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Introduction: The admission interview is regarded as one of the most significant moments in the process of applying to medical school, but there is limited empirical evidence that supports this claim. Previous analyses have offered what is largely anecdotal evidence of the interview's importance while also suggesting that there is ample opportunity for ethnic and gender bias to impact interview scores. We also asked what medical schools can learn from comparing the attributes of matriculants and those applicants who rejected offers of acceptance., Materials and Methods: This study investigated the association between interview performance and admission committee decisions for applicants applying to the School of Medicine of the USU. The study cohort included all candidates who were invited for an on-site interview at the USU in 2014, 2015, and 2016 (n = 1825)., Results: Seventeen percent of the variance of the outcome variables-admission committee decisions to accept, place on the alternate list, or reject an applicant-can be explained by considering interview scores alone. Applicant age, race, ethnicity, and gender did not significantly impact interview overall ratings. Matriculants to the USU had similar interview ratings and distribution of gender, race, and ethnicity when compared to those applicants who rejected offers of acceptance. Matriculants were more likely to have previous military experience., Conclusion: Our analysis provides some justification for the importance of the interview in the admission process. Applicant demographics (age, race, gender, and ethnicity) were not associated with interview scores. Differences between matriculants to the USU and those who rejected offers of acceptance are small, indicating that the USU continues to build a class body that excels in both cognitive and noncognitive domains., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2020. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.)

Date palm ( phonix dactylifera L .) is an important tropical fruit growing in central and southern regions of Iran. Date seed is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, that make it an excellent candidate for xylooligosaccharide (XOS) production. In this study, two different protocols are used for the extraction of hemicellulose from date seeds. In the first protocol, hemicellulose (xylan1) was extracted by 2.25 M alkaline solution at room temperature for 24 hr. In the second protocol, date seed was treated with LCHTA (low concentration, 0.1 M, high temperature, 80°C, alkaline solution) for 3 hr, and thereafter, hemicellulose (xylan2) was extracted by 2.25 M alkaline solution at room temperature for 24 hr. The carbohydrate units of xylan1 and xylan2 were qualified and quantified by HPAEC- PAD. Side groups of xylan1 and xylan2 were detected by FTIR. In the next step, xylan1 and xylan2 were exposed to two commercial endoxylanases namely veron 191 and pentopan mono BG. Temperature, pH, time, and enzyme dosage of hydrolyzation were optimized to maximize XOS and minimize xylose. The results showed that the enzymes successfully hydrolyzed xylan2 and produced XOS, but cannot hydrolyze xylan1. Pentopan mono BG and veron 191 produced the highest amount of XOS after 4 (1.17 mmol/g) and 6 hr (1.13 mmol/g) of incubation, respectively. Conversion factors of xylan2 to XOS for pentopan mono BG and veron were 0.41 and 0.36, respectively. This study presence the possible prebiotic properties of date seed XOS and its application in functional foods., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2020 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Human Ficolin-3 ( FCN3 ) is an oligomeric-structured lectin encoded by the FCN3 gene with a pivotal role in the lectin complement pathway. It has anti-microbial activities against bacterial and viral infections and restrains opportunistic pathogens. Mutation in the FCN3 gene is associated with variable clinical manifestations particularly immunologic (infections and autoimmunity) and neurologic complications., Methods: In this study, we report a 5-year-old boy with a biallelic mutation in the FCN3 gene using clinical and immunological and genetic evaluations (whole exome sequencing)., Results: Our case is the first national and the eighth case worldwide with a confirmed frameshift mutation associated with Ficolin-3 deficiency. He manifested refractory seizures since early infancy, meningitis, pyelonephritis and was diagnosed with severe primary immunodeficiency., Conclusion: Our case and literature review indicate Ficolin-3 deficiency should be considered in early-onset, premature neonate with a bacterial infection, neurological manifestation and systemic lupus erythematosus like presentations.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune and inflammatory disease. Our study aimed to determine the effect of saffron supplement on clinical outcomes and metabolic profiles in patients with active RA. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 66 women older than 18 years old received 100 mg/day either saffron supplement in the intervention group (n = 33) or matched placebo in the placebo group (n = 33) for a period of 12 weeks. Sixty-one patients (30 in the control and 31 in the saffron group) remained for the final analysis. No adverse effects were reported by the patients. Saffron supplementation significantly decreased the number of tender (-1.38 ± 1.66 vs. 0.10 ± 0.40, p < .001) and swollen (-2.12 ± 2.34 vs. 0.63 ± 2.79, p < .001) joints, pain intensity based on visual analogue scale (-18.36 ± 15.07 vs. -2.33 ± 5.04), p < .001), and disease activity score (DAS28) (-0.75 ± 0.67 vs. 0.26 ± 0.77, p < .001) at the end of intervention between the two groups and in saffron group compared with baseline values. Physician Global Assessment (p = .002) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were significantly improved after intervention (24.06 ± 12.66 vs. 32.00 ± 14.75, p = 0.028). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein reduced at the end of the intervention in the saffron group compared with baseline values (12.00 ± 7.40 vs. 8.82 ± 7.930, p = .004). Tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma, and malondialdehyde were decreased, and total antioxidant capacity were increased, but their differences between the two groups were not significant (p > .05). According to the results, saffron supplements could positively and significantly improve clinical outcomes in RA patients., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Cortical deceleration is the main reason for bone loss at peripheral sites. It was suggested that when peripheral bones were assessed for osteoporosis, management and therapy can be administered early. The main aim of this study was to assess the relationships between the central and peripheral measurements at different skeleton bone sites (spine, femur, forearm, tibia, and calcaneus) with available modalities: DXA, QUS, and MDCT-QCT. Methods: The volunteers recruited in this study did not have any history or evidence of metabolic bone disease. Blood test and DXA measurements were used as inclusion criteria to select 40 healthy participants. The selected volunteers underwent 3 imaging modalities: QCT, DXA, and QUS. DXA-based measurements were made on 3 sites, including spine, femur, and forearm. QCT and QUS measurements were done for distal of tibia and calcaneus bones, respectively. The extracted parameters from the 3 modalities were analyzed using a bivariate (Pearson) correlation (r) in statistical software. Results: The results showed moderate to good correlations between spongy bones in central and peripheral sites from all the modalities. However, there was no correlation between MDCT measures and central bone values. According to correlations between different peripheral sits, aBMD of 33% radius and trabecular vBMD in 38% distal tibia showed weak but significant relationship between peripheral bones (r=-0.342, p=0.044). Conclusion: The findings demonstrated how bones in central and peripheral sites were correlated. Multimodality imaging was used in this group of healthy volunteers. Also, it was found that QCT-based MDCT needs more optimization and requires further investigations., (© 2019 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40200-019-00455-6.]., (© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.)

Purpose: Prevalence of osteoporosis reported as high as 50% in thalassemia major patients. We compared bone density (BMD) of our patients with results of bone densitometry of participants of a national study, to find if BMD diagnosis is ethnicity sensitive or not., Methods: In 177 adult beta thalassemia major patients and 490 normal subjects of 20-39 y/o range, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the spine and femur performed. Normal subjects participated in Iranian Multi-center Osteoporosis Study (IMOS). Mean and standard deviation of normal ones achieved and Z-score of patients re-calculated based on normal Iranians. As BMD of normal participants and patients performed by devices of different brands, analyses done based on calculated standard BMD of all participants., Results: BMD of patients was significantly lower than normal participants ( P value <0.001). Frequency of Z-score ≤-2 found in 52% and 56% of patients in femur and spine regions, respectively. New Z-score of patients according to Iranian normal populations calculated. Frequency of this new Z-score ≤-2 found in 16% and 72% of patients in femur and spine regions, respectively., Conclusions: We think in secondary osteoporosis, may be other cut-off points, especially according to BMD of normal population of that geographical region are needed., (© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.)

Wholemeal bread is strongly recommended due to its nutritional value. However, whole-grain foods contain a high level of phytic acid, an antinutritional factor that decreases the mineral bioavailability. The objective of this study was isolation and identification of lactic acid bacteria with phytase activity to find a suitable starter for bread-making. Wheat-legume sourdoughs were prepared by the back-slopping procedure. Lactic acid bacteria were isolated from the sourdough of wheat flour-mung bean, and their phytase activity was tested in the solid and liquid media. Out of the nine phytase-active isolates in the solid medium, only three isolates produced extracellular phytase in the liquid medium with activity ranging from 16.3 to 53.2 (U/ml). These isolates belonged to species Weissella confusa mk.zh95 and Pediococcus pentosaceus . The highest phytase activity was found for Weissella confusa mk.zh95 . Weissella confusa mk.zh95 is considered an interesting source of phytase during cereals and legumes fermentation which improves the bioavailability of minerals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2019 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background and Objective: APDS [Activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) δ Syndrome] is a newly found special form of primary immunodeficiency caused by mutations in genes encoding PI3Kδ subunits and over-activation of the PI3K signaling pathway. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function mutations in PIK3CD (encoding P110δ) and PIK3R1 (encoding p85α, p55α and p50α) lead to APDS1 and APDS2, respectively. The subsequent irregular PI3K downstream signaling cascade is associated with abnormalities in B cells and T cells and the consequent heterogeneous clinical manifestations including respiratory tract infections, autoimmunity, lymphoproliferation and not to mention primary antibody deficiency. In this study, we report a 12-year-old girl with a mutation in the PIK3R1 gene who manifested immunological phenotypes resembling hyper IgM syndrome along with a review of the literature of the previously reported patients., Methods: Whole exome sequencing was performed to detect the underlying genetic mutation in this patient., Results: A de novo heterozygous splice site mutation in the hot spot of the PIK3R1 gene within the intron 10 was found (c.1425+1G>A)., Conclusion: Further investigations are required for evaluation of the underlying genetic defects and the possible associations between genetic underpinning and heterogeneous severity and features of the disease., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Nowadays, the use of agricultural by-products, as the cheap substrate for the production of value-added products, is of high interest for the researchers and practitioners. Cellulase is a relatively expensive and a very important industrial enzyme where in this study was produced form rice by-products under solid-state fermentation. A new mutant of Trichoderma reesei was used for cellulase production. The effective variables were initially screened by "Plackett and Burman design." Afterward, the main variables including moisture content, P source, incubation temperature, and incubation time were optimized by "one factor at a time design." Finally, the resulting variables including 74% for moisture content, 2 g/L for K 2 HPO 4 , 30°C of incubation temperature, and 4 days of incubation time were reported as the ultimate optimal condition for cellulase production., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Sterol regulator element binding proteins (SREBPs) are a family of transcription factors involved in the biogenesis of cholesterol, fatty acids and triglycerides. They also regulate physiological functions of many organs, such as thyroid, brain, heart, pancreas and hormone synthesis. Beside the physiological effects, SREBPs participate in some pathological processes, diabetes, endoplasmic reticulum stress, atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease associated with SREBP expression changes. In the liver, SREBPs are involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, hepatitis and hepatic cancer. There are several SREBP inhibitors that have potential for treating obesity, diabetes and cancer. This review assesses the recent findings about the roles of SREBPs in the physiology of organs' function and pathogenesis of liver diseases., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests related to this publication.

Background: Finding the correlation between criteria for low bone mineral density (BMD) in adulthood and childhood is a matter of interest. This study aimed to find how many of thalassemic patients with Z-Score ≤-2 during childhood, will be found with T-Score ≤-2.5 or Z-Score ≤-2.0 in adulthood., Methods: The results of BMDs (one in childhood and one in adulthood) of 30 patients with beta thalassemia major (12 males and 18 females) with mean age of 17.63 y/o in childhood and 20.67 y/o in adulthood were studied, retrospectively. A Norland XR-46 device was used for measuring BMD., Results: Z-Score ≤-2 was found in 33% of children and T-Score ≤-2.5 and Z-Score ≤-2.0 was found in 43 and 66% of adults, respectively. Correlation of pediatric Z-scores was good with adult T-scores and Z-scores (0.699-0.833). Relation of low BMD diagnosis in pediatric and adults was significant, and Kappa showed a moderate to good correlation between criteria for low BMD in childhood and adulthood, both with special significance in femoral region (8.10-14.47 and 0.258-0.703, respectively). Z-score ≤-2 significantly increased risk of low BMD in adulthood only when T-Score ≤-2.5 was used as low BMD criteria in adulthood (6.2-15.7). More patients dropped to poorer diagnosis group when Z-Score ≤-2.0 was used as low BMD criteria in adulthood., Conclusions: There is a moderate to good agreement of these criteria, at least in femoral region but using T-Score ≤-2.5 as low BMD criteria in adulthood caused a better prediction power for Z-Score ≤-2 of childhood.

Background: Beta thalassemia major (BTM) and its treatment by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) may have deleterious effects on the endocrine systems. We assessed endocrine complications of HSCT in pediatric patients for 3 months., Methods: In 20 (6 female) pediatric major thalassemic patients (mean age of 10.8 ± 3.9 years old), prolactin, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), T4, T3, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), IGF-1, testosterone (in males) or estradiol (in females) were measured as a batch at the Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC) of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) laboratories before HSCT and 1 and 3 months afterwards. The cosyntropin test for all and the clonidine test for short stature patients was conducted before HSCT., Results: Before HSCT, delayed puberty and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism was found in 10% and 20% of patients, respectively. GH deficiency, low IGF1 and short stature was found in 25%, 55% and 40% of patients, respectively. Hypocortisolism, hypothyroidism and panhypopituitarism was found in 15%, 10% and 15% of patients, respectively. Prevalence of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, low IGF1, hypothyroidism and panhypopituitarism was found in 20%, 40%, 10% and 10% of patients after 3 months, respectively (delayed puberty and short stature prevalence do not change after 3 months). HSCT caused lower T3 and estradiol and higher TSH. Corticosteroid users (15) had higher GH and lower T3 and testosterone or estradiol. Ferritin had a significant (negative) correlation with (before) prolactin and a significant correlation with T3 and T4 after HSCT. Age and acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) had no significant effect., Conclusion: Considering the small sample size and short duration of the study, it is difficult to reach any conclusion however it seems HSCT does not appear to have an overall positive or negative effect on prevalence of pituitary- hypothalamus axis disorders in pediatric thalassemic patients in 3 months., (© 2018 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Pistachio (Pistacia vera) is an important nut for its economic, nutritional and health aspects but it can be contaminated by aflatoxigenic fungi in the field and during storage. Biological control could be considered as an alternative to chemical treatment. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic capability of two Bacillus spp. both in vitro and on pistachio kernels. In in vitro conditions, both strains were able to reduce the mycelial growth and they were able to degrade the four aflatoxins during the first three days after inoculation. AFG 1 and AFG 2 were rapidly degraded within two days of incubation with the bacterial strains. No aflatoxin was found in the bacterial cell walls, permitting exclusion of mycotoxin adsorption and hypothesis of an in vitro biodegradation as a mode of action. The cultivar of pistachio most susceptible to fungal colonization was 'Ahmad-Aghaei', selected among four main Iranian cultivars. A. parasiticus was able to grow and produce aflatoxins on pistachios, but at longer inoculation periods, a natural decrease of aflatoxins was registered. Both strains were able to reduce the fungal incidence and number of spores on pistachio with a stronger effect during the first 5dpi. The effect on aflatoxin content in vivo was less pronounced than in vitro, with a maximum effect at 8dpi. At longer times, there was a contrasting effect due to the lower activity of Bacillus spp. in stationary phase and higher growth of Aspergillus species. This consideration could explain the lack of aflatoxin reduction at 12dpi. Both bacterial strains showed good antifungal activity and aflatoxin reduction in in vitro conditions and on pistachio kernels. Altogether, these results indicate that Bacillus species could be considered as potential biocontrol agents to combat toxigenic fungal growth and subsequent aflatoxin contamination of nuts and agricultural crops in practice., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Jujube extract was concentrated by various heating methods including vacuum, microwave and conventional heating. The effect of concentration methods and storage time (for 90 days at 4 °C) on total phenolic and total monomeric anthocyanin contents, individual anthocyanins, individual organic acids, and color values of jujube concentrate was investigated separately. The desired level of concentration (65.0 °Brix) was achieved in 45, 96 and 117 min by the microwave, vacuum and conventional heating methods, respectively. The concentrate obtained with microwave method had the highest total phenolic content (159.32 mg GAE/g DW) and total monomeric anthocyanin content (48.84 mg cyn-3-glu/100 g DW) in comparison to the other methods at the beginning of storage. Hunter color parameters ( L* , a* and b* ) decreased significantly with increasing the time of storage in all cases; however, this effect was more obvious in the vacuum heating. Cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside was determined as the major anthocyanin in all concentrates, while its degradation was more pronounced in the conventional heating (25.59%) comparing to the microwave (11.14%) and vacuum methods (17.59%) during the 90-day storage. The jujube concentrate prepared with the microwave method had the highest organic acid contents (e.g. malic, citric, succinic and ascorbic acids) as compared to the other methods. Thus, according to the results, the heating method and storage time had significant effects on the bioactive compounds and color values of jujube concentrate. In general, microwave energy could be successfully used in production of jujube concentrate followed by 90-day storage.

Objectives: Beta thalassemia major is a genetic hemoglobin disorder that affects bone density. The disease leads to deteriorating bone structure but can be treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplant. We aimed to assess bone mineral density changes in pediatric beta thalassemia major patients who had undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplant compared with similarly affected patients who had not undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplant., Materials and Methods: Forty beta thalassemia major patients, 20 transplant and 20 nontransplant, younger than 16 years of age were enrolled. The mean age of transplant patients was 8.15 years and nontransplant patients was 9.5 years (P = .242). The female:male ratio was 1:1 in both groups. None of the patients reached puberty during this study. Bone mineral density was evaluated in transplant patients before and 1 year after hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Bone mineral density of nontransplant patients also was evaluated 1 year after their initial bone mineral density test. A Norland XR-46 densitometer was used to make all bone mineral density measurements. None of the patients had a z score < -2., Results: Mean bone mineral density changes in the femur and spine during this study were 0.008 ± 0.075 g/cm2 and 0.048 ± 0.045 g/cm2 in transplant patients and 0.045 ± 0.072 g/cm2 and 0.036 ± 0.058 g/cm2 in nontransplant patients. No significant differences between bone mineral density changes in transplant and nontransplant patients were detected during the study., Conclusions: No significant effects on bone mineral density were detected in hematopoietic stem cell transplant pediatric beta thalassemia major patients compared with similarly affected nontransplant patients. Studies of longer duration may be required to identify significant changes in bone mineral density in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

In this work, silver nanoparticles were synthesized and stabilized with 11-mercaptoundecanoateanions to produce a new Ag@MUA core shell structure, and its utilizing for fabrication of a new sensing film. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were electrochemically produced and simultaneously immobilized into the electropolymerized polypyrrole (PPy) film with the reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The Ag@MUA was then grafted to the surface of GC/PPy-AuNPs-rGO film using L-cysteine (L-Cys) linker agent and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride (TF2O), at ambient temperature and under the electrode stirring. The characterization of the sensor was studied by scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic and square wave voltammetry techniques. The utility of the modified electrode for clinical diagnosis has been successfully demonstrated by the analysis of human blood serums with a certified CRP and CCP content. Thus, the proposed sensor shows simple preparation, accuracy and precision in the analysis of cytochrome c protein (CCP) and C-reactive protein (CRP (with less side interferences., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Using fresh foods which undergo the least processing operations developed widely in recent years. Active packaging is a novel method for preserving these products. Active starch-clay nanocomposite films which contained potassium sorbate (PS) at a level of 0, 5, 7.5 and 10 g PS/100 g starch were produced and their physical, mechanical and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. In order to evaluate antimicrobial properties of films Aspergillus niger was used. The results showed that 5% of the PS did not produce antimicrobial property in the film, but by increasing the content of the additive in film formulation, antimicrobial effect increased. PS increased water permeability and elongation at break of the films, but decreased tensile strength. The rate of PS migration into the semi-solid medium in starch-nanocomposites was lower than starch films. This shows that nanocomposite films could retain their antimicrobial property for longer time., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The time courses for production of fungal biomass, lipid, phenolic and arachidonic acid (ARA) as well as expression of the genes involved in biosynthesis of ARA and lipid were examined in Mortierella alpina CBS 754.68. A significant increase in the arachidonic acid content in lipids that coincided with reduced levels of lipid was obtained. Reduced gene expression occurred presumably due to the steady reduction of carbon and nitrogen resources. However, these energy resources were inefficiently compensated by the breakdown of the accumulated lipids that in turn, induced up-regulated expression of the candidate genes. The results further indicated that the expression of the GLELO encoding gene is a rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of ARA in the early growth phase.

Unlabelled: Low BMDs, short stature, hypogonadism, subclinical hypothyroidism, and IFG are found in 3.3, 10, 33, 16.6, 6.6, and 26.6 % of 30 pediatric β thalassemia major patients, respectively. Age is related with low Z-scores. Short stature and hypogonadism patients were older. These patients' monitoring in late childhood and early teenage for these complications is recommended., Background: Beta-thalassemia major patients frequently have low BMD and increased fracture risk. We tried to determine the relation between BMD and biochemical, transfusion, and endocrinological parameters in pediatric patients., Methods: Thirty beta-thalassemia major patients entered the study. Male to female ratio was 14/16. Physicians collected demographic; anthropometric; menstrual; transfusion and treatments histories; and serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkalin phosphatase, FBS, Hb, Ferritin, T3, T4, TSH, LH, FSH, testosterone (for boys), and estradiol (for girls). BMD of the spine and femur was measured using a DXA Norland XR-46 device., Results: Prevalence of "low bone density" (Z-score < -2) in the spine and femur was 3.3 and 10 %, respectively. Short stature (Z-score < -2.5) and hypogonadism was seen in 33 and 16.6 % of patients, respectively. Hypogonadism was found only in boys. Subclinical hypothyroidism and impaired fasting glucose were found in 6.6 and 26.6 % of our patients, respectively. Age and transfusion duration was positively related with spinal BMD (P values, <0.001 and <0.001, respectively), and both related negatively with spinal Z-score (P values, 0.014 and 0.043, respectively). Age and transfusion duration related positively with femoral BMD (P values 0.030 and 0.017, respectively), and both related negatively with femoral Z-score (P values, 0.015 and 0.041, respectively). Mean age of short stature and hypogonadism patients were significantly higher than those who were normal (P values, 0.007 and 0.044, respectively)., Conclusion: The main factor related with lower Z-scores of the femur and spine was age. Short stature and hypogonadism patients were significantly older. So, we recommend early monitoring of thalassemia patients (in their late childhood and early teenage) for these complications.

In the search for an efficient producer of tannase, Penicillium sp. EZ-ZH190 was subjected to mutagenesis using heat treatment and strain EZ-ZH290 was isolated. The maximum tannase in this mutant strain was 4.32 U/mL with an incubation period of 84 h as compared to wild strain EZ-ZH190 where the incubation period was 96 h with a maximum enzyme activity of 4.33 U/mL. Also, the Penicillium sp. EZ-ZH290 tannase had a maximum activity at 40 °C and pH 5.5. Then, the spores of strain EZ-ZH290 were subjected to γ irradiation mutagenesis and strain EZ-ZH390 was isolated. Strain EZ-ZH390 exhibited higher tannase activity (7.66 U/mL) than the parent strain EZ-ZH290. It was also found that Penicillium sp. EZ-ZH390 tannase had an optimum activity at 35 °C and a broad pH profile with an optimum at pH 5.5. The tannase pH stability of Penicillium sp. EZ-ZH390 and its maximum production of tannase followed the same trend for five generations confirming the occurrence of stable mutant. This paper is shown that γ irradiation can mutate the Penicillium sp. leading to increase the tannase production.

Background: Thalassemia major and its treatment by stem cell transplantation can have deleterious effects on bone integrity. This study assesses the adverse effects of transplantation on growing bones of pediatric thalassemic patients., Methods: Bone mineral density (BMD) of 20 patients from three thalassemia classes whose mean (SD) age was 7.4 (3.8) years were tested with a Norland XR-46 device at baseline (before transplantation), 6 and 12 months after transplantation., Results: At 6 and 12 months after transplantation we observed no significant changes in mean BMD. There were no Z-scores less than -2 among patients. Class 3 thalassemia did not negatively impact BMD. Calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P) and ferritin levels were not significantly related to patients' BMD scores. Transfusion duration and chelation therapy showed positive significant relationships to BMD (g/cm(2)), but no significant relation with the BMD Z-score. The deleterious relation between corticosteroid use and changes in BMD was not significant. In contrast, patients who developed acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) after transplantation showed significant adverse effects on BMD of their femur (P = 0.020) and spine (P = 0.027)., Conclusion: Stem cell transplantation in pediatric thalassemic patients who do not develop aGVHD does not appear to have any significant positive or negative effects on BMD.

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual dysfunction and affects the individual's physical and psychological well-being. It has been classified as organic and psychogenic. Men with low testosterone levels have an increased risk of ED. On the other hand, direct detrimental effect of metabolic syndrome on the endothelium, smooth muscle and nerves of the vascular system of the penis is what causes ED to develop in men with metabolic syndrome. Therefore, it is supposed that a large number of men with erectile dysfunction are patients who have ED, metabolic syndrome and testosterone deficiency as a triad. The aim of this study is determining relative frequencies of metabolic syndrome and testosterone deficiency in a group of men with ED., Methods: Men suffering from ED who were referred to a certain private urology clinic between 22.11.2009 and 22.9.2010 were evaluated for metabolic syndrome criteria; their morning free testosterone levels were measured, and then the related questionnaires were filled out., Results: Of 241 men with ED, the relative frequency of metabolic syndrome was 41.5%, of testosterone deficiency was 36.5% and of metabolic syndrome in combination with testosterone deficiency was 19.5%., Conclusion: The relative frequencies of metabolic syndrome and testosterone deficiency in men with ED seem to be significant, and it is the time that we should evaluate ED not as a disease but as a presentation of multiple underlying pathologies which needs medical attention to general health.

Background: Osteoporosis has been frequently reported in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, especially Crohn's disease., Methods: All consecutive Crohn's disease patients who attended the GI Clinics at Shariati Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from 2004 to 2007 were evaluated. A BMD-DEXA assessment was performed for all patients. Among those patients diagnosed with osteoporosis (T score

For decreasing the use of nitrite in sausage in industrial conditions, annatto (Bixa orellana L.) powder (1% norbixin) was used in two different formulations of sausage (with 55% and 70% of meat) as a replacement for 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% nitrite. Then the qualitative characteristics of the samples such as colour (L(∗), a(∗) and b(∗)), microbial contamination and sensory tests (flavour and odour) were compared with the control (without annatto and with 100% nitrite) after 2, 10, 20 and 30 days from production and under the refrigerated condition. The Statistical comparison showed that in both formulations of sausage, the sample containing 60% annatto was the best sample for its colour (for higher a(∗) and lower b(∗)); yet, this sample also did not show any significant differences from the control for microbial contamination and sensory properties.

Aim: Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the phalanx is a non-invasive, inexpensive and portable method for bone assessment. We determined a cut off point for it in the diagnosis of osteoporosis., Methods: In 180 postmenopausal women, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) of the spine and femur and QUS of the phalanx were performed. Then, the optimum cut-off point for QUS was determined., Results: Osteoporosis was found in 28.8% of women by DEXA (18.3% in L2-L4, 3.9-7.8% in different regions of the femur) and in 28.9% by QUS. Agreement of the methods (kappa value) was 0.317 for spine and 0.036-0.068 for femoral regions. Using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, we found T-score of -2.0 as the optimum cut-off point of QUS in diagnosing osteoporosis in the spine (sensitivity and specificity were 78.8% and 55.9%, respectively). We did not find a cut-off point for femoral regions because the 95% confidence interval of the area under the ROC curve contained the diagonal line (p = 0.150, 0.179 and 0.05 for femoral neck, trochanter and total femur, respectively). We defined -2.5 as the other T-score cut-off point under these different conditions; more specificity is needed., Conclusion: Agreement was weak to moderate between the two methods. Thus QUS of the phalanx is not a good replacement for DEXA in defining osteoporosis, but it may be used as a screening method.

Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the effects of fermentation parameters for cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei QM9414 and T. reesei MCG77 in solid-state fermentation using rice bran as substrate. Initial pH, moisture content and temperature were optimized using filter paper activity (FPA) as response. Statistical analysis of the results for T. reesei QM9414 showed that only moisture content had significant effect on cellulase activity and had a linear effect on enzyme activity (maximum enzyme activities were obtained at 70% moisture content). The results for T. reesei MCG77 showed that temperature and moisture content were the most significant parameters for cellulase activity. The optimum cellulase production was in the temperature range of 25-30 degrees C and moisture content between 55% and 70%. After the optimization, the FPA in T. reesei MCG77 was increased by 2.5 folds compared to that of T. reesei QM9414.

According to the WHO criteria many renal transplant patients display osteopenia or osteoporosis. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the standard method to assess bone mineral density (BMD), is not always available. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the phalanx is an inexpensive, mobile, and radiation-free diagnostic alternative. Few data address the correlation of this method with DXA in renal transplant patients. This study assessed the value of QUS compared with DXA to detect changes in bone structure among renal transplant recipients. This cross-sectional study of 42 patients (22 women), of mean age 40.2 +/- 11.9 years, mean time since transplantation of 2.8 +/- 2.9 years, and mean dialysis time of 8.55 +/- 10.26 months, included. DXA for bone mineral densitometry of the hip (neck and total femur) and spine as well as QUS to measure the amplitude-dependent speed of sound (Ad-SOS) in the phalanx. Using DXA, osteoporosis was observed in 19% of all patients: 9.5% in femoral neck, 9.5% in total region of the femur, and 9.5% in the spinal region. The sensitivity of Ad-SOS for osteoporosis diagnosis in the above regions were 100%, 75%, and 25%, respectively; its specificity was 45%, 43%, and 37%, respectively. There was no significant relation between the two methods for diagnosis of osteoporosis in any region. QUS of phalanx can be recommended for osteoporosis screening in renal transplant patients. Those suspected of osteoporosis should be examined by additional DXA measurements in order to establish the diagnosis.

Objectives: In this study, we sought the proper cutoff level for quantitative ultrasonography (QUS) of the heel in identifying bone mineral density (BMD) categories as determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in postmenopausal women., Methods: With the use of DXA, BMD categories of the lumbar spine and different areas of the left femur of 420 healthy women according to World Health Organization definitions were determined. Quantitative ultrasonography of the heel was also performed in each subject. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted, and sensitivity and specificity of QUS to diagnose osteoporosis were examined at different points to identify the best cutoff level. The diagnostic agreement between the two techniques in identifying osteoporosis was assessed with kappa scores., Results: The kappa scores were 0.31 for the lumbar region and 0.5 for the femoral neck region. On the receiver operating characteristic study, a score of -1 was found to be the appropriate cutoff point for QUS studies, in which the sensitivity of QUS to diagnose BMD osteoporosis varied between 78% and 87.5% depending on the site of the DXA study. With the proposed cutoff point (-1), sensitivity and specificity of QUS in detecting osteoporosis at the lumbar spine were 83.9% and 51%, respectively, and at the femoral neck were 84% and 50%, respectively., Conclusions: Insufficient agreement between QUS and DXA led to uncertainty on expected BMD in people tested by QUS. The proposed cutoff value could achieve higher sensitivity but only by accepting higher rates of false-positive results.

Background: There are multiple studies in different countries regarding the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. These studies showed high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Asian countries. This study tries to elucidate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its influencing factors in population of Tehran., Methods: 1210 subjects 20-64 years old were randomly selected. 25 (OH) D serum levels were measured. Duration of exposure to sunlight, the type of clothing and level of calcium intake and BMI were quantified based on a questionnaire., Results: A high percentage of vitamin D deficiency was defined in the study population. Prevalence of severe, moderate and mild Vitamin D deficiency was 9.5%, 57.6% and 14.2% respectively. Vitamin D serum levels had no significant statistical relation with the duration of exposure to sunlight, kind of clothing and BMI. Calcium intake in the normal vitamin D group was significantly higher than the other groups (714.67 +/- 330.8 mg/day vs 503.39 +/- 303.1, 577.93 +/- 304.9,595.84 +/- 313.6). Vitamin D serum levels in young and middle aged females were significantly lower than the older group., Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency has a high prevalence in Tehran. In order to avoid complications of vitamin D deficiency, supplemental dietary intake seems essential.