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There are various techniques for removal of water hardness each with its own special advantages and disadvantages. Electrochemical or electrocoagulation method due to its simplicity has gained a great attention and is used for removal of various ions and organic matters. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficiency of this technique in removal of water hardness under different conditions. This experimental study was performed using a pilot plant. The applied pilot was comprised of a reservoir containing aluminum sheet electrodes. The electrodes were connected as monopolar and a power supply was used for supplying direct electrical current. Drinking water of Kerman (southeast of Iran) was used in the experiments. The efficiency of the system in three different pH, voltages and time intervals were determined. Results showed the efficiency of 95.6% for electrocoagulation technique in hardness removal. pH and electrical potential had direct effect on hardness removal in a way that the highest efficiency rate was obtained in pH=10.1, potential difference of 20 volt and detention time of 60 minutes. Considering the obtained efficiency in the present study, electrocoagulation technique may be suggested as an effective alternative technique in hardness removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: This study aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness of Tocilizumab (TCZ) compared with Adalimumab (ADA) in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), who had not responded to methotrexate (MTX), from a societal perspective in Iran., Method: To conduct the cost-utility analysis, using an individual microsimulation Markov model, a hypothetical cohort of 1,000 patients was evaluated over a lifetime horizon. The efficacy and safety of each treatment were estimated using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria to determine the continuation or switching of treatment every six months. Treatment responses were captured based on Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) scores and mapped into utility values to determine QALY gained for each treatment. All direct and indirect costs associated with the disease and perspective were included according to societal perspective. Deterministic and Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the model., Results: The result of the study estimated that TCZ is a more cost-effective treatment option, with a probability of 76%. TCZ was associated with a higher cost ($6,990 versus $6,608) and higher QALYs gained (4.24 versus 3.95) compared to ADA with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of USD 1,301, which is below the willingness-to-pay threshold of 1,448 USD in Iran., Conclusion: This study provides convincing evidence of the cost-effectiveness of TCZ compared to ADA in the treatment of active severe RA in Iran., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval Not applicable. Consent to participate Not applicable. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Bacterial infections and the rising antimicrobial resistance pose a significant threat to public health. Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces bacteriocins like pyocins, especially S-type pyocins, which are promising for biological applications. This research focuses on clinical P. aeruginosa isolates to assess their bacteriocin production, inhibitory spectrum, chemical structure, antibacterial agents, and preservative potential., Methods: The identification of P. aeruginosa was conducted through both phenotypic and molecular approaches. The inhibitory spectrum and antibacterial potential of the isolates were assessed. The kinetics of antibacterial peptide production were investigated, and the activity of bacteriocin was quantified in arbitrary units (AU ml -1 ). Physico-chemical characterization of the antibacterial peptides was performed. Molecular weight estimation was carried out using SDS-PAGE. qRT-PCR analysis was employed to validate the expression of the selected candidate gene., Result: The antibacterial activity of P. aeruginosa was attributed to the secretion of bacteriocin compounds, which belong to the S-type pyocin family. The use of mitomycin C led to a significant 65.74% increase in pyocin production by these isolates. These S-type pyocins exhibited the ability to inhibit the growth of both Gram-negative (P. mirabilis and P. vulgaris) and Gram-positive (S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. hirae, S. pyogenes, and S. mutans) bacteria. The molecular weight of S-type pyocin was 66 kDa, and its gene expression was confirmed through qRT-PCR., Conclusion: These findings suggest that S-type pyocin hold significant potential as therapeutic agents against pathogenic strains. The Physico-chemical resistance of S-type pyocin underscores its potential for broad applications in the pharmaceutical, hygiene, and food industries., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: A heavy financial burden is imposed on patients suffering from chronic diseases due to medicine out-of-pocket payments., Objectives: This study focuses on assessing the affordability of medications used for chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis (CF) in Iran, specifically on the category R medicines listed in the 2017 Iran drug list (IDL) that are used for the treatment of these diseases, based on the anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) drug code., Methods: The affordability of medicines in mono and combination therapy approaches was assessed in CRDs using the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) methodology. Accordingly, if out-of-pocket payment for 30-days of pharmacotherapy exceeds one day for the lowest-paid unskilled government worker (LPGW), it's considered non-affordable., Results: Based on the monotherapy approach, our finding demonstrates that all generic medicines of category R were affordable. However, branded drugs such as Symbicort®, Pulmicort Respules®, Flusalmex®, Seretide®, Fluticort Plus®, Seroflo®, and Salmeflo® cost between 1.2 and 2.5 days' wage of LPGW and considered unaffordable despite 70% insurance coverage. Moreover, based on the affordability ratio in the combination therapy approach, all medicines used in asthma, COPD, and CF patients with mild respiratory problems are affordable except omalizumab (inj), which is non-affordable due to its high price and no insurance coverage., Conclusion: Results showed that the existing insurance coverage does not protect households from hardship, so more considerations are needed such as different insurance schedules and patient support programs., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: This study was aimed to systematically review published economic studies to determine whether dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter inhibitor, plus standard care therapy (SCT) is cost-effective in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)., Method: We searched relevant keywords in PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, and Google Scholar to find related articles. Costs, QALYs, ICERs were extracted from eligible studies., Results: Ten studies finally included in the systematic review. The results of quality assessment of the study showed that a reasonable quality of all studies. Incremental QALYs were in favor of dapagliflozin plus SCT treatment regimen. In all the studies, the incremental costs per QALY was below the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold with the exception of one study in United Kingdom which the ICER and WTP were $83,650 and $50,000. All the studies determined the National Health Care perspective. The highest and lowest ICERs were $83,650 and $1991 per QALY in United Kingdom and Thailand, respectively., Conclusion: Results of cost-effectiveness analyses showed that adjunct dapagliflozin plus SCT is cost-effective compared to SCT alone despite the additional costs of the drug. Finally it can be concluded that dapagliflozin is a worldwide cost-effective as an adjunct medicine in HFrEF management., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: DNA repair pathways, cell cycle arrest checkpoints, and cell death induction are present in cells to process DNA damage and prevent genomic instability caused by various extrinsic and intrinsic ionizing factors. Mutations in the genes involved in these pathways enhances the ionizing radiation sensitivity, reduces the individual's capacity to repair DNA damages, and subsequently increases susceptibility to tumorigenesis., Body: BRCA1 and BRCA2 are two highly penetrant genes involved in the inherited breast cancer and contribute to different DNA damage pathways and cell cycle and apoptosis cascades. Mutations in these genes have been associated with hypersensitivity and genetic instability as well as manifesting severe radiotherapy complications in breast cancer patients. The genomic instability and DNA repair capacity of breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations have been analyzed in different studies using a variety of assays, including micronucleus assay, comet assay, chromosomal assay, colony-forming assay, γ -H2AX and 53BP1 biomarkers, and fluorescence in situ hybridization. The majority of studies confirmed the enhanced spontaneous & radiation-induced radiosensitivity of breast cancer patients compared to healthy controls. Using G2 micronucleus assay and G2 chromosomal assay, most studies have reported the lymphocyte of healthy carriers with BRCA1 mutation are hypersensitive to invitro ionizing radiation compared to non-carriers without a history of breast cancer. However, it seems this approach is not likely to be useful to distinguish the BRCA carriers from non-carrier with familial history of breast cancer., Conclusion: In overall, breast cancer patients are more radiosensitive compared to healthy control; however, inconsistent results exist about the ability of current radiosensitive techniques in screening BRCA1/2 carriers or those susceptible to radiotherapy complications. Therefore, developing further radiosensitivity assay is still warranted to evaluate the DNA repair capacity of individuals with BRCA1/2 mutations and serve as a predictive factor for increased risk of cancer mainly in the relatives of breast cancer patients. Moreover, it can provide more evidence about who is susceptible to manifest severe complication after radiotherapy., Competing Interests: Competing interestsNot applicable, (© The Author(s) 2020.)