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Malahat Rezaee,1 Mahiran Basri,1,2 Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abdul Rahman,3 Abu Bakar Salleh,3 Naz Chaibakhsh,4 Roghayeh Abedi Karjiban21Institute of Bioscience, 2Faculty of Science, 3Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; 4Faculty of Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, IranAbstract: Response surface methodology was employed to study the effect of formulation composition variables, water content (60%–80%, w/w) and oil and surfactant (O/S) ratio (0.17–1.33), as well as high-shear emulsification conditions, mixing rate (300–3,000 rpm) and mixing time (5–30 minutes) on the properties of sodium diclofenac-loaded palm kernel oil esters-nanoemulsions. The two response variables were droplet size and viscosity. Optimization of the conditions according to the four variables was performed for preparation of the nanoemulsions with the minimum values of particle size and viscosity. The results showed that the experimental data could be sufficiently fitted into a third-order polynomial model with multiple regression coefficients (R2) of 0.938 and 0.994 for the particle size and viscosity, respectively. Water content, O/S ratio and mixing time, quadrics of all independent variables, interaction between O/S ratio and mixing rate and between mixing time and rate, as well as cubic term of water content had a significant effect (P

Abstract Background and objectives: Interferon-Gamma and interferon Gamma receptor (IFNγ ⁄ IFNγR1) are the main genes associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis. We aimed at studying on interferon-Gamma Gene polymorphism(- 56 C/T) in people suffered from tuberculosis (TB). Material and Methods: In this case-control study, the subjects were 62 individuals with TB and 74 healthy ones. Genomic DNA was extracted by DNA isolation kit(Roche Corporation), and genotype identification was performed by polymerase chain reaction-Restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Chi square and logistic regression, using SPSS soft ware (version 18), was used to compare genotype and alleles between case and control groups. Results: The frequency of TT genotype in tuberculosis patients and healthy person are 43.5% and 17.5%, respectively. Based on Logistic regression (odd ration 0.148, p=0.0006), there is significant difference between Case and Control. In addition, the frequency of T allele is, in case group, 62.09 % the difference between case and control is significant, based on Logistic regression (odd ratio: 0.418, P=0.028). Conclusion: It is implied that -56C/T is associated with IFNγR1 promoter in tuberculosis patient. It is found to be associated with increased susceptibility to tuberculosis. Key words: Tuberculosis, IFNγR, PCR-RFLP

Background: Dermal- respiratory reactions to latex glove is a common problem and sometimes life threatening. Among health care workers, dental working personnel have extensive use of latex gloves. A few numbers of researches have been done in Iran about prevalence of these reactions but there is no comprehensive study for dental workers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate reactions to latex gloves amongst dental workers in military dental health centers.Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive survey, dental workers with a minimum of three months length of employment and most often use of latex gloves were asked to fill standard questionnaire (derived from South Carolina Medical University) regarding latex related clinical manifestation and personal medical history and predisposing factors Data analysis was done by χ2 and Student's t test.Results: In our study 330 personnel were assessed. The mean age and length of employment was 31.6 and 8 years respectively. The most occupation was dentistry. A total of 232 subjects (70.3%) reported latex gloves-allergic symptoms. 72 (21.8%) of persons have history of atopy and food allergy was seen in 114 (34.5%). 63 (19.1%) of subjects reported history of hand dermatitis. All of these predisposing factors had positive regression with dermal and respiratory reactions.Conclusion: In this survey the prevalence of allergic reactions was higher than similar studies which may be due to type of gloves, lack of preemployment assessments and other factors. Use of diagnostic methods such as serologic measures, SPT and pulmonary function testing (such as spirogram) could be considered as tools for confirmatory and differential diagnosis and important complementary for these studies. Because of relationship between allergic reactions to latex gloves and some medical histories, it seems to be necessary for preemployment evaluation and periodic health surveillance of dental workers.

Background: As future health care providers, medical students should be aware of the relationship between health and physical fitness, giving them an advantage toward attaining proper physical fitness. The exercise and fitness habits of first-year medical students in Iran are not known. This study examines the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) of an unselected group of first-year medical students and their personal physical fitness. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 513 first-year medical students were evaluated. BMI, skin folds (triceps, biceps, suprailiac and subscapular) and physical fitness were assessed in all students. Fitness was evaluated by the Eurofit test, which included body composition, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance, muscular strength, power, balance and agility. The software SPSS (version 11) and Pearson's correlation were used for statistical analysis.Results: The group surveyed was 67.8% female and 32.2% male, and 97.2% were entering medical school in 2004. The mean weight of the students was 60.1 kg, mean height was 163.9 cm and the mean BMI was 22.3 kg/m2. Underweight status (BMI30). Overweight and obesity in males was higher than in females. The total physical fitness score in female students was better than that of male students. We found a negative correlation between physical fitness and weight, BMI, body fat and wrist to hip ratio in both genders. In addition, a positive correlation exits between hip circumference and physical fitness in both groups. Conclusions: This study suggests that academically competitive premedical students may not be involved in physical activity. Medical students should be encouraged to maintain a good BMI and perform physical exercise.

Pourya Gholizadeh,1,2 Şükran Köse,3 Sounkalo Dao,4 Khudaverdi Ganbarov,5 Asghar Tanomand,6 Tuba Dal,7 Mohammad Aghazadeh,8 Reza Ghotaslou,8 Mohammad Ahangarzadeh Rezaee,8 Bahman Yousefi,8 Hossein Samadi Kafil2,9 1Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 3Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, İzmir, Turkey; 4Faculté de Médecine, de Pharmacie et d’Odonto-Stomatologie (FMPOS), University of Bamako, Bamako, Mali; 5Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan; 6Department of Basic Sciences, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran; 7Department of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, Turkey; 8Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 9Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranCorrespondence: Hossein Samadi KafilDrug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranTel +98 9127184735Fax +98 4133364661Email Kafilhs@tbzmed.ac.irAbstract: Rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has made it harder for us to combat infectious diseases and to develop new antibiotics. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats – CRISPR-associated (CRISPR-Cas) system, as a bacterial adaptive immune system, is recognized as one of the new strategies for controlling antibiotic-resistant strains. The programmable Cas nuclease of this system used against bacterial genomic sequences could be lethal or could help reduce resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. Therefore, this study aims to review using the CRISPR-Cas system to promote sensitizing bacteria to antibiotics. We envision that CRISPR-Cas approaches may open novel ways for the development of smart antibiotics, which could eliminate multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens and differentiate between beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms. These systems can be exploited to quantitatively and selectively eliminate individual bacterial strains based on a sequence-specific manner, creating opportunities in the treatment of MDR infections, the study of microbial consortia, and the control of industrial fermentation.Keywords: antibiotic-resistant bacteria, CRISPR-Cas system, sequence-specific manner, resensitization, genome editing

Thyroid and gonadotropin hormones play an essential role in the regulation of regulating various physiological functions. The effects of melatonin and zinc (Zn) on these hormones have already been investigated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of melatonin with and without zinc on the levels of gonadotropin hormones and thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)) in female rats. In general, 35 sexually mature female rats were randomly divided into five treatment groups, with each group comprising 7 rats, in a completely randomized design (CRD) during the research. The rats were treated daily with Zn and melatonin via gavage as follows: T1 (control 1, basal diet), T2 (control 2, treatment with normal saline) and the other experimental groups, including T3, T4 and T5, were treated with Zn (40 ppm), melatonin (5 mg/kg) or a combination of Zn and melatonin at the same dose. The administration of the drugs was continued for 20 days (daily) . Plasma samples were then taken for the determination of LH, FFH, LH/FSH, estrogen, progesterone, T3, T4 and TSH levels. The results showed no significant differences in FSH and LH levels between treatments. Estrogen, progesterone and TSH levels were higher in the rats receiving 5 mg melatonin per day than in the other groups, but not statistically significant (P>0.05). However, T3 levels decreased significantly in the group receiving 40 mg/kg Zn compared to the other experiments. (P<0.05). The results showed no significant difference between the treatments in terms of T4 levels (P>0.05). In conclusion, no remarkable changes in other variables were observed in female rats receiving melatonin, Zn or a combination of melatonin and Zn, with the exception of T3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce the concept of extended modular S-metric spaces which induce the notion of extended fuzzy S-metric spaces and is a generalization of some classes of metric type spaces. We obtain some results for JS-Prešić contractive mappings in this new setting and in the related fuzzy setting. In fact, we obtain the Prešić fixed points via an easier way than the previous methods. An application in integral equations will support our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we have performed a numerical approach to investigate the optical properties of GaN/AlN quantum dots (QDs). We have used nice homemade finite element method (FEM) codes to solve the Schrödinger equation, in presence and absence of wetting layer. The optical properties of both well-known, truncated pyramids–shaped, wurtize (WZ) and zinc blande (ZB) QDs have been investigated. It is demonstrated, there is slight amount of difference between all orders of absorption coefficients and relative refractive index changes (RRIC) for both structures. The effect of relaxation rate studied as well. Overlay it is shown that the optical properties ZB/WZ QDs could be engineered in well-manner.

Immobilized enzymes have received incredible interests in industry, pharmaceuticals, chemistry and biochemistry sectors due to their various advantages such as ease of separation, multiple reusability, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, high activity and resistant to environmental changes. This review in between various immobilized enzymes focuses on lipase as one of the most practical enzyme and chitosan as a preferred biosupport for lipase immobilization and provides a broad range of studies of recent decade. We highlight several aspects of lipase immobilization on the surface of chitosan support containing various types of lipase and immobilization techniques from physical adsorption to covalent bonding and cross-linking with their benefits and drawbacks. The recent advances and future perspectives that can improve the present problems with lipase and chitosan such as high-price of lipase and low mechanical resistance of chitosan are also discussed. According to the literature, optimization of immobilization methods, combination of these methods with other techniques, physical and chemical modifications of chitosan, co-immobilization and protein engineering can be useful as a solution to overcome the mentioned limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of fluence, fluence rate and LET on radiation damage are not resolved using traditional methods of measuring energy deposited by ionization events. The deficiency led to the use of empirical RBE factors in the clinical applications of particle therapy. The use of ionization dosimetry is similarly challenged when applied to development of radiation treatment at ultrahigh (FLASH) dose rate. This study reports a molecular method using plasmid DNA as a more comprehensive model for radiation dosimetry than ionization measurements. Aqueous solutions of purified supercoiled plasmid DNA, pUC19 (2686 bp), were prepared at different scavenging conditions and injected into 5x5x1 mm3 wells as detector elements. Irradiated samples were analyzed using base excision repair enzymes (Nth and Fpg) and gel electrophoresis to measure yields for DNA single and double strand breaks (SSB and DSB), and clustered lesions. The low LET characteristics of conventional radiation treatment was modeled using orthovoltage 150 kVp x-rays to deliver 2-110 Gy at 90 and 0.5 Gy/s. Higher LET irradiations in the range of 2 – 14 keV/μm were facilitated by measurements in the pristine Bragg peak region using synchrotron-produced 142.2 MeV protons to deliver dose at 2 - 160 Gy at 600 and 1 Gy/s. The DNA wells were inserted into a solid water equivalent phantom for proton irradiation. Only 4 wells could be positioned in the short Bragg peak region in water (∼ 2 cm). To alleviate the uncertainties due to rapidly varying dose and LET distributions, we innovated the use of a 3% water density (i.e., Styrofoam) medium to extend the Bragg peak region from 2 cm to 20 cm, enabling the placement of 20 well containers. Quantity and quality of molecular damage in the plasmid DNA model varies with fluence, fluence rate and LET of radiation. At high fluence (> 30 Gy) of low-LET radiations, the yields of DNA SSB and non-DSB clustered lesions depend on the fluence rate. These yields decrease by two times between ultrahigh and conventional dose rate irradiation. At a given fluence and fluence rate, the yields for the formation of DNA DSB and non-DSB clustered lesions increase linearly with LET. The low-density phantom allows significant (∼ 10 folds) increase in the number of sampling points and more accurate sample positioning at specific LET compared to water-equivalent phantom. Monte-Carlo track structure simulation of yields for different DNA lesions is being developed to model the molecular damage. In parallel, approaches to improve the sensitivity of the measurements to dose are being investigated. Our results suggest that a molecular-based approach can be used to differentiate the effects of fluence, fluence rate, and LET on radiation damage. The approach demonstrates the potential to improve on the modeling of radiation effects in biological systems than using measured ionization energy. Correlation of the molecular changes to biological outcome for in vitro and in vivo systems are under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) insertion is an effective treatment for men with erectile dysfunction and Peyronie's disease. Most literature on this subject focuses on the utility of adjunct curvature correction maneuvers after IPP placement. There has been little investigation regarding the degree to which the implant alone improves penile curvature prior to the implementation of adjunct curvature correction maneuvers. Objective: The primary objective was assessing the impact of IPP on known penile curvature immediately after insertion. Secondary objectives were changes in penile curvature after adjunct curvature correction maneuvers and postoperatively. Methods: This is an IRB-approved (IRB 00031589) retrospective series of all IPP patients with known preoperative penile curvature undergoing IPP placement with a single surgeon from January 2017 to June 2023. Extensive investigation of available patient chart information was conducted. All patients had a 3-piece Coloplast Titan Touch IPP (Coloplast, Minneapolis, MN, USA) ranging 16-24cm in length (mean 19.8 ± 1.9cm) with 0-3cm rear tips (mean 1.4 ± 0.9cm). Goniometer was used to assess curvature during preoperative intracavernosal injection and duplex Doppler ultrasound, at multiple points intraoperatively, and postoperatively at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 6 months. Biplanar curvatures were recorded as primary and secondary values. SPSS (IBM, Armonk, NY, UA) was used for statistical analyses, which included t-tests, chi-squared tests, and ANOVA. Results: Sixty-one patients were included. Mean known primary preoperative curvature was 40° ± 16° (10 to 80°). IPP placement prior to adjunctive maneuvers resulted in 21° ± 10° absolute reduction in primary penile curvatures, corresponding to a 52% ± 26% improvement (50° reduction to 5° worsening). Dorsal curvatures improved by 21° ± 8° (51% ± 17%, 40° to 5° reduction) with IPP alone. Ventral curvatures improved by 24° ± 18° (49% ± 51%, 50° reduction to 5° worsening) with IPP alone. Lateral curvatures improved by 19° ± 10° (54% ± 24%, 40° to 0° reduction) with IPP alone. Eight patients had resolution of primary curvature with IPP alone, with mean preop curves 32° ± 11° (range 15° to 50°). Three of these needed modeling for secondary curvatures, leaving five total who did not require adjunct curvature correction maneuvers. Subsequent modeling for all patients resulted in 14° ± 9° absolute reduction in primary penile curvatures and up to 68% further improvement. Sample size precluded assessment of statistical significance among groups. Conclusions: IPP placement appears to correct approximately 20° of penile curvature in this series, with similar effect on all curvature directions. These data may help clarify patient preoperative counseling and guide surgical planning. Further multicenter studies incorporating more patients and additional IPP types are warranted. Disclosure: Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Coloplast, MenMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There are a variety of treatment modalities available to treat Peyronie's disease (PD), including collagenase clostridium histolyticum (Xiaflex) injections. Patients with concomitant erectile dysfunction (ED) and PD are best served by insertion of an inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) in order to adequately treat both conditions. Many PD patients may undergo other PD treatments, including Xiaflex, prior to IPP implantation. There are multiple methods of curvature treatment during IPP surgery, and manual modeling is the predominant method in our practice. Little data exists regarding whether Xiaflex treatments prior to IPP placement influence changes in penile curvature during and after IPP surgery with manual modeling. Objective: The primary objectives were assessing the impact of pre-treatment with Xiaflex on penile curvature immediately after IPP implantation and after manual modeling. The secondary objective was change in penile curvature post-operatively. Methods: All IPP patients with known preoperative penile curvature with and without a history of Xiaflex injections undergoing IPP placement by a single surgeon from January 2017 to June 2023 were included in this IRB-approved (IRB 00031589) retrospective series. All patients had a 3-piece Coloplast Titan Touch IPP (Coloplast, Minneapolis, MN, USA) ranging 16-24cm in length (mean 19.8 ± 1.9cm) with 0-3cm rear tips (mean 1.4 ± 0.9cm). Goniometer was used to assess curvature during preoperative intracavernosal injection and duplex Doppler ultrasound, at multiple points intraoperatively, and postoperatively at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 6 months. Biplanar curvatures were recorded as primary and secondary values. SPSS (IBM, Armonk, NY, UA) was used for statistical analyses, which included t-tests, chi-squared tests, and ANOVA. Results: Sixty-one patients were included. Preoperative curvature was 35° ± 17° (10° to 70°) for the Xiaflex cohort (n=11) and 41° ± 15° (20° to 80°) for the Xiaflex naïve cohort (n=50). At the time of IPP placement, patients previously treated with Xiaflex had a 19° ± 12° absolute reduction in primary penile curvatures, corresponding to a 45% ± 36% improvement (25° reduction to 5° worsening), while Xiaflex naïve patients had a 20° ± 13° absolute reduction and 54% ± 23% improvement (50° reduction to no change). Similar mean curvature reductions were seen with IPP placement in primary dorsal curves in the Xiaflex cohort (n=7, 21° ± 4°, 51% ± 12%, 25° to 15° reduction) and Xiaflex naïve cohort (n=24, 21° ± 9°, 51% ± 22%, 40° to 5° reduction). There was little difference in change in curvature after modeling between the Xiaflex (11° ± 3°, 63% ± 23%, 15° to 5° reduction) and Xiaflex naïve patients (14° ± 9°, 70% ± 20%, 40° reduction to 5° worsening). Interval assessments postoperatively were also comparable. Sample size precluded assessment of statistical significance among groups. Conclusions: Preoperative treatment of PD with Xiaflex does not impede nor significantly improve curvature correction with IPP implantation and manual modeling. Similar changes in penile curvatures were seen in both groups regardless of curvature direction, modeling, or postoperative interval. In patients with severe PD, Xiaflex may be a useful tool to improve preoperative penile curvatures such that they may be more easily correctable with an IPP. Disclosure: Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Coloplast, MenMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: S.H. Sadati, S. Malekzadeh, M. Rezaee The dynamic response of a ride vehicle on the road ramps and rough profiles is quite important from the viewpoint of passenger ride, safety, stability and the range of exerted forces on the different parts of the vehicle. In order to optimise the vehicle suspension system, we have investigated the vehicle vibrational and dynamical behaviour and studied the vehicle response to the different road ramps, especially in high speeds. The effects of obstacles such as, speed control bumps used as inputs to the vehicle suspension system were hence studied. In order to validate the results obtained from the analytical study presented, a simulation was performed by using the vehicle data and the Simulink/Simmechanics in the Matlab, and the two results were compared. It was shown that these results are in reasonable agreement.

AbstractEvaluating atmospheric dispersion and radiological doses in the vicinity of buildings is required for small modular reactors (SMRs) because of the reduced size of their exclusion area boundary. The current Canadian nuclear industry tool for these calculations implements the methodology defined in CSA Standard N288.2-M91, which was written to support large Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) nuclear reactors as opposed to SMRs. The ORCA (On/offsite Radiological Consequences of Accidents) code has been developed to address this technical concern in addition to evaluating atmospheric dispersion and doses in the far field. The code calculates worker and public doses following an airborne release of radioactive material into the atmosphere under postulated accident conditions at a nuclear facility. The current paper presents the key assumptions and methods utilized in ORCA and discusses qualification of the software to the requirements of CSA Standard N286.7-16. The new model is applicable to SMRs and existing reactor designs and reduces conservatisms in the near field (i.e., <1 km from the source) relative to the methods in CSA N288.2-M91. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]