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Introduction: Carbamazepine is commonly used in a variety of indications. Poisoning by this drug, can lead to coma, seizures, cardiac disorders and respiratory distress. The treatment of poisoning is generally supportive. Method: 68 poisoned patients with carbamazepine, who referred to poisoning ward of Loghman Hospital, from July 2003 to September 2004, were studied. These patients were investigated for demographic details, complications and types of treatment. Patients were grouped into two, receiving either single dose of activated charcoal (30patients) or multiple doses of activated charcoal (38patients). Results: 58.8%of patients were female and 41.2% were male, the average age being 24.2 years old. The most obvious clinical symptom was a decreased level of consciousness, in 69% of cases. Therapeutically, those taking multiple doses of charcoal, were about 24 hours faster in recovery from clinical symptoms and leaving the hospital than other patients. Conclusion and Recommendation: The results of this study are compatible with previous ones. Factors like education for suitable management, good care and psychiatric consult have important roles in prevention and treatment. Furthermore, administration of repeated doses of charcoal is therapeutically very important.

Key Clinical Message Patients with a history of persistent mesenteric ischemia should not undergo laparoscopy. Mesenteric ischemia must be kept in mind for patients who develop nonspecific abdominal symptoms following laparoscopic surgeries. Abstract During laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), the rise in Intra‐Abdominal Pressure due to carbon dioxide insufflation can reduce blood flow through splanchnic vessels, potentially leading to intestinal ischemia. A 72‐year‐old woman with a history of diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and hyperlipidemia underwent LC. She was discharged but readmitted 4 days later due to peritonitis. Ischemic jejunum loops were found during surgery.

Abstract Motor signs such as dyspraxia and abnormal gait are characteristic features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, motor behavior in adults with ASD has scarcely been quantitatively characterized. In this pilot study, we aim to quantitatively examine motor signature of adults with ASD without intellectual impairment using marker-less visual-perceptive motion capture. 82 individuals (37 ASD and 45 healthy controls, HC) with an IQ > 85 and aged 18 to 65 years performed nine movement tasks and were filmed by a 3D-infrared camera. Anatomical models were quantified via custom-made software and resulting kinematic parameters were compared between individuals with ASD and HCs. Furthermore, the association between specific motor behaviour and severity of autistic symptoms (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule 2, Autism Spectrum Quotient) was explored. Adults with ASD showed a greater mediolateral deviation while walking, greater sway during normal, tandem and single leg stance, a reduced walking speed and cadence, a greater arrhythmicity during jumping jack tasks and an impaired manual dexterity during finger tapping tasks (p 0.48) compared to HC. Furthermore, in the ASD group, some of these parameters correlated moderately to severity of ASD symptoms. Adults with ASD seem to display a specific motor signature in this disorder affecting movement timing and aspects of balance. The data appear to reinforce knowledge about motor signs reported in children and adolescents with ASD. Also, quantitative motor assessment via visual-perceptive computing may be a feasible instrument to detect subtle motor signs in ASD and perhaps suitable in the diagnosis of ASD in the future.

Abstract Background Imitation of facial expressions plays an important role in social functioning. However, little is known about the quality of facial imitation in individuals with autism and its relationship with defining difficulties in emotion recognition. Methods We investigated imitation and recognition of facial expressions in 37 individuals with autism spectrum conditions and 43 neurotypical controls. Using a novel computer-based face analysis, we measured instructed imitation of facial emotional expressions and related it to emotion recognition abilities. Results Individuals with autism imitated facial expressions if instructed to do so, but their imitation was both slower and less precise than that of neurotypical individuals. In both groups, a more precise imitation scaled positively with participants’ accuracy of emotion recognition. Limitations Given the study’s focus on adults with autism without intellectual impairment, it is unclear whether the results generalize to children with autism or individuals with intellectual disability. Further, the new automated facial analysis, despite being less intrusive than electromyography, might be less sensitive. Conclusions Group differences in emotion recognition, imitation and their interrelationships highlight potential for treatment of social interaction problems in individuals with autism.

BackgroundInstrumented assessment of motor symptoms has emerged as a promising extension to the clinical assessment of several movement disorders. The use of mobile and inexpensive technologies such as some markerless motion capture technologies is especially promising for large-scale application but has not transitioned into clinical routine to date. A crucial step on this path is to implement standardized, clinically applicable tools that identify and control for quality concerns. ObjectiveThe main goal of this study comprises the development of a systematic quality control (QC) procedure for data collected with markerless motion capture technology and its experimental implementation to identify specific quality concerns and thereby rate the usability of recordings. MethodsWe developed a post hoc QC pipeline that was evaluated using a large set of short motor task recordings of healthy controls (2010 recordings from 162 subjects) and people with multiple sclerosis (2682 recordings from 187 subjects). For each of these recordings, 2 raters independently applied the pipeline. They provided overall usability decisions and identified technical and performance-related quality concerns, which yielded respective proportions of their occurrence as a main result. ResultsThe approach developed here has proven user-friendly and applicable on a large scale. Raters’ decisions on recording usability were concordant in 71.5%-92.3% of cases, depending on the motor task. Furthermore, 39.6%-85.1% of recordings were concordantly rated as being of satisfactory quality whereas in 5.0%-26.3%, both raters agreed to discard the recording. ConclusionsWe present a QC pipeline that seems feasible and useful for instant quality screening in the clinical setting. Results confirm the need of QC despite using standard test setups, testing protocols, and operator training for the employed system and by extension, for other task-based motor assessment technologies. Results of the QC process can be used to clean existing data sets, optimize quality assurance measures, as well as foster the development of automated QC approaches and therefore improve the overall reliability of kinematic data sets.

There are few reports on the therapeutic role of colonoscopy in correcting intussusception of childhood. In the present report, 15 children (14 boys and 1 girl) presented with acute intussusception and successfully treated by colonoscopy were presented. The patients were referred to the gastroenterology clinic of Ami-Al-Momenin Hospital, Zabol, Iran from 2015 to 2018. The mean age of the patients was 36.6±28.7 months. After stablishing the diagnosis, they underwent colonoscopic reduction of intussusception by an experienced gastroenterologist. Following 24 hours of the procedure, follow up sonography was performed. Overall, 6 recurrences were identified in 4 (26.7%) patients which were managed by a second colonoscopy. A second recurrence was detected in two patients who finally underwent surgical reduction. Regarding the role of colonoscopy in providing a visual and real-time setting, this can be used as either a primary option or an alternative to radiologic and surgical procedures of intussusception reduction in children.

Abstract Social interaction deficits are evident in many psychiatric conditions and specifically in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but hard to assess objectively. We present a digital tool to automatically quantify biomarkers of social interaction deficits: the simulated interaction task (SIT), which entails a standardized 7-min simulated dialog via video and the automated analysis of facial expressions, gaze behavior, and voice characteristics. In a study with 37 adults with ASD without intellectual disability and 43 healthy controls, we show the potential of the tool as a diagnostic instrument and for better description of ASD-associated social phenotypes. Using machine-learning tools, we detected individuals with ASD with an accuracy of 73%, sensitivity of 67%, and specificity of 79%, based on their facial expressions and vocal characteristics alone. Especially reduced social smiling and facial mimicry as well as a higher voice fundamental frequency and harmony-to-noise-ratio were characteristic for individuals with ASD. The time-effective and cost-effective computer-based analysis outperformed a majority vote and performed equal to clinical expert ratings.

Introduction: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) are skin diseases that affect the quality of life. Although a systematic review on LPP and FFA treatment was published in 2013, further updates are needed. The aim of this study is to review systematically the studies published after the last systematic review.Methods: We searched Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and ISI Web of Science. All the studies published during March 2012-June 2017 were included in this review. Two reviewers separately selected the studies and extracted the data. The results of studies were categorized as unimproved, stabilized, and improved based on the articles reports.Result: Among the 38 studies, 20, 17, and one studies assessed LPP, FFA, and both treatments, respectively. The papers were case reports, case series, cohorts, and randomized controlled trials. Antimalarial agents and pioglitazone resulted in enhancement in 73 and 71% of the LPP patients, respectively. Improvement and stabilization were observed in almost one third of the topical steroid users and 6/12 of Tacrolimus/Pimecrolimus users in LPP. Improvement and stabilization in FFA was found in 68% of the individuals using antimalarial agents, 83% of intralesional steroid users, all cases of finasteride users, and 95% of the people utilizing dutasteride.Conclusion: Contrary to the previous systematic review, we found antimalarial agents more effective than steroids in LPP. Finasteride/dutasteride may have favorable impacts on FFA. Intralesional steroids showed to be more effective than antimalarial agents in FFA. Still further studies are needed in order to define a treatment protocol. Low quality and heterogeneity of the articles were among the limitations for making a conclusion.

Abstract Background Forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3) is an important factor for development and function of Regulatory T cells (Treg). Studies have found an association between common gene polymorphisms in FoxP3 and some infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible associations between two Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter of the FoxP3 gene to susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) and the alteration of Foxp3 gene expression. Methods The pattern distribution of genotype at two position, −3279 A > C (rs3761548) and −924 A > G (rs2232365) on the promoter of FoxP3 gene was evaluated using polymerase chain reaction-single specific primer (PCR-SSP) method in 183 tuberculosis patients and 183 healthy control. In addition the quantity of FoxP3 gene expression at mRNA level was identified by the real-time PCR. Results The frequency of G allele at −924 A > G was significantly higher was higher in TB patients (59.5%) than control group (39.5%) (P ≤ 0.05). In addition, our data viewed approximately 5- folds more FoxP3 gene expression in female patients with GG genotype in comparison to female healthy cases with the same genotype (P ≤ 0.001). There was no statistically significant differences between the distribution pattern of −3279 A > C polymorphism in patients and healthy individuals along with it effect on the FoxP3 gene expression among both groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions Our outcome suggests that the −924 A > G polymorphism leads to enhance FoxP3 gene expression and susceptibility to tuberculosis in the sex dependent manner. This event may rise the count of Treg cells and modulate the immune response against tuberculosis.

Hot spots are among the most serious operational issues in furnaces as they may result in the destruction of tubes. Hence, it is essential to locate such hot spots precisely on the tube surfaces inside the industrial furnaces in order to secure a safe design and operation. In the current study, we have extended the model proposed by Talmor in order to precisely locate the combustion hot spots on the surface of the tubes inside process furnaces with arbor coils. These furnaces are mostly used in catalytic reforming units. The Talmor model is one of the best models for analyzing combustion hot spots on the tube surfaces of industrial furnaces. This model is developed by considering the furnace geometry and arrangement (tube arrangements and burner positions). In the current paper, we have derived and extended the equations formulated by Talmor for furnaces with arbor coil. As the second step, a specific furnace already installed in a catalytic conversion unit of a refinery has been selected for the sake of modeling. The modeling of the preceding furnace was completed using the code prepared for this purpose. The results have been used not only for analyzing the hot spots but also to model the heat flux profile inside the furnace. Upon modeling the furnace, the location of the hot spot on the 20th coil was predicted which was consistent with the experimental results.

Background and aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different etching times on enamel color stability after immediate versus delayed exposure to colored artificial saliva (CAS). Materials and methods. Human first premolars were divided into five groups of twenty. A colorimeter was used according to the CIE system on the mid-buccal and mid-lingual surfaces to evaluate initial tooth color. Samples in group A remained unetched. In groups B to E, buccal and lingual surfaces were initially etched with phosphoric acid for 15 and 60 seconds, respectively. Then, the samples in groups A and C were immersed in colored artificial saliva (cola+saliva). In group B, the teeth were immersed in simple artificial saliva (AS). Samples in groups D and E were immersed in AS for 24 and 72 hours, respectively before being immersed in colored AS. The teeth were immersed for one month in each solution before color measurement. During the test period, the teeth were retrieved from the staining solution and stored in AS for five minutes. This was repeated 60 times. Color changes of buccal and lingual surfaces were calculated. Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests were used for statistical analysis (α ≤ 0.05). Results. There were no significant differences between the groups in term of ΔE of buccal (P = 0.148) and lingual surfaces (P = 0.73). Conclusion. Extended time of etching did not result in significant enamel color change. Immediate and delayed exposure of etched enamel to staining solutions did not result in clinically detectable tooth color changes.

Background: It has been suggested that moderate shrimp consumption in normolipidemic subjects will not adversely affect the overall lipoprotein profile. Hence, shrimp consumption can be included in “healthy heart" nutritional guidelines. However, the effects of cultured shrimp on serum lipoproteins of normal subjects have not yet investigated. Material and Methods: Twenty-five healthy normolipidemic men who were workers of a shrimp farm in Bushehr province participated in a quasi-experimental study. In a crossover six weeks trial, the effect of three days per week diet (containing 300 g cultured shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei /day) on serum lipid profile was compared with a zero-marine baseline diet. Results: After six weeks trial, serum triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol levels were not significantly changed from the baseline levels (p>0.05). However, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels, total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol ratios were significantly increased (p

This is a case of a patient with bowel obstruction , imaging studies were suggestive for pneumatosis intestinalis. Clinically diagnosed as adhesion band and pnematosis intestinalis. She underwent laparatomy, enterolysis, obstructionolysis and enterorrhaphy. The patient developed respiratory distress and expired after 2 days. At autopsy we found gray-brown discoloration in the wall of some part of small bowel and flattening of mucus membrane. Grossly multiple gas-filled cysts were seen at the serosal surface. Microscopic evaluation of small intestine wall showed multiple cysts located in submucosal and serosal layers.

Background: Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis is an exceptionally rare pattern of metastases in genitourinary cancer, described in less than 0.1% of cases. We report two cases of patients with metastatic urothelial cancer who initially responded to enfortumab vedotin (EV) before developing leptomeningeal metastases., Case Presentation: Case 1: A 55 year-old man was diagnosed with metastatic urothelial carcinoma. He was initially treated with cisplatin/gemcitabine chemotherapy, followed by second-line pembrolizumab, with progression on both of these regimens. He was started on EV therapy and had a sustained partial response. After 12 cycles of treatment, he developed neurologic symptoms with imaging showing extensive leptomeningeal metastases. A lumbar puncture was performed with cytology positive for metastatic carcinoma. Case 2: A 63 year-old man was diagnosed with metastatic urothelial carcinoma. He received 6 cycles of platinum/gemcitabine chemotherapy followed by avelumab maintenance, after which he developed radiographic progression. He was started on EV therapy and developed a complete radiographic response. After 13 cycles of treatment, he developed neurologic symptoms and imaging revealed extensive leptomeningeal disease. Cytology confirmed metastatic urothelial carcinoma., Conclusion: This uncommon pattern of spread observed in two patients treated with EV in short succession represents a potentially significant and novel pattern of progression within this population., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Fishbein, Nappi, Mortazavi and Eigl.)

Objective . Kilohertz (kHz) frequency stimulation has gained attention as a neuromodulation therapy in spinal cord and in peripheral nerve block applications, mainly for treating chronic pain. Yet, few studies have investigated the effects of high-frequency stimulation on the performance of the electrode materials. In this work, we assess the electrochemical characteristics and stability of sputtered iridium oxide film (SIROF) microelectrodes under kHz frequency pulsed electrical stimulation. Approach . SIROF microelectrodes were subjected to 1.5-10 kHz pulsing at charge densities of 250-1000 μ C cm -2 (25-100 nC phase -1 ), under monopolar and bipolar configurations, in buffered saline solution. The electrochemical behavior as well as the long-term stability of the pulsed electrodes was evaluated by voltage transient, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. Main results . Electrode polarization was more pronounced at higher stimulation frequencies in both monopolar and bipolar configurations. Bipolar stimulation resulted in an overall higher level of polarization than monopolar stimulation with the same parameters. In all tested pulsing conditions, except one, the maximum cathodal and anodal potential excursions stayed within the water window of iridium oxide (-0.6-0.8 V vs Ag|AgCl). Additionally, these SIROF microelectrodes showed little or no changes in the electrochemical performance under continuous current pulsing at frequencies up to 10 kHz for more than 10 9 pulses. Significanc e. Our results suggest that 10 000 μ m 2 SIROF microelectrodes can deliver high-frequency neural stimulation up to 10 kHz in buffered saline at charge densities between 250 and 1000 μ C cm -2 (25-100 nC phase -1 )., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Diaporthe (anamorph: Phomopsis ) species are endophytes or fungal pathogens for many different plant species. Soybean ( Glycine max ) can be infected by many different Diaporthe species; among them, D. caulivora and D. longicolla are responsible for the most significant damages. Diaporthe goulteri is a species that was only recently described and has so far been found on sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ) in Australia and an unknown host in Thailand. Here, we report isolation of D. goulteri from soybean in southern Germany, molecular species identification, and additional morphological description. We also show that D. goulteri can infect soybean and describe the symptoms we observed, both on the plant where the isolate came from and following artificial inoculation.

The design and characterization of thin-film ribbon cables as electrical interconnects for implanted neural stimulation and recording devices are reported. Our goal is to develop flexible and extensible ribbon cables that integrate with thin-film, cortical penetrating microelectrode arrays (MEAs). Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) and polyimide were employed as the structural elements of the ribbon cables and multilayer titanium/gold thin films as electrical traces. Using photolithography and thin-film processing, ribbon cables with linear and serpentine electrical traces were investigated. A cable design with an open lattice geometry was also investigated as a means of achieving high levels of extensibility while preserving the electrical function of the cables. Multichannel ribbon cables were fabricated with 50 mm lengths and metallization trace widths of 2-12 μm. The ribbon cables tolerate flexural bending to a radius of 50 μm with no change in trace impedance but tolerate less than 5% tensile elongation without trace failure. Ribbon cables with a lattice structure exhibit 300% elongation without failure. The high elongation tolerance is attributed to a lattice design that results in an out-of-plane displacement that avoids fracture or plastic deformation. Extensible ribbon cables underwent up to 50,000 tensile elongation cycles to 45% extension without failure. An electrical interconnect process using through-holes in the distal gold bond pads of the ribbon cables was used to connect to an a-SiC-based MEA. The electrical connection was created by stenciling a conductive epoxy into the through-holes, bridging metallization between the traces, and MEA. The interconnect was tested using a ribbon cable connected to an a-SiC MEA implanted acutely in rat cortex and used to record neuronal activity. These highly flexible and extensible ribbon cables are expected to accommodate large extensions and facilitate cable routing during surgical implantation. They may also reduce tethering forces on implanted electrode arrays, potentially improving chronic neural recording performance.

Various terms are used to describe non-malignant tissue located in the proximity of a tumor, belonging to the organ from which the tumor originated. Traditionally, these tissues, sometimes called "normal adjacent tissue" have been used as controls in cancer studies, and were considered representative of morphologically healthy, non-cancerous tissue. However, with the advancement of OMIC technologies, such tissues are increasingly recognized to be distinct from both tumor and healthy tissues. Furthermore, properties, characteristics, and role of these tissues in cancer formation and progression is increasingly studied. In order to make future research in this area more harmonized and more accessible, as well as to counter the widespread perception of normalcy, we are advocating the need for standardized naming convention. For this purpose, we propose the use of neutral and comprehensive term "Peritumoral Tissue" along with the acronym "PTT". While significant amount of data on these tissues are publicly available, reuse of such data remains limited due to a lack of information on sample collection procedures. In order to facilitate future reuse of the data, we suggest a list of features that should be documented during sample collection procedures. These recommendations can aid the definition of Standard Operating Procedures., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Key Clinical Message: Patients with a history of persistent mesenteric ischemia should not undergo laparoscopy. Mesenteric ischemia must be kept in mind for patients who develop nonspecific abdominal symptoms following laparoscopic surgeries., Abstract: During laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), the rise in Intra-Abdominal Pressure due to carbon dioxide insufflation can reduce blood flow through splanchnic vessels, potentially leading to intestinal ischemia. A 72-year-old woman with a history of diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and hyperlipidemia underwent LC. She was discharged but readmitted 4 days later due to peritonitis. Ischemic jejunum loops were found during surgery., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The simultaneous involvement of the pleura and peritoneum with tuberculosis in the absence of pulmonary foci is an uncommon condition that may lead physicians to misdiagnose., Case Presentation: Herein, we present a Persian male adult who manifested with epigastric pain, weakness, and a history of pleuritic chest pain two months prior to admission. The findings of the physical examination included vital signs within the normal range, unilateral fine crackle in the lung, abdominal distension with positive shifting dullness, and fluid wave test. Analysis of the ascitic fluid revealed a Serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) of less than 1.1g/dl, indicating a non-portal condition. The results of the acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining as well as the TB polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test were negative. However, the adenosine deaminase (ADA) level was 44 IU/L. A chest CT scan revealed mediastinal lymph node enlargement and pleural thickening with loculated pleural effusion. Three acid-fast bacilli smear of morning sputum were sent, and all three were negative. An abdominopelvic CT scan showed multiple periaortic and mesenteric lymph nodes of varying sizes with mesenteric haziness and accumulation of effusion in the peritoneal cavity. Eventually, peritoneal biopsy, the gold standard, was performed, which revealed multiple granulomatous lesions and areas of caseous necrosis surrounded by Langerhans giant cells and epithelioid cells., Conclusion: It is worth noting that in cases of ascites and pleural thickening, especially in patients with poor socioeconomic status, simultaneous pleural and peritoneal TB should be considered, especially in third-world countries., Competing Interests: The authors claim no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s).)

Recent genomic characterisation of translocating Escherichia coli HMLN-1 isolated from mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) and blood of a patient with a fatal case of pancreatitis revealed the presence of a type 6 secretion system (T6SS) that was not present in non-translocating E. coli strains. This strain was also genomically similar to adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) LF82 pathotype. We aimed to identify the role of T6SS-1 in the pathogenesis of this strain and other pathogenic E. coli . The HMLN-1 strain was initially tested for the presence of six virulence genes (VGs) associated with AIEC strains and an iron sequestering system. Additionally, HMLN-1's interaction with a co-culture of Caco-2:HT29-MTX cells and its intra-macrophagic survival was evaluated. We subsequently screened a collection of 319 pathogenic E. coli strains isolated from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI), diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and septicaemia for the presence of T6SS-1 and its expression related to adhesion, invasion and translocation via the above co-culture of the intestinal cell lines. The results showed that HMLN-1 harboured four of the AIEC-associated VGs ( dsb A, htr A, omp C and afa C). Screening of the pathogenic E. coli collection detected the presence of the T6SS-1 genes in septicaemic and UTI E. coli strains at a significantly higher level than diarrhoea and IBD strains ( p < 0.0001). The high expression of T6SS-1 in E. coli HMLN-1 upon adhesion and invasion, as well as its high prevalence among extra-intestinal E. coli strains, suggests a role for T6SS-1 in the pathogenesis of translocating E. coli .

Adipocyte-cancer cell interactions promote tumor development and progression. Previously, we identified adipsin (CFD) and its downstream effector, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), as adipokines that enhance adipocyte-breast cancer stem cell interactions. Here, we show that adipsin-dependent adipocyte maturation and the subsequent upregulation of HGF promote tumor invasion in breast cancers. Mature adipocytes, but not their precursors, significantly induced breast tumor cell migration and invasion in an adipsin expression-dependent manner. Promoters of tumor invasion, galectin 7 and matrix metalloproteinases, were significantly upregulated in cancer cells cocultured with mature adipocytes; meanwhile, their expression levels in cancer cells cocultured with adipocytes were reduced by adipsin knockout (Cfd KO) or a competitive inhibitor of CFD. Tumor growth and distant metastasis of mammary cancer cells were significantly suppressed when syngeneic mammary cancer cells were transplanted into Cfd KO mice. Histological analyses revealed reductions in capsular formation and tumor invasion at the cancer-adipocyte interface in the mammary tumors formed in Cfd KO mice. These findings indicate that adipsin-dependent adipocyte maturation may play an important role in adipocyte-cancer cell interaction and breast cancer progression., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Floods are among the natural hazards that have seen a rapid increase in frequency in recent decades. The damage caused by floods, including human and financial losses, poses a serious threat to human life. This study evaluates two machine learning (ML) techniques for flood susceptibility mapping (FSM) in the Gamasyab watershed in Iran. We utilized random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), ensemble models, and a geographic information system (GIS) to predict FSM. The application of these models involved 10 effective factors in flooding, as well as 82 flood locations integrated into the GIS. The SVM and RF models were trained and tested, followed by the implementation of resampling techniques (RT) using bootstrap and subsampling methods in three repetitions. The results highlighted the importance of elevation, slope, and precipitation as primary factors influencing flood occurrence. Additionally, the ensemble model outperformed both the RF and SVM models, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9, a correlation coefficient (COR) of 0.79, a true skill statistic (TSS) of 0.83, and a standard deviation (SD) of 0.71 in the test phase. The tested models were adapted to available input data to map the FSM across the study watershed. These findings underscore the potential of integrating an ensemble model with GIS as an effective tool for flood susceptibility mapping., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Mutation spectra and mutational signatures in cancerous and non-cancerous tissues can be identified by various established techniques of massively parallel sequencing (or next-generation sequencing) including whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing, and more recently by error-corrected/duplex sequencing. One rather underexplored area has been the genome-scale analysis of mutational signatures as markers of mutagenic exposures, and their impact on cancer driver events applied to formalin-fixed or alcohol-fixed paraffin embedded archived biospecimens. This review showcases successful applications of the next-generation sequencing methodologies in archived fixed tissues, including the delineation of the specific tissue fixation-related DNA damage manifesting as artifactual signatures, distinguishable from the true signatures that arise from biological mutagenic processes. Overall, we discuss and demonstrate how next-generation sequencing techniques applied to archived fixed biospecimens can enhance our understanding of cancer causes including mutagenic effects of extrinsic cancer risk agents, and the implications for prevention efforts aimed at reducing avoidable cancer-causing exposures., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: Children with intellectual disability (ID) often face challenges in maintaining proper oral hygiene due to their motor, sensory, and intellectual impairments, which can lead to compromised oral health; therefore, there is a need to enhance the oral health status of these populations and establish an effective system for administering preventive interventions. Here, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax among children with ID in Lorestan province, in Western Iran through parasitological and molecular methods., Methods: The current descriptive investigation involved 215 in children with ID and 215 healthy children (non-ID) who were referred to health facilities in Lorestan province, Iran between October 2022 and March 2024. The prevalence of protozoa in the oral cavity was found through the utilization of both microscopic analysis and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques., Results: The total prevalence of the E. gingivalis and T. tenax in children with ID was found to be 87 (40.5%) and 92 (42.8%) through microscopic and PCR methods, respectively. Among the positive samples, 57 (61.9%) and 35 (38.1%) children tested positive for E. gingivalis and T. tenax , respectively. In contrast, among the 215 non-ID children in the control group, 39 (18.1%) and 42 (19.5%) tested positive by microscopic and PCR methods, respectively. Among positive samples in non-ID children, 23 (54.7%) and 19 (45.3%) children were positive for E. gingivalis and T. tenax , respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that residing in urban areas, parental education, monthly family income, and tooth brushing p<0.001) were identified as independent risk factors for oral cavity parasites., Conclusion: This study identified a notable prevalence of oral cavity parasites in children with ID in Lorestan province, Western Iran. It is imperative to recognize the primary risk factors associated with these parasites, particularly inadequate teeth brushing, in order to enhance public and oral health strategies for children with ID. Therefore, pediatric dental professionals should remain vigilant regarding these risk factors to effectively recognize and address oral health issues in this population, thereby mitigating the occurrence of oral diseases and infections., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Selahbarzin, Mahmoudvand, Khalaf, Kooshki, Farhadi and Baharvand.)

Engineering the genetic code of an organism provides the basis for (i) making any organism safely resistant to natural viruses and (ii) preventing genetic information flow into and out of genetically modified organisms while (iii) allowing the biosynthesis of genetically encoded unnatural polymers 1-4 . Achieving these three goals requires the reassignment of multiple of the 64 codons nature uses to encode proteins. However, synonymous codon replacement-recoding-is frequently lethal, and how recoding impacts fitness remains poorly explored. Here, we explore these effects using whole-genome synthesis, multiplexed directed evolution, and genome-transcriptome-translatome-proteome co-profiling on multiple recoded genomes. Using this information, we assemble a synthetic Escherichia coli genome in seven sections using only 57 codons to encode proteins. By discovering the rules responsible for the lethality of synonymous recoding and developing a data-driven multi-omics-based genome construction workflow that troubleshoots synthetic genomes, we overcome the lethal effects of 62,007 synonymous codon swaps and 11,108 additional genomic edits. We show that synonymous recoding induces transcriptional noise including new antisense RNAs, leading to drastic transcriptome and proteome perturbation. As the elimination of select codons from an organism's genetic code results in the widespread appearance of cryptic promoters, we show that synonymous codon choice may naturally evolve to minimize transcriptional noise. Our work provides the first genome-scale description of how synonymous codon changes influence organismal fitness and paves the way for the construction of functional genomes that provide genetic firewalls from natural ecosystems and safely produce biopolymers, drugs, and enzymes with an expanded chemistry., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare competing financial interests. A.N. is an inventor on a patent related to directed evolution with random genomic mutations (DIvERGE) (US10669537B2: Mutagenizing Intracellular Nucleic Acids) that has been outlicensed. Harvard Medical School has filed provisional patent applications related to this work on which A.N. and G.M.C. are listed as inventors. Q.Z., M.W., M.L., A.J., K.C., Z.L., and F.H. are employed by GenScript USA Inc., but the company had no role in designing or executing experiments. G.M.C. is a founder of GRO Biosciences and EnEvolv (now part of Ginkgo Bioworks), in which he has related financial interests. Other potentially relevant financial interests of G.M.C. are listed at http://arep.med.harvard.edu/gmc/tech.html.

We report co-occurrence of emphysematous cystitis and emphysematous pyelonephritis (EC/EPN) in a 64-year-old female with poor-controlled diabetes mellitus (DM) that presented with flank pain, fever, and hematuria that turned out to have a bilateral extrarenal pelvis. On examination, she was feverish, and the costovertebral angle was tender. By considering herhemoglobin A1C, her DM was out of control. Inflammatory markers elevated. Renal function tests were impaired. Urine culture was positive for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Escherichia coli. Computed tomography scans (CT) confirmed the presence of air in the bladder and renal pelvis in favor of EC and unilateral EPN. We planned to use conservative treatments. Promptly intravenous antibiotics started; thereafter, the renal pelvis was drained via percutaneous catheter, and the bladder was drained via foley catheter, as well. After 14 days of hospitalization, clinical status improved, urine culture got negative, and emphysema in follow-up CT images wholly regressed. To our knowledge, co-occurrence of emphysematous cystitis (EC) and emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) in a patient with an extra renal pelvis never happened. We tend to convey messages, including (1) the extrarenal pelvis may contribute to predisposing the patient to pyelonephritis if it is considerably large; (2) the conservative plan and observation was a successful experience in treating extrarenal pelvis patients with EC/EPN., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Nephrology.)

Background: The change of condyle position following orthognathic surgery affects the stability of treatments. This study aims to assess the correlation between the amount of condyles' position change and the severity of mandibular asymmetry following BSSO., Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Subjects with asymmetric mandibular prognathism following BSSO were studied. Subjects were classified into 2 groups: group 1, subjects had mandibular asymmetry without occlusal cant and underwent BSSO. Group 2, subjects had mandibular asymmetry with occlusal cant and underwent BSSO+ Lefort I osteotomy. The condyle position was evaluated using cone-beam computer tomography (CBCT). Pearson's correlation test was used to assess any correlation between the condyle changes and the change in the mandible in sagittal and anterior-posterior directions., Results: A total of 44 subjects were studied. In group 1, the condyle tilted outward in the deviated condyle and inward in the non-deviated condyle immediately after osteotomy. After 12 months, both condyles showed a rotation relative to the original position. In group 2, the condyles of the deviated sides and non-deviated sides moved inferiorly after surgery (condylar sagging), which was more significant in the non-deviated sides. The condyle rotation was similar to group 1. The severity of asymmetry and occlusal cant correlate with the condylar position change in the two groups., Conclusion: The severity of mandibular asymmetry correlates with the amount of condyles' position change immediately after BSSO. However, the condyles tend to return to their original position 12 months later., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.)

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is the cardiac visceral fat depot proposed to play a role in the etiology of various cardiovascular disease outcomes. Little is known about EAT determinants in a general population. We examined cardiometabolic, dietary, lifestyle and socioeconomic determinants of echocardiograpghically measured EAT in early adulthood. Data on cardiometabolic, dietary, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors were collected from participants of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS; N = 1667; age 34-49 years). EAT thickness was measured from parasternal long axis echocardiograms. Multivariable regression analysis was used to study potential EAT determinants. Possible effect modification of sex was addressed. Mean EAT thickness was 4.07 mm (95% CI 4.00-4.17). Multivariable analysis [β indicating percentage of change in EAT(mm) per one unit increase in determinant variable] indicated female sex (β = 11.0, P < 0.0001), type 2 diabetes (β = 14.0, P = 0.02), waist circumference (cm) (β = 0.38, P < 0.0001), systolic blood pressure (mmHg) (β = 0.18, P = 0.02) and red meat intake (g/day) (β = 0.02, P = 0.05) as EAT determinants. Sex-specific analysis revealed age (year) (β = 0.59, P = 0.01), alcohol intake (drinks/day) (β = 4.69, P = 0.006), heavy drinking (yes/no) (β = 30.4, P < 0.0001) as EAT determinants in women and fruit intake (g/day) (β = -1.0, P = 0.04) in men. In the YFS cohort, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure and red meat intake were directly associated with EAT among all participants. In women, age, alcohol intake, heavy drinking and type 2 diabetes associated directly with EAT, while an inverse association was observed between fruit intake and EAT in men., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Here, in a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study meta-analysis of kidney cancer (29,020 cases and 835,670 controls), we identified 63 susceptibility regions (50 novel) containing 108 independent risk loci. In analyses stratified by subtype, 52 regions (78 loci) were associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and 6 regions (7 loci) with papillary RCC. Notably, we report a variant common in African ancestry individuals ( rs7629500 ) in the 3' untranslated region of VHL, nearly tripling clear cell RCC risk (odds ratio 2.72, 95% confidence interval 2.23-3.30). In cis-expression quantitative trait locus analyses, 48 variants from 34 regions point toward 83 candidate genes. Enrichment of hypoxia-inducible factor-binding sites underscores the importance of hypoxia-related mechanisms in kidney cancer. Our results advance understanding of the genetic architecture of kidney cancer, provide clues for functional investigation and enable generation of a validated polygenic risk score with an estimated area under the curve of 0.65 (0.74 including risk factors) among European ancestry individuals., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

International differences in the incidence of many cancer types indicate the existence of carcinogen exposures that have not yet been identified by conventional epidemiology make a substantial contribution to cancer burden 1 . In clear cell renal cell carcinoma, obesity, hypertension and tobacco smoking are risk factors, but they do not explain the geographical variation in its incidence 2 . Underlying causes can be inferred by sequencing the genomes of cancers from populations with different incidence rates and detecting differences in patterns of somatic mutations. Here we sequenced 962 clear cell renal cell carcinomas from 11 countries with varying incidence. The somatic mutation profiles differed between countries. In Romania, Serbia and Thailand, mutational signatures characteristic of aristolochic acid compounds were present in most cases, but these were rare elsewhere. In Japan, a mutational signature of unknown cause was found in more than 70% of cases but in less than 2% elsewhere. A further mutational signature of unknown cause was ubiquitous but exhibited higher mutation loads in countries with higher incidence rates of kidney cancer. Known signatures of tobacco smoking correlated with tobacco consumption, but no signature was associated with obesity or hypertension, suggesting that non-mutagenic mechanisms of action underlie these risk factors. The results of this study indicate the existence of multiple, geographically variable, mutagenic exposures that potentially affect tens of millions of people and illustrate the opportunities for new insights into cancer causation through large-scale global cancer genomics., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The ability to create efficient artificial enzymes for any chemical reaction is of great interest. Here, we describe a computational design method for increasing the catalytic efficiency of de novo enzymes by several orders of magnitude without relying on directed evolution and high-throughput screening. Using structural ensembles generated from dynamics-based refinement against X-ray diffraction data collected from crystals of Kemp eliminases HG3 ( k cat / K M 125 M -1 s -1 ) and KE70 ( k cat / K M 57 M -1 s -1 ), we design from each enzyme ≤10 sequences predicted to catalyze this reaction more efficiently. The most active designs display k cat / K M values improved by 100-250-fold, comparable to mutants obtained after screening thousands of variants in multiple rounds of directed evolution. Crystal structures show excellent agreement with computational models, with catalytic contacts present as designed and transition-state root-mean-square deviations of ≤0.65 Å. Our work shows how ensemble-based design can generate efficient artificial enzymes by exploiting the true conformational ensemble to design improved active sites.

This research provides a glimmer of hope that the knockout of HCP5 leads to a therapy response to considerably prolong the life of patients with OC. RT-PCR evaluated the expression of lncRNA HCP5 in the ovarian cancer OVCAR-3 cell line. CRISPR knockout cell lines validated by western blot. Small genomic deletions at the targeted locus were induced. CCK-8 colony formation assays were used to analyze the effect of HCP5 knockout on the proliferation capacity of OVCAR-3 cells. Transwell migration and invasion assayed. Furthermore, the Sphere-formation assay isolated the most aggressive population of cancer stem cells. Bioinformatic analysis showed a significant correlation between lncRNA HCP5 up-regulation and OVCAR-3 cell proliferation. The ChIP technique assesses specific sites of interaction between transcription factors and DNA. Real-time PCR assays explored the relationship between HCP5, Hsa-miR-9-5p, CXCR4, CDH1, caspase-3, p53, bcl2 and survivin. PCR carried out amplification of the 448-bp band for sgRNA1 and sgRNA2 after the use of particular primers for HCP5. the number of breast cancer cells that moved to the bottom chamber reduced considerably after transfection with PX461-sgRNA1/2 vectors compared to the Blank control groups (P < 0.05). MTT assay designated growth curves that showed the rate of OVCAR-3 growth was significantly repressed (***P < 0.001) when compared with control OVCAR-3 cells after HCP5 knockdown. Also, the survival results of W.T cells in 24, 48 and 72 h showed 92%, 87% and 85%, respectively. This is while the cells of the CRISPR/Cas9 group in which LncRNA HCP5 was knocked out had 42% (*P < 0.05), 23%(**P < 0.01) and 14% (**P < 0.01) survival, respectively. The expression levels of caspase-3, Hsa-miR-9-5p, P53 genes in the HCP5 deletion of CRISPR/Cas9 group significantly increased than the W.T. control group; the deletion group showed a considerable reduction in HCP5 expression compared to the blank control group (3.6-fold, p < 0.01). Whereas BCL2, SURVIVIN, CXCR4, CDH1 genes expression markedly increased than in HCP5 knockout cells (5.8-fold, p < 0.05). These results indicate that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated HCP5 disruption on OVCAR-3 cell lines promotes anti-tumor biomarkers, suppressing ovarian cancer progression. Consistent with these results, HCP5 is one of the most critical lnc for the efficient proliferation and migration of OVCAR-3 cell lines., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Large-scale biorepositories and databases are essential to generate equitable, effective, and sustainable advances in cancer prevention, early detection, cancer therapy, cancer care, and surveillance. The Mutographs project has created a large genomic dataset and biorepository of over 7,800 cancer cases from 30 countries across five continents with extensive demographic, lifestyle, environmental, and clinical information. Whole-genome sequencing is being finalized for over 4,000 cases, with the primary goal of understanding the causes of cancer at eight anatomic sites. Genomic, exposure, and clinical data will be publicly available through the International Cancer Genome Consortium Accelerating Research in Genomic Oncology platform. The Mutographs sample and metadata biorepository constitutes a legacy resource for new projects and collaborations aiming to increase our current research efforts in cancer genomic epidemiology globally., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests M.R.S. is founder of, consultant to, and stockholder in Quotient Therapeutics. L.B.A. is a compensated consultant and has equity interest in io9, LLC, and Genome Insight. His spouse is an employee of Biotheranostics, Inc. L.B.A. is also an inventor of a US patent 10,776,718 for source identification by non-negative matrix factorization. L.B.A. declares US provisional applications with serial numbers 63/289,601; 63/269,033; and 63/483,237. L.B.A. also declares US provisional applications with serial numbers 63/366,392; 63/367,846; 63/412,835; and 63/492,348., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The gastrointestinal tract's microbiota plays a crucial role in human health, with dysbiosis linked to the development of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Whilst the pathogenic mechanisms underlying IBD remain poorly characterised, adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) has been implicated as a microbiological factor in disease pathogenesis. These strains show an enhanced ability to diffusely adhere to and invade intestinal epithelial cells, along with the ability to survive and replicate within macrophages. Probiotics, such as Lactobacillus strains, have been identified as potential treatment options due to their abilities to compete with pathogens for binding sites and regulate the host immune response. In this study, we used four well-characterised Lactobacillus strains and their combination to test their ability to inhibit the adhesion, invasion, and translocation of a well-characterized AIEC strain, F44A-1, in a co-culture of Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cell lines representing the gut epithelium. The results demonstrated that the pre-inoculation of the probiotic candidates 90 min prior to the introduction of the AIEC was more effective in inhibiting AIEC interaction than the co-inoculation of the strains. While the individual probiotic strains greatly reduced AIEC colonisation and invasion of the co-cultured cells, their combination was only more effective in reducing the translocation of the AIEC. These results suggest that probiotics are more effective when used prophylactically against pathogens and that the combination of strains may enhance their efficacy against AIEC translocation once used as a prophylactic measure.

The discovery of novel structural classes of antibiotics is urgently needed to address the ongoing antibiotic resistance crisis 1-9 . Deep learning approaches have aided in exploring chemical spaces 1,10-15 ; these typically use black box models and do not provide chemical insights. Here we reasoned that the chemical substructures associated with antibiotic activity learned by neural network models can be identified and used to predict structural classes of antibiotics. We tested this hypothesis by developing an explainable, substructure-based approach for the efficient, deep learning-guided exploration of chemical spaces. We determined the antibiotic activities and human cell cytotoxicity profiles of 39,312 compounds and applied ensembles of graph neural networks to predict antibiotic activity and cytotoxicity for 12,076,365 compounds. Using explainable graph algorithms, we identified substructure-based rationales for compounds with high predicted antibiotic activity and low predicted cytotoxicity. We empirically tested 283 compounds and found that compounds exhibiting antibiotic activity against Staphylococcus aureus were enriched in putative structural classes arising from rationales. Of these structural classes of compounds, one is selective against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci, evades substantial resistance, and reduces bacterial titres in mouse models of MRSA skin and systemic thigh infection. Our approach enables the deep learning-guided discovery of structural classes of antibiotics and demonstrates that machine learning models in drug discovery can be explainable, providing insights into the chemical substructures that underlie selective antibiotic activity., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: As the prevalence of tramadol toxicity is increasing, managing these patients with the aim of treatment and complete recovery has become a major challenge for health care professionals., Objective: This study evaluated the short-term effects of IV lipid emulsion (ILE) administration in cases of tramadol poisoning., Methods: In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 120 patients with pure tramadol poisoning and a Glasgow Coma (GCS) score ≤ 12 referred to a poisoning center in Tehran, Iran were selected and randomly assigned 1:1 to receive ILE 20% (intervention) or 0.9% saline (control) after admission and primary stabilization. The patient's vital signs, GCS score, hospitalization duration, and rate of seizure occurrence were recorded and compared between the two groups., Results: Mean (SD) age of participants was 25.3 (5.4) years and 84 (70%) were male. Mean (SD) ingested dose of tramadol was 3118 (244) mg, which was not different between the groups. Compared with controls, the ILE group had a higher level of consciousness after treatment (median [interquartile range] GCS score 12 [10-13] vs. 10 [8-12]; p = 0.03). In addition, length of hospitalization (median [interquartile range] (2 [1-3] days vs. 4 [4-6] days; p < 0.01) and rate of seizure occurrence were lower in the intervention group (16/60 vs. 30/60; p < 0.01)., Conclusions: In the setting of tramadol poisoning with a decreased level of consciousness and based on our study's findings, administration of ILE is suggested to help manage patients in hospital emergency departments. However, larger trials might be needed to confirm these findings before entering the guidelines., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Tehran, the capital city of Iran, has been facing air pollution for several decades due to rapid urbanization, population growth, improper vehicle use, and the low quality of fuels. In this study, 31 indoor dust samples were collected passively from residential and commercial buildings located in the central and densely populated districts of the city. These samples were analyzed after preparation to measure the concentration of elements (As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, V, Zn). Statistical data analyses were employed to compare their relationship across various uses, variations, and for source identification. Geochemical indices of contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) were utilized to evaluate the degree of contamination. The mean concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Pb (938, 206, and 176 µg g -1 , respectively) are 6, 5, and 3 times higher than their mean values in worldwide urban soils. Additionally, Cd, Mo, and Ni showed concentrations about 1.5 times higher, while As, Co, Cr, Mn, and Sr fell within the range of reference soils. Be, V, and Sb displayed remarkably lower mean values. Building use did not significantly influence element levels in indoor deposited dust except for Pb and Zn. A comparison of indoor concentrations with previously published data for outdoor dusts revealed higher enrichments of Mo, Cu, Pb, and Ni, while As, Cd, and Zn showed lower enrichments in street dust samples. The order of CF values indicated Hg > Zn > Cd > Pb > Cu > As > Ni > Cr > Co > V. For Hg, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Cu, all or almost all samples exhibited very high contamination. PLI values were consistently higher than 1, indicating contamination in all samples. Multivariate statistical analysis and Tehran's specific geological location suggested that mafic-intermediate volcanic rocks are primary sources for Cr, Cu, Fe, and Ni (PC1). As, Pb, and V (PC2) were attributed to fossil fuel combustion in vehicles and residential buildings. Pb is a legacy metal remaining from the use of leaded gasoline, which was phased out in the 1990s. Zn (PC3) is derived from vehicle tires., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially affected people and healthcare systems. One of the main challenges was the reduction and change in the pattern of non-COVID-19 diseases and conditions. Moreover, due to the mental burden of the pandemic, the trend of poisonings and abuses changed. In this study, we aimed to assess the trends of poisonings from different agents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using the interrupted time series method. This study was conducted at one of the main Tehran referral centers for poisoning, Baharloo Hospital. Pre-COVID-19 period was defined as April 2018 to January 2020 while the COVID-19 time was from February 2020 to March 2022. The total number of monthly poisoning cases in addition to eight categories of drugs/substances/agents were identified, including drugs (such as psychiatric drugs, cardiovascular drugs, and analgesics), opioids, stimulants, methanol, ethanol, cannabis, pesticides, and carbon monoxide. Interrupted time series analysis was performed to compare the pre-pandemic trend of total monthly cases from each category in addition to the proportion (%) of each one. In total, 13,020 cases were poisoned during the study period, among which 6088 belonged to the pre-pandemic period and 6932 were admitted during the COVID-19 era. There was no significant difference in terms of demographic characteristics of patients before and during the pandemic (p-value > 0.05). At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a sudden fall in the number of poisoning patients (- 77.2 cases/month, p-value = 0.003), however, there was a significant increasing trend during the COVID time (3.9 cases/month, p-value = 0.006). Most of the categories had a sharp decrease at the beginning of the pandemic except for methanol and ethanol which had increases, although not significant. Cannabis also had a significant change in slope (- 0.6 cases/month, p-value = 0.016), in addition to the sudden decrease at the beginning of the pandemic (- 10 cases/month, p-value = 0.007). Regarding the proportion of each category from total monthly poisoning cases, methanol, and ethanol had immediate rises of 4.2% per month and 10.1% per month, respectively (both significant). The pandemic had significant effects on the pattern of poisonings from different agents in Iran, the most important of which were alcohol (ethanol and methanol). These differences had policy implications that can be helpful for policymakers and healthcare systems in combating similar situations in the future., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Aim: The extensive utilization of 2-phenylbenzothiazole due to their wide array of biological activities, particularly in cancer therapy, has caused great attention to explore more potent derivatives. Materials & methods: We report the synthesis of 2-phenylbenzothiazole tagged 1,2,3-triaozle (8) through Cu(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition of alkyne side chain with aryl-substituted azides. Results: The in vitro experiments, using MTT and 99mTc-MIBI cell uptake methods, demonstrated the remarkable anticancer activity of these compounds against A549, SKOV3 and MCF7 cell lines. Conclusion: Compounds 8b , 8f and 8i possessed high cytotoxic activity as compared with doxorubicin. Compound 8g has a similar inhibitory effect on the proliferation of breast cancer cells as doxorubicin. In silico study indicated that compound 8 would be a good lead for the development of new potent anticancer agents.

Background: Due to the heterogeneity of breast cancer, most advanced-stage patients are resistant to therapy. Disruption of SUMOylation, a post-translational modification, is linked to breast cancer., Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of thymoquinone nanoparticles (Liposomal-TQ), an anti-cancer drug, combined with doxorubicin (DXR), the most effective chemotherapeutic drug used to treat breast cancer, on the expression of SENP2 and SENP6, two major components involved in the SUMOylation process, in normal and cancerous breast cell lines., Materials and Methods: The MCF7 cell line, a breast cancer cell line, and MCF10, a non-tumor epithelial cell line, were separately treated with Liposomal-TQ and DXR. Cell viability and cell migration were assessed using MTT and scratch tests. Apoptosis analysis was performed using annexin-V/PI staining. Gene expression analysis of SENP2 and SENP6 was conducted using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Additionally, the scratch test evaluated the anti-cell migratory effect of Liposomal-TQ., Results: The findings obtained from RT-qPCR analysis indicated a significant increase in the expression of SENP2 and SENP6 genes in the TQ and DXR treatment groups compared to the control group in MCF7 but not in MCF10 cell lines (p-value < 0.05). Also, after 24 hours of treatment of MCF7 and MCF10 cells with liposomal-TQ, late apoptotic cells were significantly increased compared to the control and liposome groups (p-value < 0.0001) and compared to the control group, both DXR and Liposomal-TQ dramatically reduced the migratory ability of breast cancer cells (p-value = 0.001 and p-value = 0.001, respectively)., Conclusion: Our study indicated that Liposomal-TQ promotes apoptosis in breast cancer cells and inhibits cell migration ability. These findings enhance our understanding of the role of Liposomal-TQ in the carcinogenic activities of SENP2 and SENP6 in the SUMOylation pathway of breast cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s); Published by Iranian Journal of Biotechnology.)

Background: Avian coccidiosis is considered among the infectious disease of high cost in the poultry industry. Herbal extracts are safe and reliable substitute anticoccidial drugs for chemical feed additives as they do not sequel to drug resistance and tissue remnants., Objective: The current study aimed to assess the anticoccidial effect of an herbal complex of 3 plants ( Artemisia annua , Quercus infectoria , and Allium sativum ) in broiler chickens compared to toltrazuril anticoccidial., Methods: This experiment used one hundred twenty broiler chickens and divided them into four equally numbered groups. All the groups, except group (D), were experimentally infected with mixed Eimeria spp. ( E . tenella , E. maxima , E. necatrix and E. brunetti ) on day 14. Group (A) was treated with a herbal mixture, containing 75% Quercus infectoria with a minimum of 30% total tannin, 16% Artemisia annua with a minimum of 0.02% artemisinin, and 9% Allium sativum with a minimum of 0.4% total phenol contents. Group (B) was treated with toltrazuril. Group (C) did not have any treatment. Group (D) was healthy all the experiment period as a negative control group. During a 42-day breeding period, the study examined clinical signs, weight gains, feed conversion ratio, lesions scoring, casualties, and the number of oocysts in different bird groups., Results: Group (D) showed the most significant weight gain, indicating the economic damage caused by coccidiosis. The best feed conversion ratio was observed in the unchallenged group, and coccidiosis negatively affected it in other groups. Clinical signs of dysentery, diarrhea, and lethargy were seen post-challenge but improved with treatment. Group (D) showed no losses; others had casualties and coccidiosis lesions. Lesion scores were lowest in the group (D), and the herbal mixture improved performance. The herbal mixture and toltrazuril reduced oocyst counts in feces earlier than the untreated group., Conclusion: In conclusion, the anticoccidial activity of the mentioned herbal complex recommends its use as an alternative anticoccidial agent to chemotherapeutic drugs for controlling coccidiosis., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)