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BackgroundRecurrent abortion refers to a condition of two or more consecutive pregnancies without known etiology affected by miscarriage before the completion of the 20th week of gestational age. However, several hypotheses have been proposed, but not much data are available concerning the relationship between human platelet antigens (HPAs) polymorphisms and recurrent abortion. This study was conducted to evaluate the genetic differences between HPA-1, −2, −3, −5, and − 15 in Iranian couples with a history of recurrent abortion.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, a total of 74 couples with at least 2 recurrent abortions without any known specified reasons enrolled in the study. HPA polymorphisms genotyping was performed by single-specific primer PCR. Genotype frequency was calculated using the Hardy–Weinberg equation.ResultsA total of 39 couples (52.7%) had HPA genotyping partial mismatches. The most common partial mismatch pairs were found concomitantly on both HPA-15a and HPA-15b in three couples (4%), followed by two (2.7%) on HPA-3a and one (1.3%) in each HPA-2b and HPA-5b. There was a deviation from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in the HPA-2 and -5 systems.ConclusionThe present study declared that partial mismatches of HPA-3 and -15 genotypes were common among Iranian couples due to the history of recurrent abortion and approximately half of the couples carried at least one HPA gene that was absent in their partners. Further studies might be helpful to clarify the association between HPA polymorphisms and recurrent abortion, such as an investigation into the alloantibodies against HPAs.

This study employs friction stir processing to create a surface alloy using Al1050 aluminum as the base material, with Cu powder applied to enhance surface properties. Various parameters, including tool rotation speed, feed rate, and the number of passes, are investigated for their effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the resulting surface alloy. The evaluation methods include tensile testing, microhardness measurements, and metallographic examinations. The initial friction stir alloying pass produced a non-uniform stir zone, which was subsequently homogenized with additional passes. Through the plasticization of Al1050, initial agglomerates of copper particles were compacted into larger ones and saturated with aluminum. The alloyed samples exhibited up to an 80% increase in the strength of the base metal. This significant enhancement is attributed to the Cu content and grain size refinement post-alloying. Additionally, machine learning techniques, specifically Genetic Programming, were used to model the relationship between processing parameters and the mechanical properties of the alloy, providing predictive insights for optimizing the surface alloying process.

Background: Coronavirus disease was associated with a high risk of mortality, especially among patients with underlying diseases. Effective treatments against Covid-19 could complement vaccination efforts worldwide. Methods: To determine the efficacy of Sitagliptin in the treatment of COVID-19. Randomized clinical trial study with a control group that was conducted on 40 covidd-19 patients. Block randomization method was used. The participants were divided into two groups (group A receiving Sitagliptin tablet at dose of 50 mg BID for 10 days and the group B receiving standard treatment without sitagliptin). Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation, ratio, frequency table and percentage were used to describe the data, and chi-square test, independent t test and one- way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. SPSS v. 25 software was used for data analysis. The significance level in the tests was considered 0.05. Results: A significant difference was observed between the improvements of the total clinical score in the two groups, so that the people who used Sitagliptin received a higher clinical score; On the other hand, among the 20 patients who were in the control group, 18 patients were discharged from the hospital on the 7th day or earlier. Sitagliptin has an anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic and antiapoptotic properties; such effects may be beneficial in reducing risks of COVID-19. Conclusions: Sitagliptin also provides good safety and fair benefits to reduce mortality among DM patients with COVID-19.

In the realm of advanced materials engineering, the development of hybrid nanocomposites has garnered significant attention due to their superior mechanical properties and potential applications. The primary aim of this research is to develop a surface hybrid nanocomposite using Al1050 aluminium alloy (5 mm thickness) as the base material through friction stir processing. B _2 O _3 nano-powder, averaging 100 nm in size, and Cu micro-powder, averaging 5 μm in size, were incorporated into the aluminium surface in various volume ratios using the Friction Stir Processing (FSP). The processing parameters included a tool rotational speed of 1250 rpm, a feed rate of 50 mm min ^−1 , and a tilt angle of 3°. The number of passes was set at two levels: 1 and 3 passes. The influence of the volume ratio of constituents and the number of passes on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the resulting composite was thoroughly explored. The samples underwent tensile tests, microhardness tests, and metallographic examinations using both Optical Microscopy (OM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM). The composite with 25%-B _2 O _3 -75%-Cu composition exhibited the highest stress and hardness values, measuring 139 MPa and 58.14 HV, respectively. The enhanced strength of this sample is attributed to the presence of additives and the resultant grain size.

Abstract Inflammatory biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) are measured to estimate the effects of air pollution on humans. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between particulate matter and inflammatory biomarkers in blood plasma and exhaled air in young adults. The obtained results were compared in two periods; i.e., winter and summer. GRIMM Dust Monitors were used to measure PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 in indoor and outdoor air. A total of 40 healthy young adults exhaling air condensate were collected. Then, biomarkers of interleukin-6 (IL-6), Nitrosothiols (RS-NOs), and Tumor necrosis factor-soluble receptor-II (sTNFRII) were measured by 96 wells method ELISA and commercial kits (HS600B R&D Kit and ALX-850–037-KI01) in EBC while interleukin-6 (IL-6), sTNFRII and White Blood Cell (WBC) were measured in blood plasma in two periods of February 2013 (winter) and May 2013 (summer). Significant association was found between particulate matter and the white blood cell count (p

Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract

An increasing trend in the incidence of allergic diseases including asthma and related morbidity and mortality is observed worldwide during the last decades. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is suggested for the treatment of some allergic diseases; nevertheless, there is always a menace of uncommon, but life-treating reactions due to increasing the administration of allergen extract doses. Hence, improving its efficacy may reduce the required doses as well as the risk of such reactions. The current study aimed at examining the effects of nicotine (NIC), as a tolerogenic adjuvant, on the improvement of immunotherapy efficacy in a mouse model of allergic asthma. BALB/c mice were sensitized using alum and ovalbumin (OVA) on the days 0 and 7. Mice received OVA either alone or together with NIC (1 or 10 mg/kg) on the days 21, 23, and 25. Then, the mice were challenged with OVA 5% using a nebulizer on the days 35, 38, and 41 and sacrificed the next day. Co-administration of OVA and NIC decreased the inflammation of the lung tissue, eosinophils count in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, the serum level of OVA-specific immunoglobulin E, as well as interleukin (IL)-4 production, while increasing the population of antigen-specific regulatory T-cells (Treg cells) and transforming growth factor-β/IL-4 (TGF-β/IL-4) ratio compared to the OVA and control groups in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, the findings suggest that administration of NIC plus the allergen increased immunotherapy efficacy through decreasing allergic inflammation and allergic responses intensity, and increasing Treg cells population.

In recent years, the topics related to electronic learning have attracted the attention of many scholars. Despite the increasing attention of researchers to the study of electronic learning systems, the focus on outcomes and the results from the use of these systems has been less considered. The present study is designed to investigate the effects of the use of electronic learning systems on its outcomes. To this end, 3 major outcomes from the use of an e-learning system, including learning support, communication with others (social structure), and educational performance, have been investigated, taking into account the mediating role of perceived adaptability. The statistical population of this study is the students of Mehr Alborz University who currently use the electronic learning system. The results of this research indicate a positive and direct relationship between the use of the e-learning system and its outcomes. Also, the mediating role of perceived compatibility factor has been confirmed in this research.

Background: Increased evidences have shown that unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) is associated with inflammatory responses and breakage of immunological autotolerance. Therefore, the balance between Th17 and Treg cells may elucidate the pathophysiology of URSA. Objective: To investigate the serum concentration of regulatory and inflammatory cytokines associated with Treg and Th17 in both normal and URSA females. Methods: Forty-six women with URSA and 28 non-pregnant control women with at least one successful pregnancy were included. Serum was obtained from both groups and stored at -70°C. The serum concentrations of IL-17, IL-21, IL-22, IL-10, and TGF-β were quantitatively determined by ELISA. Results: The levels of IL-17, IL-21, and IL-22 in sera were significantly higher (P

Background: COVID-19 is responsible for the latest pandemic. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) is one of the cellular receptors of interest for coronavirus. The aim of this study was to assess the roles of DPP-4 inhibitors in prognosis of COVID-19 infection in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed in 2020 in military medical centers affiliated to AJA University of Medical Sciences in Tehran on 220 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were admitted in medical centers with COVID-19 infection. We collected demographic data of patients including age, gender, drug history, usage of DPP-4 inhibitors, clinical presentations at the time of the first visit, and the disease outcome including hospitalization duration and need for respiratory assist. Results: The study population consisted of 133 males (60.5%) and 87 females (39.5%), with a mean age of 66.13 ± 12.3 years. Forty-four patients (20%) consumed DPP-4 inhibitors (sitagliptin and linagliptin). Patients who were treated with DPP-4 inhibitors required less oxygen (O2) therapies compared to other cases (76.7% vs. 88.6%, P = 0.04). Patients who were treated with DPP-4 inhibitors had significantly lower hospitalization duration compared to other cases (6.57 ± 2.3 days vs. 8.03 ± 4.4 days, respectively, P = 0.01). There were no significant differences between the two groups of patients regarding survival rates (P = 0.55). Age was a predictive factor for survival (odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.23; P = 0.004). Conclusion: DPP-4 inhibitors could significantly decrease hospitalization days in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were hospitalized for COVID-19. However, DPP-4 inhibitor usage showed no statistically significant impact on survival. Age was the important prognostic factor.

This research aims at associating two groups of demographic and transaction related factors and furthermore, proposes customer churn factor as another influential factor in customer value analysis. To this end, at first, customers' transaction data in a real local ISP in a four year period are utilized for segmentation purpose using k-means method. Regarding service nature of the case, customers' behavior has been considered in terms of customer satisfaction factors. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) indicate that three factors of service quality, expectation confirmation and post-purchasing satisfaction are influential factors. Then, association rules using GRI algorithm are exploited in order to investigate among customers' behaviors and propose appropriate strategies and action plans for each customer segment. Finally, segmentation results are associated with physiographic variables and existence of a significant difference among identified segments is more investigated using one way ANOVA test. The results clarified that expectation confirmation and post- purchasing satisfaction as hygienic factors and service quality as an incentive factor influence customer loyalty.

Information technology tools with its attractions play an important role in the lives of people and makes people to interact closely with these tools, which can lead to a social isolation. This study was designed to determine the possible association between the use of these tools and the youth depression level. To this end, after designing research model, considering the available 390 IT tools such as mobile, social networking sites and computer games, youth users were selected randomly to complete the designed questionnaire and for the purpose of data analysis Partial Least Square (PLS) method was used. The results showed that there is a positive relationship between the use of computer games and depression. However, no significant association was found between the use of mobile phone and depression and also the relationship between the use of social networks and depression level was found to be negative.

Nowadays, with the development of organizations and complexity of business processes, the management and control of such organizations are much more important than before. Therefore, having a determined prospect toward Business Processes Management (BPM) is significant. Since the BPM systems are electronic systems and they are used for supporting, monitoring and managing the processes and other activities in the organization, therefore for preventing misemployment of valuable resources in applying BPM systems and the protection of organization against possible risk of system application, it is necessary to be aware of the critical factors before taking any action. Accordingly, this research paper is conducted to present critical success factors for the implementation of BPM systems in Iran. In this regard, 34 critical factors were identified and presented to the experts through a questionnaire and the answers were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis method. The statistical population consists of managers, experts, suppliers, and developers of information systems having at least 3 years of experience in BPM systems. The designed questionnaires were distributed among the statistical sample and 128 completed questionnaires were returned and analyzed. Finally, 27 key factors categorized into 5 main groups as the following priorities: managerial, organizational, procedural, human-related, and technical. The result of this research can assist the suppliers and the users of BPM systems either in successful application process or confrontation with possible troubles.

Current therapeutic approaches in allergic diseases especially asthma generally focus on using immunological strategies. According to the importance of FceRI in controlling allergic response we used two extracellular regions of Fc epsilon receptor I (FceRI) beta subunit peptides to design two peptide-based vaccines. Probably these peptides vaccines by triggering the immune response to FceRI can reduce the allergic symptoms through blocking the IgE specific receptor. Two extracellular parts of FceRI beta subunit were made by peptide synthesizer and conjugated with keyhole limpet Hemocyanin. These conjugated peptides were used and evaluated as therapeutic vaccines in allergic airway inflammation mouse model. Total IgE and anti ovalbumin specific IgE were measured in mice serum and compared in vaccinated and unvaccinated allergic mice. Histamine, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), IL-4 and IL-13 were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of vaccinated allergic mice versus unvaccinated and histopathologic examination were performed in studied groups. After vaccination of mice with each of the peptide vaccines the specific antibodies titer increased significantly in vaccinated groups versus unvaccinated. In histopathologic study, lavage eosinophil percentage and peribronchial inflammation in lung sections of vaccinated groups was decreased (p

مقدمه: سرطان‌های دستگاه گوارش به خصوص روده‌ی بزرگ یکی از شایع‌ترین علل مرگ و میر در جوامع غربی است. به دلیل تغییر الگوی تغذیه‌ای در جوامع در حال توسعه نیز، این گونه سرطان‌ها در حال افزایش است. امروزه استفاده از طب گیاهی و مکمل، مورد توجه بسیاری از محققین قرار گرفته است. شیرین بیان یک گیاه باستانی در طب گیاهی است که بسیاری از خواص درمانی مانند اثر ضد سرطان و ضد التهابی، برای آن ذکر شده است. در این مطالعه، اثر عصاره‌ی پروتئینی ریشه‌ی شیرین بیان بر رده‌ی سلولی سرطان روده‌ی بزرگ انسانی (29-HT) و سرطان روده‌ی بزرگ موشی (26-CT) در مقایسه با سلول‌های طبیعی (293HEK) بررسی شده است. روش‌ها: ابتدا عصاره‌ی پروتئینی ریشه‌ی شیرین بیان پس از آسیاب کردن ریشه‌ی خشک آن در بافر فسفات سالین (PBS) در دمای اتاق تهیه شد. پس از دیالیز در همین بافر، غلظت پروتئینی آن به روش برادفورد تعیین گردید. رده‌های سلولی 29-HT، 26-CT و 293-HEK در محیط DMEM حاوی 10 درصد سرم گاوی کشت داده شدند و پس از 24 ساعت انکوباسیون در دمای Cᵒ 37، توسط غلظت‌های g/mlµ 25، 50 و 100 عصاره‌ی شیرین بیان تیمار شدند. سمیت سلولی غلظت‌های مختلف شیرین بیان با استفاده از روش MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] بررسی شد. در ادامه، بررسی وقوع آپوپتوز در سلول‌های تیمار شده با استفاده از سیستم فلوسایتومتری مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. یافته‌ها: غلظت‌هایی تا g/mlµ 100 عصاره‌ی پروتئینی، برای تکثیر سلول‌های طبیعی سمی نیستند. در حالی که توان زیستی (Viability) رده‌های سلولی 26-CT، 29-HT و 293-HEK به ترتیب تا 3/29، 5/42 و 0/70 درصد به روش MTT اندازه‌گیری شدند. به علاوه، روش سنجش آپوپتوز با فلوسایتومتری نشان داد که سلول‌های 26-CT، 29-HT و 293-HEK که با غلظت g/mlµ 100 عصاره‌ی پروتئینی تیمار شده بودند، به ترتیب به میزان 00/8 ± 72/47 (026/0 = P)، 21/8 ± 93/34 (056/0 = P) و 50/6 ± 50/17 (070/0 = P) روی سلول‌های سرطانی اثرات مهار کنندگی رشد داشتند و همچنین موجب برانگیختن آپوپتوز در آن‌ها ‌شدند. نتیجه‌گیری: با توجه به نتایج به دست آمده به نظر می‌رسد که عصاره‌ی پروتئینی ریشه‌ی شیرین بیان به عنوان یک داروی مکمل برای مهار رشد سلول‌های سرطانی روده بزرگ مناسب باشد ضمن این که برای تأیید آن، مطالعه‌ی رده‌های سلولی بیشتر مورد نیاز است.

Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) is a complex and costly process which usually results in serious risks. The majority of previous research projects have been conducted in identifying ERP Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in order to identify the main factors enhance success achievement. Project managers' skills of ERP system implementation projects as one of such facilitating factors, are not well studied and its different aspects are discussed in the extant literature. With this in mind, this research aims at studying and identifying the most related project managers' skills of ERP system implementation projects which proposes a classification scheme along with a ranking model. The paper, based on the results of the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) categorizes 18 identified skills into four distinct groups of managerial, project management, human resource and technical. The results of this study have provided a very useful reference for scholars and managers to identify the relevant issues of ERP implementation projects managers' skills.

Nowadays, many organizations take Business Intelligence (BI) systems to improve their decision making processes. Although many organizations adopted BI systems, not all implementations are successful. This paper seeks to identify critical success factors (CSFs) that impact on successful implementation of BI systems in organizations. So, at first, through literature reviews, 26 success factors were identified. After that a questionnaire has been developed and then filled by domain experts who had at least three years of experience in ITIL implementation and consultation in Iran. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) has been used for data analysis, which finally classified critical success factors into four groups named as “organizational”, “human”, “project management”, and “technical”. The results of this study provide a very useful reference for scholars and managers to identify the relevant issues of BI projects in Iran.

Nowadays a growing number of implementing informationtechnology service management (ITSM) frameworks proves the trends toimprove the IT services and processes in organizations. In order toimplement an ITSM projects successfully in an organization, it isessential to select a suitable ITSM solution. Evaluation and selection ofthe ITSM software packages is complicated and time consuming decisionmaking process. Selection of inappropriate ITSM solution can turn out tobe costly and adversely affects IT processes and services of theorganization. This paper presents a model for dealing with such aproblem, which is based on fuzzy TOPSIS approach. The presented ITILbased model breaks down ITSM solutions selection criteria into twobroad categories namely functional (service strategy, service design,service transition, service operation, continual service improvement) andnon-functional requirements (quality, technical, vendor, implementation)including totally 46 selection criteria. Finally, a numerical example isgiven in an IT service provider company to demonstrate the application ofthe proposed model.

ر The concept of organizational culture is one of the most important organizationalbehavior theories which is also being considered as one of the key critical successfactors of ERP implementation projects. However, this concept is somehowoverlooked in academic research. Hence, the paper tries to articulate therelationship between the two concepts. The study has been implemented in a fieldstudy manner within Iranian companies which have implemented a reputableinternational ERP and had at least nine months of system life. The questionnairetool has also been applied for data gathering in eight real cases. ConfirmatoryFactor Analysis (CFA) using Lisrel and multiple regression method using SPSShave been exploited for data analysis which as a result, all of the five researchhypotheses are statistically supported. In addition, it is implied that thecooperation culture in organizations has the most significant relationship withERP implementation success followed by risk tolerance culture in the second rank.Regarding research results, it seems necessary that it is crucial for managers toimprove their ERP system success level through improving their organizationalculture and plan some actins for this done.

Nowadays, many organizations took Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices in the field of IT service management to improve their service management related processes. Although, many organizations adopted ITIL, not all ITIL implementations are successful. With this in mind, this paper seeks to identify critical success factors (CSFs) that impact on successful implementation of ITIL V3 in organizations based on a mixed approach. So, at first, with the semi structured interviews and literature reviews, 22 success factors were identified. After that a questionnaire developed and sent to domain experts. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) have been used for data analysis, which finally classified critical success factors in five groups named as “organizational”, “human”, “project management”, “managerial” and “process centric”. The results of this study have provided a very useful reference for scholars and managers to identify the relevant issues of ITIL projects in Iran

Background: Immunotherapy with paternal lymphocytes plays an important role in preventing recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and is an effective treatment for it. This kind of treatment is performed as an immunotherapy method in several centers in the world. It attributes to the production of anti-paternal cytotoxic antibodies (APCAs) in women with RSA. Production of APCA after lymphocyte immunotherapy (LIT) in RSA patients gives them a better chance for successful pregnancy. Regarding the important effect of trace elements on the function of the immune system, we tried to investigate the correlation between serum zinc level and the success of LIT in RSA. Materials and Methods: Serum zinc concentration was determined in two groups of RSA patients using atomic absorption spectrophotometer systems. Group (a) that responded to the paternal lymphocytes and their cross-match test was positive, and group (b) that had no response to the paternal lymphocytes immunizations and their cross-match test was negative. Results: Serum zinc levels in group (a) patients were 74.98 ± 11.88 μg/dl, which was significantly higher than those in group (b) with the zinc concentration of 64.22 ± 9.22 μg/dl. Conclusions: Zinc deficiency may be one of the substantial causes of negative results for LIT in RSA patients. Therefore, compensation of zinc defect before LIT can be a promising approach to improve the immune response in patients.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is used in numerous applications and offers a plethora of interesting potential new applications. However, this potential raises issues that require addressing to achieve its widespread acceptance by consumers. This paper investigated the factors that affect consumer acceptance of RFID technology using the technology acceptance model (TAM). To this end, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed among Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) students and gathered data were analyzed using multivariable linear regression method. The results proposed that convenience, culture, and regulation were the principal factors influencing the consumers’ acceptance of RFID. The results of the paper can provide insight to organizations in providing RFID enabled products to their customers and also facilitated its development in the society.

It is aimed to evaluate the actual anti-cancerous effects of metformin on cancer cells in hypoxic condition. Non-cancerous cells (HEK293) and cancer cells (MCF-7) were cultured in both hypoxia and normoxia conditions and treated with different concentrations of metformin. The proliferation, apoptosis, and necrosis rate were assessed using MTT test and Annexin V assay. The S6K1 phosphorylation was assessed using western blotting. Zymography was used to measure the activity of metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Metformin treatment inhibited proliferation of cancer cells in the optimal concentration of 10 mM under hypoxia condition, while it showed no effects on non-cancerous cell viability. The statistical analysis of MTT assay indicated that the pro-apoptotic function of metformin for cancer cells under hypoxia condition compared to normoxia was significant with different metformin concentrations (p

Cytokines have been introduced as critical inducers in the development of Th subpopulations.Cytokines like IL-10 are involved in inducing regulatory T cells such as Type 1 regulatory T (Tr1) cells cells. IL-22 is a member of IL-10 family of cytokines, and IL-28A is a member of IFN-γ family. In this study, cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) from normal healthy individuals were isolated by Ficoll and then naïve T cells were purified by CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T cell Isolation kit. The effect of these two cytokines on production of IL-5, TGF-β, IL-10, IL-4 and IFN-γ cytokines from cord blood T cells was investigated to identify Tr1 cells as well as Th1 and Th2 polarization. Flow cytometric analysis showed that IL-28A and IL-22 were not effective in expression of IL-5 and TGF-β either alone or in synergy, but in view of IL-10, IL-4 and IFN-γ, the results showed that IL-22 increased IL-10 and IL-4 but had a decreasing effect on IFN-γ. The results showed that IL-28A was not effective in increasing or decreasing the level of IL-10, IL-4 and IFN-γ. Therefore, according to these results, IL-22 and IL-28A were not effective in inducing Tr1 cells.

Introduction: The Subject of Knowledge, as one of the most valuable sources of every organization, has recently gained more importance in businesses and industries, especially in governmental organizations. Therefore, this study aimed to explore and prioritize the most important subjects in the field of hospital management to be documented in knowledge management system of the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Methods: In 2010 and in an applied study, university professors in the field of health management who had passed mini master of business administration (MBA) courses in the Ministry of Science were included. The number of the subjects was estimated as 45 people. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data. For assuring the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, content validity, face validity, and test-retest reliability methods were applied. Data from 30 questionnaires was analyzed using binomial and Friedman tests in SPSS. Results: Having in depth studies on the literature and the conducted interviews, 70 preliminary hospital management subjects were identified. A total of 29 subjects were finalized and embedded in the questionnaire. The results of binomial test indicated high importance of 26 subjects which implied their importance in documentation in the hospital knowledge management system. This study not only identified important subjects in hospital management, but also prioritized the importance of each factor in a ranked order. Strategic management in hospitals, total quality management, and participative management and leadership were identified as the 3 most important hospital management issues. Conclusion: Identifying and prioritizing hospital management subjects will help managers to allocate their limited financial, human, and time resources to the most important subjects that should be documented in knowledge management systems. Such a method would prevent losing knowledge after the highly experienced hospital managers leave the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Keywords: Knowledge; Hospitals; Hospital Administration; Knowledge Management.

Magnesium (Mg) is the second most abundant intracellular cation and is involved in numerous physiological functions, including protein folding, intracellular signaling and enzyme catalysis. It has been shown that magnesium deficiency exacerbates pulmonary airways hyperreactivity. Several studies suggest that magnesium level has no effect on asthma but others had shown a contributory effect. Because of its intracellular abundance٫ the aim of this study was to determine if there was any difference in plasma and intracellular Mg concentrations of children with acute asthma compared to non asthmatic children. Twenty nine patients with acute asthma aged 2 to11 years admitted to the emergency department of hospital and 37 non asthmatic children with the same age were included in our study. 0.5 mL of heparinized whole blood samples of patients who were meeting inclusion criteria at the onset of admission with bronchoconstriction and before using any medication was drawn and it was immediately sent to the laboratory. Plasma and erythrocytes were separated and stored at -20Ċ and later their Mg levels were quantified with atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. The average plasma and intracellular magnesium levels in patients were (0.79 ± 0.098 mmol/L) and (1.17 ± 0.27 mmol/L) respectively. Results of 37 non asthmatic persons [plasma (0.85 ± 0.1 mmol/L ) and erythrocytes (1.33 ± 0.21 mmol/L)] showed that there was no significant difference between plasma Mg levels in two groups (p 0.06) but intracellular magnesium level was significantly lower (p 0.03) in patients group. These results indicate that intracellular Mg level may be a more accurate method to assess Mg level in patients with asthma. Hence, determination of Mg concentration in erythrocytes may be used in evaluation of asthma pathophysiology. There are recommendations for using intravenous Mg sulfate in acute asthma, and this study supports the rational for using it in emergency departments for acute severe asthma.