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Objective: To determine upgrade rates of lobular neoplasia (LN) to malignancy and evaluate factors that may predict upgrade.Methods: From 5/1/2003 to 12/30/2015, breast lesions diagnosed as LN (atypical lobular hyperplasia [ALH] or classic lobular carcinoma in-situ [LCIS]) on core biopsy that underwent surgical excision or at least 2 years imaging follow-up were identified. A subspecialty trained breast radiologist and pathologist reviewed imaging and pathology slides to confirm diagnosis and to determine if LN represented the target lesion, part of the target lesion, or an incidental finding. Imaging features, original BI-RADS final assessment category, biopsy method, biopsy device and final pathologic diagnosis were documented. Cases with both ALH and LCIS were classified as LCIS for analysis. Reason for biopsy of BI-RADS 2-3 was patient or referring physician preference. Upgrade rates to malignancy were determined for all cases.Results: In this study 73.7% (115/156) lesions were ALH and 26.3% (41/156) were LCIS+/-ALH. Surgical excision and imaging follow-up were performed in 71.2% (111/156) and 28.8% (45/156), respectively. Upgrade rates for ALH and LCIS were 0.0% (0/115) and 7.3% (3/41), respectively. Cancer developed at a site separate from core biopsy in 1.7% (2/115) ALH and 7.3% (3/41) LCIS cases. We found no association of upgrade rate with biopsy type, BI-RADS or target/part of target lesion versus incidental.Conclusion: Our study supports consideration of excision for LCIS, given 7.3% upgrade rate. Conversely, imaging surveillance might be appropriate following diagnosis of ALH alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caregiving to patients with epilepsy (PWE) is often very stressful for family caregivers and puts a heavy caregiver burden (CB) on them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Fordyce's fourteen Fundamentals for Happiness Program on happiness and CB among the family caregivers of PWE.Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on seventy family caregivers of PWE. Participants were purposively recruited from the Comprehensive Health Center in Shahrekord, Iran, and randomly allocated to either an intervention or a control group. Participants in the control group received conventional health-related educations in four one-hour group sessions, while participants in the intervention group received the Fordyce's fourteen Fundamentals for Happiness Program in eight one-hour group sessions. Happiness and CB in both groups were assessed at three time points, namely before, immediately after, and two months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using the SPSS program (v. 18.0).Findings: There were no significant differences between the control and the intervention groups regarding participants' demographic characteristics and their pretest mean scores of happiness and CB (P > 0.05). The mean scores of happiness and CB in the control group did not significantly change (P > 0.05), while the mean score of happiness significantly increased and the mean score of CB significantly decreased in the intervention group across the three measurement time points (P < 0.05). Consequently, the mean score of happiness in the intervention group was significantly greater than the control group and the mean score of CB in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group at both posttests (P < 0.01).Conclusion: The Fordyce's fourteen Fundamentals for Happiness Program is effective in significantly increasing happiness and reducing CB among the family caregivers of PWE. Healthcare providers and policy makers can use this program to reduce problems among these family caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effective communication skills is one of the essential skills for pre-hospital emergency workers. • Communication skills training improves the professional performance of pre-hospital emergency personnel. • Communication skills training improves the quality of life of pre-hospital emergency personnel. Communication skills are one of the components that influence the performance of pre-hospital emergency staff who provide services to patients. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of communication skills training on the professional performance and quality of work life of pre-hospital emergency staff. This experimental study with pretest–posttest design was conducted on 150 pre-hospital emergency staff in Iran from March 2022 to May 2023. The participants were randomly assigned into two control (n = 75) and experimental (n = 75) groups. The intervention included 4 sessions (3 h each) of communication skills training, weekly. The data gathering scales were Stamm's quality of work life questionnaire and Patterson's job performance questionnaire, which were used at start point, 4 and 8 weeks after that. The mean score professional performance in experimental group increased significantly to 42.4 ± 0.70 in the second stage and to 44.5 ± 0.55 in the third stage (P < 0.05). The mean score of the quality of work life was also 96.9 ± 0.9 and 99.8 ± 0.9 in the 4th and 8th weeks after the intervention, which was significantly more than control group (P < 0.05). The results showed the communication skills training improves professional performance and increases the quality of work life of pre-hospital emergency staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 67Cu was produced with zinc oxide nanoparticles (natZnONPs) and zinc oxide powder (natZnO). • Theoretical and experimental integral yields of 67Cu are calculated. • The obtained results have been compared with the experimental data. The 67Cu therapeutic radionuclides emitting medium energy beta particle can be used in radioimmunotherapy, imaging, and tracer kinetic studies. In this work, the experimental and theoretical production yield of 67Cu from the natZnO and natZnONPs targets were investigated. The irradiations of targets were done at Tehran Research Reactor for 0.5 h within 1.4 × 1013 n.cm−2.s−1 fast neutron flux. The nuclear codes of MCNPX and TALYS-1.8 were used to calculate the neutron distribution function and the average cross section of this reaction. The achieved results were compared with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A diastereoselective (3+2) annulation of 4-isothiocyanato pyrazolones and 2-arylidene-indan-1,3-dione in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine is explored. A wide range of novel dispiroheterocyclic products were achieved in high yield (up to 95 %) and excellent diastereoselectivity (up to >20:1 dr) via a simple sequential Michael addition/cyclization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Metal organic framework-derived carbons (MOFDCs) have great potential as electrochemical energy storage materials due to their large surface areas and highly tunable pore structures. In this work, two MOFDCs are tested as sodium-ion battery anode materials and their charge storage mechanisms compared. MOF5 (Zn 4 O(1,4-benzodicarboxylate) 3) and ZIF8 (Zn(2-methylimidazole) 2) were used as sacrificial templates and pyrolyzed to yield highly porous, structurally-robust carbons with high surface areas (MOF5DC and ZIF8DC). Undoped ZIF8DC was tested for the first time as a sodium-ion battery anode to enable comparison of MOFDC charge storage mechanisms based solely on carbon structure. Half-cell discharge tests at C/2 attain capacity values of 227 and 107 mAh/g for MOF5DC and undoped ZIF8DC, respectively. Cycling stability testing confirms the structural robustness of the MOFDC materials, with the anodes retaining between 84 and 89% capacity over 66 cycles. Discharge profiles for both materials indicate that the primary storage mechanism of MOF5DC and ZIF8DC anodes is adsorption at defect sites. A comparison of half-cell discharge, cycling rate, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements suggests that MOF5DC also demonstrates some nanopore filling mechanisms. A comparison of Na+ ion diffusion coefficients for MOF5DC and ZIF8DC indicates that an MOF structure with increased pore size may improve capacity and rate performance of MOFDCs as anode materials for sodium-ion battery cell applications. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The primary sodium-ion storage mechanism of MOFDCs is adsorption at defect sites. • MOF5DC anodes also exhibit some micropore filling characteristics with sodium ions. • MOF5DC sodium-ion intercalation capacity exceeds that of ZIF8DC. • MOF5DC and ZIF8DC exhibit comparable capacity fade with extended cycling. • ZIF8DC has higher capacity retention at faster charge-discharge rates than MOF5DC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Zinc-65 has been of great interest in medical, biomedical, agricultural, and industrial applications due to its suitable half-life and decay properties. The 65Zn was produced via neutron irradiation on natural zinc oxide and natural zinc oxide nanoparticles targets in Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) at a thermal neutron flux of 4.5 × 1013 n cm−2 s−1 for 30 min. The excitation function of 64Zn(n,γ)65Zn reaction was calculated via the TALYS-1.8 code. The MCNPX code was used to calculate the thermal neutron distribution. The 65Zn theoretical production yield was estimated using calculated cross sections and the calculated thermal neutron distribution. The obtained experimental data and simulated value of production yield for 65Zn were in reasonable agreement. Highlights • Experimental and theoretical production yield of 65Zn from the natZnO target was investigated. • Experimental and theoretical production yield of 65ZnNPs from the natZnNPs target was investigated. • The nuclear codes of MCNPX and TALYS were used to calculate the neutron distribution function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

64 Cu is one of the most beneficial radionuclide that can be used as a theranostic agent in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging. In this current work, 64 Cu was produced with zinc oxide nanoparticles ( nat ZnONPs) and zinc oxide powder ( nat ZnO) via the 64 Zn(n,p) 64 Cu reaction in Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) and the activity values were compared with each other. The theoretical activity of 64 Cu also was calculated with MCNPX-2.6 and the cross sections of this reaction were calculated by using TALYS-1.8, EMPIRE-3.2.2 and ALICE/ASH nuclear codes and were compared with experimental values. Transmission Electronic Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis were used for samples characterizations. From these results, it's concluded that 64 Cu activity value with nanoscale target was achieved more than the bulk state target and had a good adaptation with the MCNPX result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Nephropathy is a major complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is heralded by the insidious development of microalbuminuria (MA). It is suggested that the serum levels of Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is correlated with diabetic nephropathy. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated serum ICAM-1 level in diabetic patients with and without MA. Methods A total of 187 participants were enrolled and were classified into three groups including 40 healthy controls and 2 diabetic groups with (n = 59) or without MA (n = 88). Serum levels of ICAM-1, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in all three groups. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Serum levels of ICAM-1 were significantly higher in diabetic patients irrespective of MA. Moreover, ICAM-1 levels in patients with MA were significantly higher than patients without MA. Patients with MA had significantly higher age and blood pressure compared to those without MA (P = 0.001). Serum levels of ICAM-1 were significantly correlated with age and HbA1c. Conclusions Overall, serum ICAM-1 levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients with MA and it may be associated with the severity of diabetic kidney disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concurrence of atrial fibrillation and acute coronary syndrome poses a conundrum in the antithrombotic management as intensification of anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy inevitably comes at the price of an increased bleeding risk. Various antithrombotic combinations have been attempted to prevent the recurrent cardiovascular events, however, there has been limited success in effective risk reduction for this high risk population. Given the overarching effect of interleukin 1β-driven inflammation on the arrhythmogenesis, thrombogenesis, and hypercoagulability, we hypothesize that the triple-pathway strategy (i.e., incorporating antiinflammatory therapy into anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy) would grant incremental cardiovascular benefits for atrial fibrillation patients with coexisting acute coronary syndrome and stent placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work explores a novel approach for improving the sodium-ion battery performance of coal char using flash pyrolysis and an ether-based electrolyte. Coal char is an ultra-low cost hard carbon with promising application as an anode material in sodium-ion batteries. During flash pyrolysis, char is heated at 1000 °C/s in a drop-tube furnace to create a highly-irregular structure. The larger d-spacing and smaller closed micropore diameter of flash-pyrolyzed char increases anode capacity compared to traditional slow-pyrolyzed char electrodes. The sodium-ion battery anode performance of flash-pyrolyzed char is further improved using an ether-based electrolyte in place of the traditional ester-based electrolyte. Performance improvements include greater initial Coulombic efficiency (58% in ester- vs. 64% in ether-based electrolyte) and improved specific capacity in an ether-based electrolyte. Overall, the combination of flash pyrolysis and ether-based electrolyte increases the sodium-ion battery discharge capacity of coal char by over 50%, from 72.5 mAh g−1 (slow-pyrolyzed char in ester-based electrolyte) to 109.4 mAh g−1 (flash-pyrolyzed char in ether-based electrolyte) (50 mA g−1 discharge rate). The results highlight improvements that can be realized through flash pyrolysis of coal char for battery applications and the numerous processing advantages of flash vs. slow pyrolysis. [Display omitted] • High heating rate (1000 °C/s) for coal char derived hard carbon anodes. • Ether-based electrolytes for sodium ion battery optimization. • SAXS and XRD analysis for physical property characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Variability in distances and tree sides affected root distribution. • Root mechanical properties of mangrove was in the range of terrestrial species. • Root reinforcement values varied between 31–33866 N/m2 regarding models. • W&W and FBM showed overestimation in root reinforcement comparing with RBM model. • Soil stability is greatly enhanced by root induced soil reinforcement. Mangrove forests provide essential ecosystem services in tropical and semitropical regions by supporting their natural regeneration and other biosystem processes, offering livelihood for local communities, and contributing significantly to the natural resources. Systematic analyses on the protective role of mangrove forests and their effects on reducing coastal erosion have been carried out rarely. Mangroves form a complex ecosystem that increases substrate stabilization and dissipates wave energy favouring the deposition of fine material. This study focuses on assessing the role of white mangrove (Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh.) roots in stabilizing the coastline. In a study site located in Southern Iran, a series of field and laboratory measurements were conducted on root systems that were collected from transects perpendicular to the coastline. Root samples were collected from soil cores at fixed distances from tree stems in three layers at seaward and landward positions. Moreover, Root tensile tests were conducted to estimate their biomechanical characteristics which provided the data of parameters of root reinforcement models. Also, the spatial distribution of root reinforcement and the intrinsic-variability of stabilizing components in relation to horizontal and vertical distances from the tree stem were calculated. Three models of Wu & Waldron (W&W), Fiber Bundle (FBM), and Root Bundle Weibull (RBMw) were applied. results showed that the Root Volume Ratio (RVR) and the Number of Roots (NoR) decreased with distance from the tree stem. Root tensile forces increased with root diameter. Finally, calculated root reinforcements at 0.75 m distance associated with the highest value while the lowest value was observed at 1.50 m from the tree stem. The differences between seaward and landward positions were minor. Soil detachment ratio (SDR) was approximately 10% higher at landwards positions than seaward, due to different geomorphological conditions that affected the soil detachment process. The similartity of root reinforcement values among root systems at seaward and landward positions suggest that stem density may not be an important parameter in managing mangrove forests as a coastal protection measure. Yet, RVR at different distances and NoR increasing significantly with soil depth and being different at seaward and landward positions, could improve their potential role as a nature-based solution for shoreline protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In the present study, gefitinib loaded cellulose acetate butyrate nanoparticles (Gnb-NPs) were prepared and then incorporated into thermo-sensitive chitosan/β-glycerophosphate hydrogels for intratumoral administration in mice bearing breast cancer. Accordingly, Gnb-NPs were prepared using the solvent evaporation process and optimized by applying a two-level fractional factorial design. Properties of NPs, including particle size, zeta potential (ZP), polydispersity index (PdI), encapsulation efficiency (EE) % and drug loading (DL) %, were investigated; the optimized Gnb-NPs were then loaded in chitosan hydrogels (Gnb-NPs-Hydrogel). The formulated Gnb-NPs-Hydrogel was assessed in terms of gelling time, release behavior, injectability, swelling and degradation behavior. The anti-cancer efficacy of Gnb-NPs-Hydrogel was evaluated in vitro against the 4 T1 breast cancer cell line and in vivo in breast tumor bearing mice. The optimized formulation showed spherical particles with the size of 156.50 ± 2.40 nm, PdI of 0.20 ± 0.002, ZP of −4.90 ± 0.04 mV, EE of 99.77 ± 0.09 % and DL of 20.59 ± 0.05 %. Incorporating Gnb-NPs into the hydrogel led to the decrease of the drug release rate. Gnb-NPs-Hydrogel displayed a greater cytotoxic effect in comparison to the free Gnb and Gnb-Hydrogel in 4 T1 cancer cells. Furthermore, intratumorally injected Gnb-NPs-Hydrogel showed the strongest antitumor efficacy in vivo. The superior performance of Gnb-NPs-Hydrogel, thus, demonstrated its potential for the treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey is a valuable and nutritious food product, but it is at risk to fraudulent practices such as the addition of cheaper syrups including corn, rice, and sugar beet syrup. Honey authentication is of the utmost importance, but current methods are faced with challenges due to the large variations in natural honey composition (influenced by climate, seasons and bee foraging), or the incapability to detect certain types of plant syrups to confirm the adulterant used. Molecular methods such as DNA barcoding have shown great promise in identifying plant DNA sources in honey and could be applied to detect plant-based sugars used as adulterants. In this work DNA barcoding was successfully used to detect corn and rice syrup adulteration in spiked UK honey with novel DNA markers. Different levels of adulteration were simulated (1 – 30%) with a range of different syrup and honey types, where adulterated honey was clearly separated from natural honey even at 1% adulteration level. Moreover, the test was successful for multiple syrup types and effective on honeys with different compositions. These results demonstrated that DNA barcoding could be used as a sensitive and robust method to detect common sugar adulterants and confirm syrup species origin in honey, which can be applied alongside current screening methods to improve existing honey authentication tests. • DNA from rice and corn detected in honey spiked with 1% syrup. • Natural marker amplification in honey was used to develop an adulteration threshold. • Plastid markers were more efficient for adulteration detection in honey. • The method was successful with different syrups and various honey types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reassessment on the mathematical modeling of solidification and macrosegregation. • Phase-change kinetics via a source-based transport tracking deviations from equilibrium. • Multiphase equilibria and solute mass balance integrated by non-linear programming (NLP). A reassessment was done on the state-of-the-art mathematical description of solidification to cope with the critical issues about the restricting assumption of equilibrium and uncertainties in the composition fields. Two hypotheses were suggested: (1) A phase fraction field that involves phase-change kinetics would be expressed via a source-based transport equation that tracks deviations of temperature and composition from equilibrium. (2) Local multiphase equilibria and solute mass balance can be integrated by a Non-Linear Programming (NLP) strategy to form a consistent correlation between temperature, composition, and phase fraction fields. Accordingly, a mathematical model was presented based on volume-averaged mass, momentum, energy, and species transports for a general three-phase binary alloy solidification. A new Multiphase-Thermodynamic-Coupling (MTC) was proposed based on NLP to link the phase diagram with the transport equations. The model was tested numerically through two benchmarks of directional solidification of an Al-Cu alloy. The proposed approach resulted in a lever-rule-like final solution with deviations from equilibrium during the iterations and near the chill boundary. The computed macrosegregation profile showed agreement with a semi-analytical solution (0.3 % error) and available experimental data (1.5 % error). The distributions of Phase-Change-Rate (PCR) were obtained in the form of bell-shaped curves. The proposed MTC approach provided an extendable formulation that allows one to read a phase diagram directly and run source-based phase-change-kinetics which can deviate from equilibrium. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Al2O3/15%ZrO2 nanopowder is prepared via ball milling procedure. In order to select the most efficient milling strategy, both wet and dry ball milling procedures are tested. Dry milling is found to be a better choice and comminuting conditions (i.e. rotation speed and milling duration) are optimized. To understand the effect of organic dispersing agents on microstructure, physical, and mechanical properties (density, hardness, and fracture toughness), Al2O3/ZrO2 nanopowders are prepared by addition of different saccharide dispersants. Zero point charge (zpc) of Al2O3/ZrO2 powder, synthesized in the absence of dispersing agents, is determined to find the proper pH for addition of the additives. Glucose, maltose, and dextrin are selected as mono, di, and polysaccharides, respectively, to investigate the effect of chemical structure and organic chain length on dispersion quality. Results revealed that dextrin can efficiently prevent agglomeration and help to produce dense ceramic specimens with small particles, high hardness, and high fracture toughness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]