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Objective(s): Bacillus anthracis is the cause of the fatal anthrax. Available anthrax vaccines have low stability and require multiple injections in order to be effective. Poly lactic acid (PLA) has been approved as a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer for drug and vaccine delivery applications. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antibody titer against the protective antigen recombinant protein (PA63) encapsulated by the mPEG-PLA double-block copolymers and to compare with the non-encapsulated PA63.Materials and Methods: To attain this purpose, to start, the desired protein was purified and confirmed and then PA63 was encapsulated with mPEG-PLA double-block copolymers using a water- oil- water solvent evaporation method. Produced nanoparticles was characterized in terms of morphological specifications using scanning electron microscopy, size and polydispersity index using dynamic light scattering and zeta potential using a zeta seizer. The synthesized nanoparticle antigenic content and also its antigen release profile was measured. In the following, the nanoparticles containing antigens (PA63-NPs), blank nanoparticles (mPEG-PLA- NPs), PA63 and adjuvant control were injected subcutaneously to mice and the IgG polyclonal antibody titr was measured by indirect ELISA. Finally to evaluate biocompatibility and toxicity, synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by cell culture testing.Results: The results of this study showed that the synthesized nanoparticles are of good quality. ELISA results showed that antibody production titr in mice receiving PA63-NPs was higher than those receiving the PA63 (P

Introduction: Rare serious complications have been documented after COVID-19 vaccination as clinical research proceeded and new target populations, such as children and ‎pregnant women, were included. In this study, we attempted to review the literature relevant to ‎pregnancy complications and maternal outcomes of COVID-19 immunization in pregnant women. ‎ Methods: We searched the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science on 31 August 2022. The records were downloaded and underwent a two-step screening; 1) title/abstract and then 2) full-text screening to identify the eligible studies. We included English original studies that evaluated the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy. Information such as the type of ‎study, geographical location, type of vaccine injected, gestational age, maternal underlying diseases, and ‎complications following the vaccination were extracted into pre-designed tables. Results: According to the findings of included studies, in most of them vaccination had a positive impact and no negative effects were observed. Also, no medical history was reported in 11 articles, and pregnant women had no underlying diseases. Some serious adverse events were reported after ‎vaccination, including miscarriage, paresthesia, uterine contraction, vaginal bleeding, preterm birth, major ‎congenital anomalies, intrauterine growth restriction, and seizure. ‎ Conclusion: Because of limited data availability and the cross-sectional design of most studies, we could neither infer ‎causation between vaccines and incidence of adverse effects nor comment with certainty about any ‎possible adverse outcome of COVID-19 vaccines in vaccinated pregnant women. Consequently, more longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to define the exact adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women.

Objective: The growing popularity of computer games has attracted the attention of researchers in this field. The underlying psychological motives of gamers are important to prevention of disorders related to online gaming. This study was aimed at evaluating the psychometric characteristics of the Iranian version of the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (I-MOGQ) and its association with Internet Gaming Disorders (IGD). Method: Four hundred and fifty-two Iranian adult gamers (mean age = 21.5 years, SD = 4.14) voluntarily responded to the anonymous survey online. All participants in this study were males. The questionnaires used in this study were MOGQ and IGD Scale. We performed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for MOGQ. Also, the correlation between MOGQ and IGD was evaluated. Results: CFA supports the construct validity of the questionnaire (RMSEA < 0.08). Cronbach's alpha, as an indicator of internal consistency of the questionnaire, was 0.91 (Social = 0.85, Escape = 0.84, Competition = 0.83, Coping = 0.79, Skill Development = 0.89, Fantasy = 0.85 and Recreation = 0.83). Also, the scale displayed adequate convergent validity, as shown by significant positive correlations with IGD scores. The highest correlation was found with the Escape motive (0.57) and the lowest was found with Recreation (0.15). Conclusion: This study showed that the Iranian version of the MOGQ is a valid and reliable scale for identifying the motives for online gaming among young adults.

Abstract Background and Aims Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are one of the major health concerns globally. Generally, prisoners are at higher risks for STIs due to risk factors including; drug‐use, high‐risk sexual behaviors, densely populated prisons, and poor living conditions. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a systematic review to evaluate the existing data on STI prevalence, and its associated risk factors among prisoners. Methods We conducted a systematic search of the literature using the keywords in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar online databases. We selected all the relevant original studies in English through title/abstract and full‐text screening process.‎ Results Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we selected and reviewed 32 studies out of 96 identified papers. The most important STI‐associated risk factors among prisoners were drug use, low educational levels, and unsafe sex. The prevalence of STIs was heterogenous in selected studies and was reported as follows; Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (0%−14.5%), hepatitis B viruses (HBV) (0.04%−27.23%), hepatitis C viruses (HCV) (0.17%−49.7%), Syphilis (0.2%−22.1%), Chlamydia Trachomatis (CT) (1.02%−6.7%), Gonorrhea (0.6%−7.8%), and herpes simplex virus‐2 (HSV‐2) 22.4%. Conclusion This systematic review indicates that the prevalence of STIs (HIV, HBV, HCV, Syphilis, Chlamydia Trachomatis, Gonorrhea, and HSV‐2) among prisoners appears to be higher than the general population, with drug abuse, low educational levels, and unsafe sex as major risk factors.

In the present research, the Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nano Tubes (FMWCNTs) were functionalized and then were characterized by using the Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-Ray powder Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer –Emmett-Teller and Barett-Joyner –Halenda (BET/BJH) and Particle Size Analyzer (PSA) techniques. Subsequently, the functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes were used to remove chromium picolinate (ChP) drug from the aqueous media, and its ability for ChP adsorption was also evaluated. To achieve this purpose, the effects of the various parameters such as pH, initial concentration of the sorbate, sorbent dosage, temperature, and contact time on the removal percentage of ChP drug onto the FMWCNTs adsorbent were studied and reported. Based on the experimental results, the optimum conditions to perform the adsorption experiments were determined. In addition, the experimental results were examined using some suitable isotherm models, and it was found that the Langmuir isotherm model is more suitable for fitting the results of the considered adsorption process. Finally, the kinetic and thermodynamic behavior of the ChP adsorption onto the FMWCNTs sorbent were considered and the related results indicated that the studied adsorption process is exothermic and exergonic and almost is physical adsorption. In addition, the kinetic results showed that the adsorption of ChP onto the FMWCNTs adsorbent obeys the pseudo-first-order reaction law from the kinetic point of view.

Marital infidelity affects the physical and mental health of couples, especially women. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of compassion-based education on emotional turbulence in women with marital infidelity. The method of the present study was quasi-experimental with unequal control group design. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all women referring to counseling centers in Isfahan with the experience of marital infidelity in 2019, the exact number of which was not available. Thirty patients were selected using purposive non-random sampling and randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups. In order to assess emotional turbulence, a questionnaire on difficulty in regulating emotion was used by Granfsky et al. (2001). Compassion training was performed for 8 sessions of 90 minutes for the experimental group and the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed by multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance as well as Benferoni test and R software version 4.0.2 (psych, CTT, jmv packages). Findings showed that compassion-based education has a significant effect on reducing emotional turbulence(p

In recent years, there has been significant development in microfluidic devices for cell separation and sorting using acoustic methods in biomedical applications. The acoustic interparticle force (AIF) or the secondary acoustic radiation force arises from particle interactions with the scattered field of other particles, influencing particle motion at close ranges and facilitating optimal trapping and separation. This study analyzes a two-particle system consisting of a fixed particle and a white blood cell (WBC) within a standing acoustic field and creeping flow using fluid-structure interaction (FSI). To reduce computational costs by decoupling the acoustics and FSI, the acoustic pressure equation was solved on the frequency domain to calculate the total acoustic radiation force in each time step. Model accuracy was assessed by evaluating interparticle (AIF) and primary acoustic radiation force (ARF) on a polystyrene particle and comparing simulation results to analytical and experimental data. Results demonstrate the precise primary ARF computation, with discrepancies in AIF attributed to viscous losses near the particle surface. Moreover, the higher density of the fixed particle compared to WBCs induces significant acoustic interparticle attraction at close distances. Consequently, cell entrapment occurs through strong attraction and collision with fixed aluminum and silicon particles in creeping flow in all three Reynolds numbers 1.4 × 10−3, 2.1 × 10−3, and 3 × 10−3. Increasing Reynolds numbers augment the likelihood of cell separation from the fixed particle. These findings contribute to optimizing cell isolation and entrapment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Traditional methods for predicting patient outcomes rely heavily on the physical characteristics of tumors. Our research aims to develop a new, simple risk score that uses three specific molecular markers found in tumor tissues. By examining the presence and levels of these markers, we hope to better predict which patients have a higher risk of poor outcomes. This can help doctors make more informed decisions about treatment options. Our findings may lead to improved survival rates by identifying high-risk patients who need more aggressive treatment and sparing low-risk patients from unnecessary procedures. Introduction: Several new molecular markers in colorectal carcinomas have been discovered; however, classical histopathological predictors are still being used to predict survival in patients. We present a novel risk score, which uses molecular markers, to predict outcomes in patients with colorectal carcinoma. Methods: The immunohistochemistry of tissue micro arrays was used to detect and quantify H2BUB1, RBM3 and Ki-67. Different intensities of staining were categorized for these markers and a score was established. A multivariate analysis was performed and survival curves were established. Results: 1791 patients were evaluated, and multivariate analysis revealed that our risk score, the 3-biomarker classifier, is an independent marker to predict survival. We found a high risk-score to be associated with dismal median survival for the patients. Conclusions: A more personalized score might be able to better discriminate low- and high-risk patients and suggest adjuvant treatment compared to classical pathological staging. Our score can serve as a tool to predict outcomes in patients suffering from colorectal carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe meltdown of a fuel rod is a severe accident resulting from the overheating of the reactor core. In the present study, a numerical investigation of this process, focusing on the loss of coolant has been conducted. The objective of this study is to conduct a numerical simulation of transient heat conduction and melting at various points within a typical pressurized water reactor fuel rod. In this analysis, heat conduction in the radial direction of a fuel rod, including the UO2 fuel pellet, the gap, and the zircaloy cladding, is investigated. The FRAPCON steady-state code is employed to calculate the operational parameters of the fuel rod. The calculated parameters, such as coolant and fuel temperatures, fission gas fraction, gap heat transfer coefficient, and burnup, are utilized to evaluate and compare the melting phenomena at different time intervals.In the investigation of the phase change in various parts of the pellet and fuel rod, the explicit finite difference (FD) method is utilized with enthalpy instead of temperature-dependent equations. Finally, the temperature history, phase change, and melting map at different points along the radial and axial directions of the fuel rod during coolant loss and heat transfer coefficient reduction are evaluated based on various operating parameters of the core. To enhance the quality of the results, an uncertainty analysis of effective parameters is conducted.According to this analysis, the heat transfer coefficient of the coolant under accident conditions (0.2 ± 5% kWm−2K−1) and the thermal conductivity of the fuel have the most significant impact on the temperature history and melting process. Highlights include the following:1. The meltdown of a nuclear fuel rod is analyzed under a loss-of-coolant accident.2. The enthalpy formula is discretized by the explicit FD numerical method.3. Effective parameters in melting, such as coolant temperature, burnup, and gap heat transfer coefficient, are obtained by FRAPCON.4. The temperature history, phase changes, and melting map of various radial points within the fuel pellet and cladding along the axial direction of the fuel rod are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Collecting live sand flies from indoor sites is a major challenge for researchers in large cities due to the reluctance of families to survey their homes. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of two methods for col­lecting sand flies for use in susceptibility tests in the urban area of Kerman, southeastern Iran. Methods: Sandflies were mainly collected using both baited traps and hand catch methods from outdoor and indoor sites. Susceptibility tests were separately done according to the standard World Health Organization testing protocol on Phlebotomus sergenti, including 60-minute exposure to DDT 4.0%, propoxur 0.1%, deltamethrin 0.05%, and malathion 5.0%. Results: During this research, the natural habitats and suitable indoor sites were selected to predict the density of live sand fly with perfect accuracy. The number of live Ph. sergenti caught by hand catch and baited traps methods was 42 and 361 in indoor and outdoor sites, respectively. The mortality rate of Ph. sergenti exposed to DDT 4%, deltamethrin 0.05, malathion 5%, and propoxur was 100%. Conclusion: The baited traps showed a significant efficiency compared to hand catch for collecting live Ph. sergenti for use in susceptibility tests in urban areas. The Ph. sergenti collected from both indoor and outdoor sites were suscep­tible to all insecticides.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between professional ethics of university professors and their job satisfaction and self-efficacy beliefs. This study was a correlational study. The statistical population of this study included all full-time faculty members of the Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch in the academic year 2018-2019, 120 individuals. Based on Morgan table, a sample of 92 persons was determined and selected by available sampling method. Data collection tools were Riggs & Knight (1994) General Self-Efficacy Scale, Cadozier Professional Ethics Scale (2002), and Job Satisfaction Questionnaire by Abu Bakr et al. (2017). Data analysis using Pearson correlation coefficient method showed that there is a relationship between professional ethics of university professors and their job satisfaction and self-efficacy beliefs (P

Purpose: There are number of reports available regarding defensins activity against mammalian cells besides their antimicrobial and immune regulatory activities. This study aims to investigate anticancer and apoptosis activity of the purified defensins from leukodepletion filters alone or in synergism with bacterial peptide, nisin, on prostate and colorectal cancer. Methods: Leucoflex LCR-5 filters were backflushed by an optimized elution system. Isolated granulocytes were sonicated and the supernatant treated before further purification by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). SDS-PAGE and western blot testing verified the fraction. Cell culture on PC-3 (human prostate adenocarcinoma), and HCT-116 (human colorectal carcinoma) were conducted following by MTT assays in addition to annexin flow cytometry for sole and synergistic effects with peptide nisin. Results: Viable and active neutrophils could recover, and α-defensins were extracted and purified. Combinations of an optimal dose of α-defensins and nisin showed a remarkable synergistic effect on cancer cell lines (over 90% and 70% for PC-3 and HCT-116, respectively). Conclusion: It also observed that less than 40% of both cells could survive after co-treatment with optimal dose. Also, apoptosis was increased after treatment by these peptides together. Annexin Vpositive populations significantly increased in percentage in comparison with control.