. The use of deep eutectic solvents as acid catalysts has several advantages such as non-toxicity, a catalytic effect similar to or higher than the acid itself, and the possibility of recovery and reuse without significant loss of activity. In this project, A novel deep eutectic solvent (MTPPBr-PCAT-DES) was prepared from a one-to-one mole ratio of methyltriphenyl-phosphonium bromide (MTPPBr) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (PCAT = protocatechuic acid) and characterized by various techniques such as FT-IR, TGA/DTA, densitometer, eutectic point, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and 31 P NMR. Then, it was used as a novel and capable catalyst for the synthesis of pyranopyrimidines from the multicomponent condensation reaction of barbituric acid, 4-hydroxycoumarin, and aromatic aldehydes in mild conditions, short reaction times, and high yields., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

A novel, reusable, and efficient L-proline-modified Zr-based metal-organic framework (Basu-proline) was designed, synthesized, and characterized by Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), elemental mapping, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray Diffraction analysis (XRD), Thermo-Gravimetric-Differential Thermal Analysis (TGA-DTA), and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. Then, its catalytic performance was assessed in the synthesis of dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromenes via the one-pot, three-component tandem condensation reaction of 4-hydroxycoumarin, aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile. The Basu-proline catalyst exhibited a better efficiency than some reported protocols regarding higher yields, lower reaction times, and simple separation., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Mimics of the complex flavonol glycoside montbretin A in which a flavonol moiety is coupled to a caffeic acid via partially peptidic linkers have proved to be potent inhibitors of human pancreatic alpha-amylase with potential as therapeutics for control of blood glucose levels. After exploring optimal linker length, a synthetic route to a version with a branched linker was devised based on the structure of the enzyme/inhibitor complex. The resultant branched inhibitors were shown to retain nanomolar potency even when decorated with polymers as a means of modifying solubility. Similar improvements, along with nanomolar affinity, could also be achieved through conjugation to cyclodextrins which have the potential to bind to starch binding sites found on the surface of human amylase. Incorporation of a conjugatable branch into this unusual pharmacophore thereby affords considerable flexibility for further modifications to improve pharmacokinetic behaviour or as a site for attachment of capture tags or fluorophores.

A new two-fold interpenetrated pillar-layered metal-organic framework (MOF) was designed and synthesized based on zirconium cations, an amine-functionalized ligand, and a linear exo -bidentate bis-pyridine ligand. The structure of the prepared framework was evaluated using various techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), 13 C NMR, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), elemental mapping analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Then, catalytic application of the prepared zirconium-based MOF was successfully explored in the synthesis of novel 6 H -chromeno[4,3- b ]quinolin-6-ones 4(a-l) through a one-pot three-component condensation reaction of 4-hydroxycumarine, 1-naphthylamine, and aromatic aldehydes under solvent-free conditions at 110 °C. The pure products were obtained with high atom efficiency (AE) and short reaction times and characterized by FTIR, NMR, and mass spectrometry techniques., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Child abuse is a major global concern in terms of healthcare and social welfare. Child abuse is associated with numerous physical and mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. Overactive bladder (OAB) is a bladder storage functional disease defined by urine urgency with or without urge incontinence and is frequently accompanied by frequency and nocturia. This disorder's origin is not entirely understood. Since OAB can be caused by problems of nervous system maturation or behavioural disorders, its correlation with child maltreatment is possible., Objective: This study aimed to compare the occurrence of maltreatment in children with OAB to healthy children referred to Amirkabir hospital, Arak., Method: This study included 100 children with overactive bladder and 100 healthy children without overactive bladder (ages 5-12 years) as case and control groups, respectively. Children referred to paediatric clinic at Amirkabir hospital in Arak, were selected as participants. Child abuse domains including psychological/emotional, physical, and neglect were diagnosed using a standardized child abuse questionnaire answered by the children. Data were analyzed by SPSS version χ 2 test, t -test, and Pearson's χ 2 test., Results: The Prevalence of child maltreatment was significantly greater in the case group (31 cases) than in the control group (12 cases) ( P <0.0001). The psychological/emotional domain of child abuse was observed in 19 case group participants and 4 control group participants ( P =0.001), and the physical domain was observed in 29 case group participants and 11 control group participants ( P <0.0001). Despite this considerable difference, 10 and 8 children in the case and control groups, respectively, scored positively for the neglect domain ( P =0.112)., Conclusion: Child abuse is considerably more common in children with OAB than in healthy children, especially in the psycho-emotional and physical domains, and it is possible to prevent and treat this condition by notifying parents. Children with OAB should also be subjected to child abuse screening., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

A novel deep eutectic solvent (ETPP-Br/THF-TCA-DES) was prepared by a mixture of ethyl triphenylphosphonium bromide (ETPP-Br) and tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetra-carboxylic acid (THF-TCA, mole ratio 7:3), characterized by FT-IR, TGA/DTA, densitometer, eutectic point, and 1 H NMR techniques and used as a capable and new catalyst for the synthesis of two sets of compounds: (1) the four new [a(1-4)] and the eleven [a(5-15)] known alkyl 1,2,6-trisubstituted-4-[(hetero)arylamino]-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-3-carboxylates and (2) the two new [b(1-2)] and the eight [b(3-10)] known 1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones in DES with short reaction time, high yields, and easy recycling and separation of the DES catalyst. There is a nice consistency between the proposed structure of the DES compound, the integration values of the 1 H NMR peaks and the ratio of ETPP-Br to THF-TCA obtained from the eutectic point phase diagram. Also, the decrease in splitting patterns of the peaks in DES, compared to the two starting materials can be the good evidence of the hydrogen bond formation between the two components., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Traditional observational studies have shown positive associations between c-reactive protein (CRP) and heart failure (HF) risk. However, this association has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, Mendelian randomization was used to examine CRP's possible etiological roles with HF., Methods: We implemented a two-sample Mendelian randomization framework to examine the causality of the association between CRP and HF based on summary statistics by large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) datasets of European ancestry through inverse-variance weighted, weighted median, MREgger regression, and MR-PRESSO methods. The summary statistics dataset on the association of genetic variants with CRP was used from the published GWAS of European descent in UK Biobank participants (N = 427,367) and the CHARGE consortium (N = 575,531). The GWAS dataset used to identify genetic variants underlying HF from the HERMES consortium includes 977,323 participants (47,309 cases and 930,014 controls). The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was employed to examine this association., Results: The results of our IVW indicated that CRP was strongly associated with HF (OR = 4.18, 95% CI = 3.40-5.13, p < 0.001). The Cochran heterogeneity test showed significant heterogeneity among SNPs of CRP (Q = 317.55, p < 0.001; I 2  = 37.6%), and no considerable pleiotropy was detected for the association of CRP with HF [intercept = 0.003; p = 0.234]. This finding remained consistent using different Mendelian randomization methods and sensitivity analyses., Conclusion: Our MR study did identify convincing evidence to support CRP associated with HF risk. Human genetic data suggest that CRP is a causative factor in HF. Hence, CRP assessment may offer additional prognostic information as an adjuvant to overall risk assessment in HF patients. These findings prompt significant questions about the function of inflammation in the progression of HF. More research into the role of inflammation in HF is needed to guide trials of anti-inflammation management., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of chrysoidine (4-phenylazo-m-phenylenediamine) grafted on magnetic nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @CPTMS@PhAzPhDA = FeSiPAPDA) as a novel and versatile adsorbent used for the satisfactory removal of Pb, Ni, and Cd ions from contaminated water via the formation of their complexes. The Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, and Redlich-Patterson isotherm models were studied to reveal the adsorption capability of the adsorbent and were found out that the Langmuir model is more compatible with the nano-adsorbent behavior. Moreover, according to the ICP tests as well as based on the Langmuir isotherm, the maximum adsorption capacity of the FeSiPAPDA-based adsorbent for the Pb ions (97.58) is more than that of Cd (78.59) and Ni ions (64.03)., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Hospitalization and the possibility of surgery are known as the main causes of anxiety in children, and anxiety is a natural physiological process in individuals that allows them to adapt and deal with a diversity of adverse conditions. The purpose of this research aimed to compare 2 methods of distraction including puzzle-solving and music on anxiety before pediatric surgery., Materials and Methods: This study is clinical trial research. First, 90 children 6 to 10 years old were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. In group A, the visual puzzlesolving items were presented, in group B, music with related pictures via a tablet was presented in the waiting room for surgery, and in group C, only standard care for each patient was presented. Anxiety before surgery was measured with a Children's Fear Scale questionnaire before moving the patient to the operating room, then 30 minutes before surgery in the pre-surgery waiting room, and the third stage immediately after transfer to the operating room before induction of anesthesia. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, chi-square test, and Tukey test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 21.0., Results: The results of this research showed that the levels of anxiety significantly improved in the intervention groups compared to the control group after the intervention (P < .001)., Conclusion: Music and puzzle-solving as complementary therapy can improve the levels of anxiety in children before surgery. Therefore, this technique can be recommended to be used along with modern medicine in children.

The presence of heavy metal ions in drinking and wastewater generates environmental and human health concerns as they are known as cumulative poisons. Therefore, the purification of contaminated waters is an important ecological issue. Various techniques have been developed to address this issue, where adsorption has received widespread attention. The facile synthesis of effective adenine-based nano-adsorbents is reported and adsorptive removal of Ni 2+ , Cd 2+ , and Pb 2+ from aqueous media was investigated by inductively-coupled plasma analyses, adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamic studies. The effects of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, and temperature were optimized. The maximum adsorption capacity was achieved at pH = 7, an adsorbent dose of 25 mg, and an initial concentration of 50 mg L -1 at 25 °C. A thermodynamic study showed that adsorption is an endothermic process, and the Langmuir model fitted well to the ion adsorption data to reveal that the maximum adsorption capacities for Ni 2+ , Cd 2+ , and Pb 2+ were 273.7, 252.4, and 249.8 mg g -1 , respectively., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Mavacamten, an allosteric myosin inhibitor, is considered to be a promising drug for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This meta-analysis aimed to explore the safety and efficacy of mavacamten in HCM patients., Main Body: A total number of 539 patients were enrolled in four randomized clinical trials. The mean age of patients was 57.9 years and was followed for 29.3 weeks. Pooled analysis showed a significant improvement in clinical response (Log OR = 0.65; p = 0.01) and the number of patients with a reduction of ≥ 1 NYHA function class (Log OR = 0.64, p = 0.00). It was found that mavacamten did not significantly affect the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) (SMD = 0.43, p = 0.08), peak oxygen uptake (PVO 2 ) (SMD = 0.24, p = 0.42), and ejection fraction (EF) (SMD = - 0.65, p = 0.13) as compared with placebo. However, KCCQ (SMD = 0.65, 95% CI 0.44-0.87) and PVO 2 (SMD = 0.49, 95% CI 0.24-0.74) improvements were statically significant in the hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy subgroup (HOCM), and a significant decrease in EF (SMD = -- 1.14, 95% CI - 1.86 to - 0.42) was found in the HOCM subgroup. No significant difference was observed in the incidence rate of serious adverse events between mavacamten and placebo group (Log OR = - 0.23, p = 0.56)., Conclusions: Mavacamten proved to be effective and well-tolerated for the treatment of HCM. Mavacamten improved the signs and symptoms of HOCM and decreased EF in these patients without serious adverse events in the clinical trials., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, and one-third of the world's population has T. gondii antibodies. Due to this issue, the aim of this study was to assess the mean prevalence and odds ratios of T. gondii infection and epidemiological features of neonatal infection worldwide., Materials and Methods: We performed a meta-analysis and systematic review of published studies reporting T. gondii infection using the PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus electronic databases through January 1999 to December 2020, regarding diagnostic tests, and prevalence data of infection among the newborn population. The pooled prevalence of T. gondii with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using the random-effects models., Results: A total of thirty eligible articles were included. The estimated global prevalence rate was 44% (95% CI: 29%-0.58%); the highest prevalence rate was in America 47% (95% CI: 30%-64%), followed by Europe 41% (95% CI: 26%-57%) and Asia 33% (95% CI: 4%-61%). In this study, despite our careful analysis of possible modifiers, the heterogeneity was significant ( P = 0.000). The publication bias was not significant based on the results of Egger's ( P = 0.918) and Begg's tests ( P = 0.230)., Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, T. gondii infection can be a serious concern in newborns around the world. Therefore, further research is needed to provide better strategies to screen and diagnose T. gondii infection in neonates and determine the risk factors associated with the prevalence of infection in neonates worldwide., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Advanced Biomedical Research.)

A novel, efficient, and recoverable nanomagnetic catalyst bearing the semicarbazide linkers, namely, Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @OSi(CH 2 ) 3 -N(3-pyridoyl sulfonic acid)semicarbazide (FSiPSS) was designed, synthesized and characterized by the use of various techniques such as FT-IR, EDX, elemental mapping analysis, XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA/DTA, BET, and VSM. Then, the catalytic capability of the novel prepared nanomagnetic FSiPSS catalyst was successfully investigated in the synthesis of diverse pyranopyrazoles through a one-pot four-component condensation reaction of ethyl acetoacetate, hydrazine hydrate, aromatic aldehydes, and malononitrile or ethyl cyano-acetate by the help of ultrasonication in very short reaction time, good to high yields and easy work-up (Fig. 1). Figure 1 Synthesis of diverse pyranopyrazoles by the FSiPSS nano-catalyst., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) may reveal symptoms of autonomic dysfunction and heart rate variability (HRV). We sought to explore the autonomic nervous system in children with MVP., Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 60 children aged between 5 and 15 years with MVP and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy children as controls. Two cardiologists performed electrocardiography and standard echocardiography. HRV parameters were explored via 24-hour rhythm 3-channel Holter monitoring. The depolarization of ventricular and atrial parameters, comprising QT max and min, QTc intervals, QT dispersion, P maximum and minimum, and P-wave dispersion, was measured and compared., Results: The mean age was 13.12±1.50 years in the MVP group (F/M: 34/26) and 13.20±1.81 years in the control group (F/M: 35/25). The maximum duration and P-wave dispersion in the MVP group were significantly different from the healthy children (P<0.001). The longest and shortest QT dispersion values and QTc values were significantly different between the 2 groups (P=0.004, P=0.043, P<0.001, and P<0.001, respectively). The HRV parameters were significantly different between the 2 groups, too., Conclusion: Decreased HRV and inhomogeneous depolarization showed that our children with MVP were prone to atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Furthermore, P-wave dispersion and QTc could be used as prognostic markers of cardiac autonomic dysfunction before it is diagnosed by 24-hour Holter monitoring., (Copyright © 2022 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: The safety of continuing total joint arthroplasty (TJA), as an elective procedure, during the pandemic is controversial. The present study aimed to investigate the incidence of symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its related risk factors in unvaccinated patients after TJA within 1 month after discharge in 2 large cities of our country., Material and Methods: The present prospective study included all the patients admitted to 3 hospitals, located in Tehran and Isfahan, 2 highly populated cities of Iran, from April 1, 2020, to April 1, 2021, for elective TJA. Urgent TJA (traumatic fractures) were excluded. The primary outcome was symptomatic COVID-19 within 1 month after discharge that was diagnosed using the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test. Afterward, the incidence of COVID-19 in the study population was compared with that in the general population to estimate the safety of elective TJA during the pandemic., Results: From the 1007 patients undergoing TJA, 755 patients met the inclusion criteria. None of the patients was vaccinated against COVID-19. Among them, 18 patients (2.4%) developed symptomatic COVID-19 within 1 month after discharge. In the same time interval, the incidence of COVID-19 was 2.2% in the general population of these 2 cities, which was similar to the incidence reported in the study population. Of the patients who were positive for COVID-19, 4 patients were hospitalized, and 3 of them were admitted to an intensive care unit; however, no mortality was reported., Conclusion: The TJA will be a safe elective procedure for the patients during the pandemic if the preventive protocols are followed strictly., (© 2022 The Authors.)