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Abstract This study aimed to investigate the activation of error-prone DNA repair pathway in response to Helicobacter pylori infection. Relative changes in the expression levels of genes involved in the non-homologous end-joining pathway (NHEJ) in H. pylori-infected (Cases) and non-infected patients (Controls) with chronic gastritis were measured. A significant increase in the relative expression level of TP53, and significant decrease in the relative transcription of lncRNA LINP1 and XRCC5 were detected in the case group. The transcription of Lig4 and XRCC6 was increased in the case group, which was not statistically significant. The Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient analysis showed a significant positive-correlation between the transcriptional levels of LINP1 and XRCC4/XRCC5/Lig4, and between XRCC5 and TP53/Lig4 both in the case and control groups. Moreover, a significant positive correlation between LinP1 and XRCC6 in the case, and a significant positive correlation between XRCC4 and Lig4, and a negative correlation between TP53 and LinP1/XRCC4/XRCC5 in the control group was detected. Although a relative difference was detected in transcriptional levels of the NHEJ gene mediators, downregulation of LinP1 in H. pylori-infected patients proposed the activation of a negative feedback loop, which may interfere with the NHEJ activity at the early stages of gastritis.

Abstract Background Congenital toxoplasmosis occurs when a pregnant woman becomes infected with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) for the first time. Treatment typically involves antimicrobial medications, with spiramycin commonly used to prevent transmission. However, spiramycin's effectiveness is limited due to poor placental penetration. Clindamycin, another antibiotic, can cross the placenta but reaches the fetus at only half the maternal concentration. Encapsulating the drug in chitosan-coated niosomes (Cs-Nio) could enhance its effectiveness by targeting specific organs and ensuring sustained release. To address the challenges of using clindamycin, a niosome-coated chitosan system was investigated for treating congenital toxoplasmosis caused by the VEG strain of T. gondii in an animal model. Methods Pregnant mice were infected with VEG strain of T. gondii on the 12th day of pregnancy, followed by treatment with various drugs across six groups. The treatments included chitosan-coated niosomes loaded clindamycin (Cs-Nio-Cli) and other controls. Parasitological evaluations (microscopic examination and real-time PCR), along with histopathological and immunological assessments were conducted to assess treatment efficacy. Finally, statistical analysis was conducted using GraphPad Prism 8.0 and SPSS 26, comparing test and control groups with T test and Mann–Whitney test. A p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The study found that treatment with Cs-Nio-Cli significantly reduced the number of T. gondii cysts in the brain and eyes (97.59% and 92.68%, respectively) compared to the negative control group. It also mitigated inflammatory changes, prevented cell death, and reduced vascular cuffs in the brain. In addition, Cs-Nio-Cli treatment decreased bleeding, placental thrombosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the placenta while improving eye tissue health by reducing retinal folds and bleeds. Immunologically, nanoclindamycin treatment resulted in lower TNF-α cytokine levels and higher IL-10 levels, indicating an enhanced anti-inflammatory response. Conclusions Although Cs-Nio-Cli demonstrates promise in reducing the transmission of congenital toxoplasmosis and mitigating the effects of congenital toxoplasmosis, additional research is necessary to determine the optimal treatment regimens for the complete eradication of the parasite in the fetus.

Abstract Dietary intake plays a pivotal role in ulcerative colitis (UC) initiation and prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a combined Mediterranean, low-FODMAP diet accompanied with partial enteral nutrition (PEN) on clinical and para-clinical characteristics of patients with UC. Fifty patients with active mild to moderate UC were received either a combined diet or a regular diet for 6 weeks. Before and after the intervention, disease activity index, quality of life and some inflammatory and oxidative stress factors were measured using valid and reliable questionnaires and blood sampling. Disease activity index was significantly decreased in the combined diet group in comparison to control diet group (p = 0.043), and baseline data (p

Toxoplasma gondii infections in small mammals are important because they serve as source of infection for the felids who excrete environmentally resistant oocysts in their feces. Here, the authors sought evidence for T. gondii infection in shrews and rodents in Armenia for the first time. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in tissues of trapped animals using a specific PCR targeting gene with a non-coding fragment length of 529 bp. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in 15 out of 137 (10.9%) samples from small mammals from 6 different localities of Armenia for the first time.

BackgroundDespite significant research done on youth experiencing homelessness, few studies have examined movement patterns and digital habits in this population. Examining these digital behaviors may provide useful data to design new digital health intervention models for youth experiencing homelessness. Specifically, passive data collection (data collected without extra steps for a user) may provide insights into lived experience and user needs without putting an additional burden on youth experiencing homelessness to inform digital health intervention design.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore patterns of mobile phone Wi-Fi usage and GPS location movement among youth experiencing homelessness. Additionally, we further examined the relationship between usage and location as correlated with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.MethodsA total of 35 adolescent and young adult participants were recruited from the general community of youth experiencing homelessness for a mobile intervention study that included installing a sensor data acquisition app (Purple Robot) for up to 6 months. Of these participants, 19 had sufficient passive data to conduct analyses. At baseline, participants completed self-reported measures for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]) and PTSD (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 [PCL-5]). Behavioral features were developed and extracted from phone location and usage data.ResultsAlmost all participants (18/19, 95%) used private networks for most of their noncellular connectivity. Greater Wi-Fi usage was associated with a higher PCL-5 score (P=.006). Greater location entropy, representing the amount of variability in time spent across identified clusters, was also associated with higher severity in both PCL-5 (P=.007) and PHQ-9 (P=.045) scores.ConclusionsLocation and Wi-Fi usage both demonstrated associations with PTSD symptoms, while only location was associated with depression symptom severity. While further research needs to be conducted to establish the consistency of these findings, they suggest that the digital patterns of youth experiencing homelessness offer insights that could be used to tailor digital interventions.

Background: Current study was designed to provide a better insight into the circulating genotypes, genetic diversity, and population structure of Echinococcus spp. between southeast of Iran and Pakistan. Methods: From Jun 2020 to Dec 2020, 46 hydatid cysts were taken from human (n: 6), camel (n: 10), goat (n: 10), cattle (n: 10) and sheep (n: 10) in various cities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran, located at the neighborhood of Pakistan. DNA samples were extracted, amplified, and subjected to sequence analysis of cox1 and nad1 genes. Results: The phylogeny inferred by the Maximum Likelihood algorithm indicated that G1 genotype (n: 19), G3 genotype (n: 14) and G6 genotype (n: 13) assigned into their specific clades. The diversity indices showed a moderate (nad1: Hd: 0.485) to high hap- lotype diversity (cox1: Hd: 0.867) of E. granulosus s.s. (G1/G3) and low nucleotide diver- sity. The negative value of Tajima’s D and Fu’s Fs test displayed deviation from neutrali- ty indicating a recent population expansion. A parsimonious network of the haplotypes of cox1 displayed star-like features in the overall population containing IR9/PAK1/G1, IR2/PAK2/G3 and IR18/G6 as the most common haplotypes. A pairwise fixation index (Fst) indicated that E. granulosus s.s. populations are genetically moderate differen- tiated between southeast of Iran and Pakistan. The extension of haplotypes PAK18/G1 (sheep) and PAK26/G1 (cattle) toward Iranian haplogroup revealed that there is dawn of Echinococcus flow due to a transfer of alleles between mentioned populations through transport of livestock or their domestication. Conclusion: The current findings strengthen our knowledge concerning the evolution- ary paradigms of E. granulosus in southeastern borders of Iran and is effective in control- ling of hydatidosis.

Abstract The complex trait of yield is controlled by several quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Given the global water deficit issue, the development of rice varieties suitable for non-flooded cultivation holds significant importance in breeding programs. The powerful approach of Meta-QTL (MQTL) analysis can be used for the genetic dissection of complicated quantitative traits. In the current study, a comprehensive MQTL analysis was conducted to identify consistent QTL regions associated with drought tolerance and yield-related traits under water deficit conditions in rice. In total, 1087 QTLs from 134 rice populations, published between 2000 to 2021, were utilized in the analysis. Distinct MQTL analysis of the relevant traits resulted in the identification of 213 stable MQTLs. The confidence interval (CI) for the detected MQTLs was between 0.12 and 19.7 cM. The average CI of the identified MQTLs (4.68 cM) was 2.74 times narrower compared to the average CI of the initial QTLs. Interestingly, 63 MQTLs coincided with SNP peak positions detected by genome-wide association studies for yield and drought tolerance-associated traits under water deficit conditions in rice. Considering the genes located both in the QTL-overview peaks and the SNP peak positions, 19 novel candidate genes were introduced, which are associated with drought response index, plant height, panicle number, biomass, and grain yield. Moreover, an inclusive MQTL analysis was performed on all the traits to obtain “Breeding MQTLs”. This analysis resulted in the identification of 96 MQTLs with a CI ranging from 0.01 to 9.0 cM. The mean CI of the obtained MQTLs (2.33 cM) was 4.66 times less than the mean CI of the original QTLs. Thirteen MQTLs fulfilling the criteria of having more than 10 initial QTLs, CI

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is the cause of toxoplasmosis, an infection with worldwide distribution. Considering the burden of congenital toxoplasmosis, opportunistic toxoplasmosis infection in immunocompromised patients, and the increasing of these patients, regarding the variety of weather conditions and social factors in Iran, evaluation and improvement of the methods of controlling and preventing toxoplasmosis is necessary in the country. The lack of a mandatory national program for the control and prevention of toxoplasmosis, the failure to implement a regular screening program during pregnancy, the lack of a national network for registering positive cases of congenital toxoplasmosis, and the need to improve the quality of educational programs are among the most important challenges in the future. In this regard, the researchers of the Toxoplasmosis Research Center have introduced and proposed new programs for the control and prevention of toxoplasmosis in Iran and presented solutions to the mentioned challenges to be given to the policymakers for the Ministry of Health and the universities of medical sciences in the current policy summary report. To develop a control and prevention program for toxoplasmosis in Iran, the following goals should be considered: prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis, regular screening during pregnancy and follow-up of seronegative cases, secondary prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis based on screening and treatment before the birth of the baby, follow-up of treatment in IgG and IgM positive infants to prevent ocular toxoplasmosis in the future, health education for women in reproductive age, examination of knowledge and awareness of pregnant women about toxoplasma and its transmission routes, prevention of toxoplasmosis in other patients, the establishment of a reference laboratory for toxoplasmosis diagnosis, prevention of infection in animals and disinfection in meat, reduction of environmental pollution and public education

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a cosmopolitan protozoan parasite in humans and animals. It infects about 30 % of the human population worldwide and causes potentially fatal diseases in immunocompromised hosts and neonates. For this study, five English-language databases (ScienceDirect, ProQuest, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus) and the internet search engine Google Scholar were searched. This review was accomplished to draw a global perspective of what is known about the pathogenesis of T. gondii and various factors affecting it. Virulence and immune responses can influence the mechanisms of parasite pathogenesis and these factors are in turn influenced by other factors. In addition to the host's genetic background, the type of Toxoplasma strain, the routes of transmission of infection, the number of passages, and different phases of parasite life affect virulence. The identification of virulence factors of the parasite could provide promising insights into the pathogenesis of this parasite. The results of this study can be an incentive to conduct more intensive research to design and develop new anti-Toxoplasma agents (drugs and vaccines) to treat or prevent this infection. In addition, further studies are needed to better understand the key agents in the pathogenesis of T. gondii.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a significant health problem in both human and veterinary medicine. It is caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus). The objective of this study was to investigate molecular diversity of E. granulosus from the paraffin-embedded human (FFPE) tissue samples using sequencing of mitochondrial genes. Thirty-five FFPE tissue samples were collected from different regions of Guilan province, north of Iran. Demographic data were recorded using a questionnaire. Five sections (1 mm) of the tissue were prepared and deparaffined using xylene and ethanol methods. Molecular analysis was performed using the Nad1 and Cox1 genes using PCR and DNA sequencing. Totally, 25 cases (71.43%) were women and 10 cases (28.57%) were men. The most affected age group was 21–30 yr old. The most of cysts were isolated from the liver (n = 19; 54.29%) and others in the lung (n = 16; 45.71%). The Cox1 and Nad1 genes were successfully amplified in 16 (45.71%) and 12 (34.28%) DNA samples from FFPE tissue. Sequencing analysis revealed that all samples were E. granulosus sensu stricto complex (G1 and G3). In this study, E. granulosus sensu stricto complex G1 and G3 were identified in human hydatid cysts and showed the presence of sheep/dog cycle in human infection. This finding confirmed and completed previous studies on the geospatial distribution of E. granulosus sensu stricto complex G1 and G3 in the southern and coastal areas of the Caspian Sea region.

Objective Violence has had adverse effects on the physical and psychological dimensions of pregnant women. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship of domestic violence with pregnancy symptoms and pregnancy experience.Design In this cross-sectional study, pregnant women were selected through two-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the domestic violence questionnaire of the WHO, pregnancy symptoms inventory (PSI) and pregnancy experience scale (PES). To determine the relationship between domestic violence with pregnancy symptoms and pregnancy experience, adjusted general linear model was used in multivariate analysis.Setting Health centres in Urmia—Iran in 2022.Participants 415 pregnant women.Results The frequency of emotional, physical and sexual violence was 86.0%, 67.7% and 79.5%, respectively. The mean (SD) of PSI was 49.45 (14.38) with attainable score of 0–123 and PES including happiness and worry was 14.32 (6.48) and 16.21 (2.51) with attainable score of 0–30, respectively. Based on the adjusted general linear model, the mean score of PSI in women who experienced physical violence (mild (p

Summary: Background: The multifactorial nature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which manifests differently in individuals creates a need for a better understanding of the behaviour and pattern of the disease due to environmental factors. The current study aimed to study the changes in IBD behaviour, presentation, and characteristics in patients over the past two decades with a goal of improving patients’ diagnosis, management and outcomes. Methods: During a 6-month period (1/02/2022–30/07/2022), the information of patients with IBD who attended IBD outpatient clinics of 11 referral centre's in six countries was collected, and based on the first time of diagnosis with IBD, they were allocated as group A (those who were diagnosed more than 15 years ago), group B (those who were diagnosed with IBD between 5 and 15 years ago) and group C (IBD cases who diagnosed in recent 5 years). Then the most prevalent subtypes and characters of the disease are evaluated and compared to make clear if the presenting pattern and behaviour of the disease has changed in the last 2 decades. Findings: Overall 1430 patients with IBD including 1207 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) (84.5%) and 205 patients with Crohn's disease (CD; 14.3%) included. Mean age of participants at the first time of diagnosis with IBD was 30 years. The extra-intestinal involvement of IBD in groups A and B was more prevalent in comparison with group C. Most of those in groups A & B had academic education but in group C, the most prevalent educational status was high school or diploma (P = 0.012). In contrast to groups A and B, the relative prevalence of medium socioeconomic level in group C had decreased (65%). Relative prevalence of UC subtypes was similar among groups A and B (extensive colitis as most prevalent) but in group C, the most prevalent subtype is left side colitis (38.17%). The most prevalent subtype of CD in groups A and B was ileocolic involvement while in group C, upper GI involvement is significantly increased. The rate of food sensitivity among groups A and B was more than group C (P = 0.00001). The relative prevalence of patients with no flare has increased with a steady slope (P

Abstract Background The Japanese eel Anguilla japonica has a single spawning area on the west coast of the Mariana Islands, and the larvae disperse widely via the North Equatorial Current and the Kuroshio Current to freshwater and coastal areas of East Asia for nursery and growth habitats. Spawning adults reared in their respective habitats begin their migration to spawn from September to February, but little is known about regional differences in migration routes, their contribution to spawning populations, or their migratory behavior. To better understand the spawning migrations of Japanese eels, we tracked adult migratory stage eels (silver eels) captured in coastal areas of three regions (Tokai region, Sea of Japan coastline, and Tohoku region) from October 2019 to February 2020 using pop-up satellite archival tags. Results Twenty-three tagged eels were released in each coastal area, and data were collected on 15 eels for a maximum of 59 days. Eels released in the Tokai region migrated southeast along the Kuroshio Current. On the other hand, eels on the Sea of Japan coastline and in the Tohoku region tended to migrate westward and southward against the ocean current, respectively, but no eels from either region reached waters near the Kuroshio Current. In addition, the present study found region-specific vertical movement patterns among the eels. Eels from the Tokai region showed typical diurnal vertical movements, while an eel from the Sea of Japan coastline repeated non-diurnal vertical movements, which was attributed to regional differences in bathymetry and water mass structure. Except for one eel suspected of being preyed upon, all other eels did not venture into depth zones with temperatures below 4 $$^{\circ }\textrm{C}$$ ∘ C , thus suggesting that the maximum depth of vertical movement is limited by water temperature. Conclusions This study provided new insights into the migratory behavior of Japanese silver eel from the Sea of Japan coastline and the Tohoku region, but further long-term tracking is required to reveal the fate of the spawning adults from the coast of Japan.

Abstract The skin undergoes the formation of fine lines and wrinkles through the aging process; also, burns, trauma, and other similar circumstances give rise to various forms of skin ulcers. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have become promising candidates for skin healing and rejuvenation due to not stimulating inflammatory responses, low probability of immune rejection, high metabolic activity, good large-scale production capacity and potentials for personalized medicine. iPSCs can secrete microvesicles (MVs) containing RNA and proteins responsible for the normal repairing process of the skin. This study aimed to evaluate the possibility, safety and effectiveness of applying iPSCs-derived MVs for skin tissue engineering and rejuvenation applications. The possibility was assessed using the evaluation of the mRNA content of iPSC-derived MVs and the behavior of fibroblasts after MV treatment. Investigating the effect of microvesicle on stemness potential of mesenchymal stem cells was performed for safety concerns. In vivo evaluation of MVs was done in order to investigate related immune response, re-epithelialization and blood vessel formation to measure effectiveness. Shedding MVs were round in shape distributed in the range from 100 to 1000 nm in diameter and positive for AQP3, COL2A, FGF2, ITGB, and SEPTIN4 mRNAs. After treating dermal fibroblasts with iPSC-derived MVs, the expressions of collagens Iα1 and III transcripts (as the main fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins) were upregulated. Meanwhile, the survival and proliferation of MV treated fibroblasts did not change significantly. Evaluation of stemness markers in MV treated MSCs showed negligible alteration. In line with in vitro results, histomorphometry and histopathology findings also confirmed the helpful effect of MVs in skin regeneration in the rat burn wound models. Conducting more investigations on hiPSCs-derived MVs may lead to produce more efficient and safer biopharmaceutics for skin regeneration in the pharmaceutical market.

This research aims to analyze the relevance of Socratic analysis in the application of the dialogue method in elementary schools. The research approach uses descriptive qualitative data collection techniques using documentation studies and literature studies related to this research topic. The data analysis technique uses the Miles and Hubmer analysis model, through the stages of data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions or data validation. The findings in this research are that the application of the dialogue method with Socratic analysis to elementary school students needs to pay attention to the stage of students' cognitive development, where there are two stages of cognitive development for elementary school students, students aged 7-11 years who are generally in grades 1- 5 are at the concrete operational stage of cognitive development. Meanwhile, students aged 11-13 years who are generally in grades 5-6 are at the formal operational cognitive development stage. In applying the dialogue method with Socratic analysis, paying attention to students' cognitive development stages is a necessity because this can influence the level of understanding of students' reasoning and the effectiveness of the dialogue process. Obstacles encountered in the dialogue process with Socratic analysis in elementary schools, the language used needs to be adjusted to students' understanding, and external conditions, namely the environment which is often less supportive.