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Introduction: This study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of Davis Dyslexia Correction method on reading performance of third grade male dyslexic elementary students. Method: Twenty dyslexic students were selected through multistage random sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control group. Instruments include Reading and Dyslexia Test, Wechsler's Intelligence Scale for Children, and Dyslexic Children Recognition Checklist and Concept Scale. Davis method was used in 16 sessions half-hour individual on all experimental groups. After the intervention, Reading and Dyslexia Test were administered on both experimental and control groups. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, co-variance by SPSS 15. Results: Result showed that Davis method was effective on self-concept of dyslexic children and there was a significant difference among the post-test scores of experimental and control groups. Results showed that through Davis intervention method, educational, athletic, and social self-concept increased. Conclusion: Dyslexic students require an appropriate training program to solve their reading and educational problems. Educational problems of these students have negative effects on their non-academic and self-concept. Therefore, alleviating their educational problems has a positive effect of their self-concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillosis is an important infectious disease in ostriches that can be acute or chronic. Because of high morbidity and mortality rate of aspergillosis in ostriches, it can cause serious financial losses to the ostrich production industry. In this study, we discuss some outbreaks of Aspergillus infection in ostrich farms of eastern regions of Iran during 2010-2012. Signs of respiratory involvement, anorexia, depression, progressive emaciation and decreased production were the most commonly reported inaffected farms. Morbidity rate was 43% and 54.53% in breeding birds and chickens, respectively. Mortality rate was 31.89% in breeding birds and 44.69% in chickens. Necropsy findings were suggestive of fungal infections in respiratory and alimentary tracts. Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger were identified in microbiological and pathological examinations. Management reforms and using some supportive treatments were beneficial for controlling the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Studied showed that many factors affect spermatogenesis include Exogenous factor such as type of job, environmental factor, smoking tc. And endogenous factor such as childhood diseases, inherited abnormality, varicocele and etc. Previous studies evaluated one or more parameters on semen parameters separately. So the aim of this study was to evaluate both exogenous and endogenous factor on semen parameters simultaneity. Materials and Methods: Semen parameters from 300 patient referring to Isfahan fertility and infertility center were evaluated with WHO criteria. Patient history and same question were achieving with oral question. SPSS 11.5 used for data analyzing. Results: Result of this study revealed that both exogenous and endogenous factor such as smoking, long exposure to heat, chemotherapy, varicocele, overweight and childhood disease decreased semen significantly. But simultaneity of some parameters such as smoking and overweight significantly decrease semen quality. For example overweight smoker showed decrease in semen quality than smoker or overweight patient lonely. Conclusion: Although both exogenous and endogenous factors affect semen quality simultaneity, but some of these parameters may had sever effect on semen parameters. It's suggested that for clinical treatment with eliminated some parameters, improved semen quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurses are at high risk of burnout, desire to leave the profession, and possibly missed nursing care due to the exhausting nature of caring. Missed nursing care may also affect nurses' burnout and desire to leave the profession. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the missed nursing care and its relationship with burnout and desire to leave the profession among intensive care unit nurses. The participants of this descriptive analytical study were 249 Iranian nurses working in intensive care units in 2022. The data were collected using a Demographic Information Questionnaire, Kalish's Missed Nursing Care Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and desire to leave the profession questionnaire. The majority of nurses (71%) were females. The generalized linear regression model showed that there was a significant relationship between missed care with gender (B = 5.55, P < .001), marital status (B = -7.37, P = .04), working shift (B = 7.80, P < .001), and employment status (B = -2.87, P = .02). Using structural equation modeling, it was found that the effect of missed care on burnout was significant. Considering the effect of missed care on burnout among nurses working in intensive care units, it seems that creating better working conditions, providing sufficient resources for nurses, supporting them, and changing the factors affecting missed care in order to improve the conditions can reduce the possibility of missing nursing care and, finally, burnout., Competing Interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this study., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

This work discusses surface modification of cellulose paper specimens for compatibility with nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon dots (NSCDs) for lead ion sensing. The interaction of carbon dots (CDs) and cellulose fibers was investigated using silane or chitosan-modified cellulose papers. It was found that modified papers could reduce undesirable redistribution of CDs, during paper drying. Also, only chitosan-modified filter paper was suitable for the successful immobilization of NSCDs. The effect of paper type, chitosan amount, pH, and NSCDs concentration was also studied, and a Whatman No. 42 filter paper modified with chitosan (1% w/v), pH 8.0, and an NSCD concentration of 2.5 g L -1 being selected for further studies. The sensor exhibited high selectivity for lead(II) compared with other metal ions because lead(II) resulted in the most significant changes in the emitted light intensity. Variations in NSCDs fluorescence were measured using a fluorescence imaging system. The NSCDs-paper sensor showed a linear relationship between mean fluorescence intensity and lead(II) in the concentration range of 5.00-1.25 × 10 2  μmol L -1 with a correlation coefficient (R 2 ) of 0.9988 and a detection limit of 4.50 μmol L -1 . The suggested method showed satisfying results for lead(II) determination in different samples as a fast and low-cost approach with on-site application., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Malachite green (MG) and brilliant green (BG) are two synthetic triphenylmethane dyes with applications in the textile and aquaculture industries. They are considered to be environmental contaminants due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. Both dyes have the same bluish-green color in aqueous solutions., Objective: The aim of this study is to develop a colorimetric analysis as a very simple and cost-effective method to determine the residues of MG and BG simultaneously in aqueous industrial samples., Method: This method is based on the alterations in red, blue, green (RGB) color histograms of the dyes in the presence and absence of Triton X-100 micelle. The images of the samples were taken by a digital camera and converted to the RGB color system using MATLAB software. Partial least-squares regression as a powerful chemometrics tool was used for multivariate calibrations and quantitative measurements. The performance of the proposed method was compared with a simple spectrophotometric method as a reference., Results: Relative errors of prediction for colorimetric and spectrophotometric analysis, respectively, in micellar media were 6.56 and 4.61% for MG and 6.38 and 5.24% for BG. The shortest linear ranges for colorimetric and spectrophotometric analysis, respectively, in micellar media were 0.1-10 and 0.5-5 mg/L for MG and 0.1-15 and 0.5-6 mg/L for BG. The recovery percentages obtained from the analysis of the dyes in real samples of fish-pond water and textile wastewater ranged between 91 and 107%., Conclusions: The good correlation between the results of the colorimetric analysis and the spectrophotometric analysis indicates the reliability of the proposed colorimetric method. Also, the results of the relative recovery study showed insignificant matrix effect., Highlights: This study demonstrates the ability of the colorimetric analysis coupled with chemometrics tools for simultaneous determination of the analytes even with nearly identical colors., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: A new binary mixture containing mometasone furoate (MF) and calcipotriol (CP) is suggested to manage psoriasis; since the combined stability profile of these drugs is poorly understood., Materials and Methods: Herein MF, CP, and their mixtures were subjected to various stress conditions. Also, stability-indicating HPLC was developed and validated according to ICH guidelines with Box-Behnken design. The degradation products (DPs) were predicted in silico and identified using LC-MS. The bioactivity and toxicity of DPs were studied using molecular docking and alamarBlue assay, respectively. Spectroscopic techniques of the first derivative, first-derivative ratio, and the mean-centering of ratio spectra were also used to determine MF and CP in the mixture because of spectra overlapping., Results: The major degradants for MF in alkaline conditions were DP1, DP2, and DP3, while in thermal and UV conditions, only DP1 was generated. CP gave one degradant in all conditions. No new impurity was observed in the MF and CP mixtures. The results of spectrophotometry showed good linearity in the range of 4-50 and 2-20 µg/ml, while linearity for HPLC was in the range of 4-50 and 0.5-2.5 µg/ml for MF and CP, respectively. Recovery was 99.61-100.38% for UV and 100.4% for HPLC methods of MF and 100.6-101.4% for UV and 99.5% for HPLC methods of CP., Conclusion: The developed methods can be used as simple, accurate, precise, and rapid techniques for routine quality control of MF and CP mixtures., Competing Interests: None.

Phthalates are environmental contaminants mostly used as plasticizers and additives in different products. Having endocrine-disrupting properties, phthalates are known as potential reproductive toxicants. The present study was conducted to evaluate the reproductive toxicity of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) in pregnant rats and their offspring and also to assess the ability of vitamin E in the elimination or reducing reproductive toxicity of DBP. Sixty-six pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to 100, 500 or 1,000 mg kg -1 per day DBP or 500 mg kg -1 per day DBP along with 100 mg kg -1 per day vitamin E during gestation. After delivery, they were divided into two groups. In one group gavage was finished after litter while in the other DBP administration was continued till weaning. The results showed that DBP affected many aspects of reproductive performance in pregnant rats and their offspring. It could be suggested that vitamin E could ameliorate the adverse effects of DBP, especially in male pups., Competing Interests: The authors declare there is no conflict of interest., (© 2022 Urmia University. All rights reserved.)

Depression can lead to increased medical costs, impaired individual and social functioning, nonadherence to therapeutic proceeding, and even suicide and ultimately affect quality of life. It is important to know the extent of its prevalence for successful planning in this regard. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of depression in the Iranian elderly. This systematic review and meta-analysis study was done through Medline via PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, ProQuest, SID, Embase, and Magiran with determined keywords. Screening was done on the basis of relevance to the purpose of the study, titles, abstracts, full text, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the articles was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa standard scale. After primary and secondary screening, 30 articles were finally included in the study. According to the 30 articles reviewed, the prevalence of depression in the Iranian elderly was 52 percent based on the random-effects model (CI 95%: 46-58). According to the results of the present study, depression in the Iranian elderly was moderate to high. Therefore, more exact assessment in terms of depression screening in elderly people seems necessary. Coherent and systematic programs, including psychosocial empowerment counselling for the elderly and workshops for their families, are also needed. Researchers can also use the results of this study for future research., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Hedayat Jafari et al.)

Background: Considering the importance of family participation in patients' treatment and the positive effects of simultaneous patient and family education, this study was conducted to determine the effect of a family and patient-oriented empowerment program on depression, anxiety, and stress in patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and their caregivers' burden., Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 50 OCD patients along with their primary caregivers. The intervention group participated in eight sessions of training, each lasting from 60 to 90 min (twice a week), and the control group received the usual treatment. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Maudsley's Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire, and Zarit's Burden Inventory were used to collect the data before, immediately after and 1 month after the intervention, and then the gathered data were analyzed with t -test and analysis of variance using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software, version 21., Results: The changes in the mean scores of depression (F 2,48 = 21.02, p < 0.001), anxiety (F 2,48 = 29.72, p < 0.001), and stress (F 2,48 = 16.52, p < 0.001) of the patients in the intervention group showed significant decrease over time; however, in the control group, there was no significant decrease in the mean scores of depression (F 2,48 = 1.69, p = 0.19), anxiety (F 2,48 = 0.47, p = 0.62), and stress (F 2,48 = 1.09, p = 0.34) over time. The changes in the caregiver's burden score in both groups indicated a significant decrease over time in the intervention group (F 2,48 = 24.70, p < 0.001) and the control group (F 2,48 = 33. 30, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The findings of this study revealed that concurrently training the patients and caregivers could reduce the negative emotions of the patients and their caregivers' burden., Competing Interests: Nothing to declare., (Copyright: © 2020 Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research.)

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of home-based education intervention on the exclusivity and promoting the rates of self-efficacy of breastfeeding., Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted Arak University of Medical Sciences in Takeghani Hospital in Iran between June 2015 and October 2015. A total of 130 eligible and voluntary women hospitalized in Arak University of Medical Sciences Hospital postpartum wards were randomized to receive usual care ( n = 65) or education with CD and pamphlets ( n = 65). Data regarding exclusive breastfeeding were collected using Denis and Fox's breastfeeding self-efficacy questionnaire. The primary outcome was collected by one assistant researcher during first postpartum visit. The secondary outcome was collected 4 weeks after birth of babies by telephone interviews. Data analysis was performed using descriptive (frequency, mean), independent samples t -test, Student's t -test, t 2 -test, and Chi-square test. All values of P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant., Results: There was no significant differences between the intervention and control groups with regard to age ( P = 0.086) and gestational age ( P = 0.741). The breastfeeding self-efficacy scores were higher in the intervention group (63.66 ± 6.11) than in the control group (57.04 ± 6.18) after 1 month of childbirth ( P = 0.001). The exclusive breastfeeding rate in intervention group was 89.2 ( n = 58) at 1 st month after education compared with 55.4% ( n = 36) in control group ( P = 0.001)., Conclusions: In a setting, a high breastfeeding rate and self-efficacy scores were found in education group. Therefore, nurses and midwives are thus required to adopt various health education strategies, such as home education, encourage breastfeeding., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 International Journal of Preventive Medicine.)

This research for the first time presents the possibility of crossing the biologically produced SNPs through the placenta to different organs of rat offspring. SNPs were produced using Fusarium oxysporum. After adding 1 mmol final concentration of silver nitrate solution to the culture supernatant and 5 min heating, SNPs were produced, and their production was proved using visible spectrum, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. SNPs were washed, and their concentration determined using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) instrument. SNPs were used for 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and after determination of their half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) dose, their toxic and nontoxic doses were determined and used for in vivo studies. A total of 24 female rats, after detection of their vaginal plugs, were divided into 3 groups each having 8 members. A control group was treated with normal saline. The other two groups were treated by toxic and nontoxic doses of SNPs, respectively. After delivery and breastfeeding, the pups were scarified, and their organs were collected and analyzed using histological examinations. Results showed that SNPs had a maximum absorbance peak around 450 nm, with polygonal and round shapes. XRD results confirmed the presence of SNPs. The concentration of the SNPs after washing was 19 ppm/mL based on the ICP results. MTT assay results showed that SNPs had a dose-dependent toxic effect. Histopathological examination results showed that SNPs could pass through the placenta; both their nontoxic and toxic doses induced somehow mild alternations in the liver, kidney, testis, and ovary and had no effects on the brains of the rat offspring. In conclusions, the use of the biologically produced SNPs should be limited during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

In this study, a simple and novel kinetic spectrophotometric method has been proposed for the sensitive and highly selective determination of Brilliant Green. The method is based on the interaction of Brilliant Green with Triton X-100 in micellar media at room temperature. As a result of this interaction, the peak wavelength (625 nm) is gradually shifted toward longer wavelength region (634 nm) and more intensive hyper chromic effect has been seen. As well as, variations in the red, blue and green (RGB) components of the images as a function of time were observed. The kinetic interaction of Brilliant Green with Triton X-100 was recorded, using UV-Vis Spectrophotometer-diode array detector and a digital camera. The fixed-time method was used for the construction of a calibration curves. Brilliant Green can be measured in the range of 1.0 to 12.0 mg L -1 and 1.0 to 10.0 mg L -1 with the detection limit of 0.047 mg L -1 and 0.037 mg L -1 using spectrophotometer and digital camera, respectively. The proposed method has been successfully used to determine Brilliant Green in some wastewaters such as textile dye effluent and goldfish farming water in the presence of some triphenylmethan dyes as the interferences., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: Primary dysmenorrhea starts simultaneously with menstruation or before it and usually continues for 48-72 h. As a prevalence disorder, it affects about 80-97% of women in the reproductive age. The conventional treatment modalities of primary dysmenorrhea are associated with complications and side effects. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge of the effect of honey on the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of honey on the severity of pain in women with dysmenorrhea., Methods: A randomized crossover clinical trial was conducted on 56 female students. Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. Groups I and II received honey and mefenamic acid in the 'first treatment period', respectively. In the 'second treatment period', the intervention methods were reversed between the groups. Samples recorded the severity of pain during the first 3 days of menstruation., Results: There were no significant differences in the most severe level of pain in the first and second months of the first treatment period, and the first and second months of the second treatment period between the groups., Conclusions: Honey and the mefenamic acid capsules led to the same amount of pain relief in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Honey is suggested to be used for pain relief due to its lower side effects and pharmacological complications.

Background: High doses of Cisplatin (CP) can disrupt the normal functioning of various tissues such as ovaries and testis. In almost all the patients, spermiotoxicity of CP causes temporary or permanent azoospermia., Objective: In this study, the defensive effect of Melissa of cinalis and vitamin E against testicular injuries caused by CP in male rats was evaluated., Method: Thirty six male rats were distributed into 6 groups. Group 1 was used as the negative control. In group 2, a single dose of CP (10 mg/kg) was administered on the first day. In groups 3 and 4, a single dose of CP (10 mg/kg) was administered on the first day and then treated with Melissa of cinalis at 1000 mg/kg/day and vitamin E at 100 mg/kg/day for 7 consecutive days, respectively. Groups 5 and 6 were treated with Melissa of cinalis and vitamin E for 7 consecutive days, respectively. After euthanasia, serum levels of testosterone, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) were evaluated. Testes were removed and weighed. Spermatic analysis was done on the tail of the epididymis. Tissue lipid peroxidation and activity of antioxidant enzymes in testes were evaluated as well., Results: The results showed that Melissa of cinalis and vitamin E increased serum levels of testosterone, LH and FSH, weight of testes and sperm motility, count and vitality and decreased sperm cell abnormalities in rats given CP., Conclusion: Our results are useful in designing a medication of Melissa of cinalis that can protect the testes against CP-induced testicular damage and infertility in cancerous male patients., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Trace amounts of beryllium has been determined by spectrofluorimetric method that used morin as fluorimetric reagent. Beryllium gives a highly fluorescent complex with morin. The excitation wavelength of morin and Be-morin complex were 410 and 430. The fluorescence spectra of morin and Be-morin complex were overlaped in excitation wavelength of 430 nm. A method based on mean centering of ratio spectra has been performed to remove the interference caused by morin as it overlaps with the Be-morin spectra. The linear range of beryllium concentration is in 0.2-200 ppb range. The parameters of detection limit and RSD were 0.18 ppb and 4.6 % respectively. This method was used for determination of beryllium in copper-beryllium alloy as a real sample. In determination of Be(II), the interference by Cu(II) was very serious, which was eliminated by adding triethanolamine.

Surfactant-enhanced hollow fiber liquid phase (SE-HF-LPME) microextraction was applied for the extraction of melamine in conjunction with high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV). Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was added firstly to the sample solution at pH 1.9 to form hydrophobic ion-pair with protonated melamine. Then the protonated melamine-dodecyl sulfate ion-pair (Mel-DS) was extracted from aqueous phase into organic phase immobilized in the pores and lumen of the hollow fiber. After extraction, the analyte-enriched 1-octanol was withdrawn into the syringe and injected into the HPLC. Preliminary, one variable at a time method was applied to select the type of extraction solvent. Then, in screening step, the other variables that may affect the extraction efficiency of the analyte were studied using a fractional factorial design. In the next step, a central composite design was applied for optimization of the significant factors having positive effects on extraction efficiency. The optimum operational conditions included: sample volume, 5 mL; surfactant concentration, 1.5 mM; pH 1.9; stirring rate, 1500 rpm and extraction time, 60 min. Using the optimum conditions, the method was analytically evaluated. The detection limit, relative standard deviation and linear range were 0.005 μg mL(-1), 4.0% (3 μg mL(-1), n = 5) and 0.01-8 μg mL(-1), respectively. The performance of the procedure in extraction of melamine from the soil samples was good according to its relative recoveries in different spiking levels (95-109%).

Preparing for pregnancy and childbirth has significant association with spirituality. Review of the literature shows that the spirituality of the "unborn child" has not yet attracted much critical attention. This study was conducted with the aim of exploration of maternal behaviors associated with the spiritual health of the unborn child. A qualitative approach was used to investigate the research question. Twenty-seven in-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with 22 Iranian mothers in Tehran city (Iran) who were pregnant or had experienced pregnancy in 2012-2013. Data analysis was carried out using a conventional content analysis approach. "Refusing to eat forbidden food," "Overcoming mental adversity," "Regulating one's social interactions," "Preventing the effects of harmful environments on the senses," "Avoidance of using insulting and abusive language," "Keeping one's mind and spirit free from evil traits," and "Refraining from damaging behaviors" were important experiences that the mothers used for "Holistic Abstinence." The results provide new information about the subjective experiences of Iranian women on the patterns of abstinence for the midwives, research community, policy makers, and planners of maternal and child health care services in order to contribute to holistic, culturally, and religiously competent prenatal care for Muslim pregnant women throughout the world., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

In different cultures, pregnancy, birth and motherhood are perceived as spiritual events through their miraculous processes and create an ideal context for spiritual enrichment. However, studies on spirituality and birth are at very early stages. The purpose of this study was to understand the facilitators and barriers of the unborn child spiritual care in Iranian women. Twenty-two mothers with live pregnancy experience who were willing and able to share their life stories were selected purposefully in Tehran (Iran) from May 2012 to April 2013. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze 27 interviews. Active and passive acquisition of information, inner inspirational messages, receiving effective support from the people around as well as modeling of self and significant others created "powerful leverages" to accelerate mother for caring her unborn child. "Counter-currents" in the form of unsuitable physical conditions during pregnancy, poor economic and social conditions, unsuitable psychological and cognitive conditions and finally understanding unsuitable ideological conditions of the self and care giver were identified as barriers. Iranian cultural and religious perspective on the unborn child physical and mental influence from mother has an important role in mother's self-care behaviors during pregnancy. It seems that using interdisciplinary professionals' skills based on understanding facilitators and barriers of mother care of the unborn child can lead to providing comprehensive prenatal care according to mothers' cultural, religious and social context.

Background: Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is one of the most common motility disorders in pediatric age groups and it is very important that it be differentiated from other types of motility disorders, especially intestinal neuronal dysplasia B (IND B). Although many studies regarding the differences between the two disorders by immunohistochemical studies exist, there is as yet no consistent result. The purpose of this research was to study the immunohistochemical findings of enteric nervous system in these two motility disorders in comparison with colectomies without motility disorder., Methods: Full wall thickness specimens of three groups of patients (HD, IND B and non motility disorders) were included in the study to be evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Markers were specific for neuronal cells and pace maker cells composed of PGP 9.5, c-kit, synaptophysin, S100 and CD56. The number of cells was evaluated in the muscularis properia, and myenteric plexus., Results: The number of all the IHC markers i.e. PGP9.5, c-kit, synaptophysin, S100 and CD56 was completely different in HD from the two other groups, while IND B was quite similar to control group., Conclusion: Our finding suggests that there is a marked and significant difference between HD and IND B by IHC markers, which can be used as an additional test for the diagnosis of HD with more accuracy. Further multicenter studies with a greater number of cases would be necessary to find a cut-off point for every IHC marker to differentiate HD and IND B.

This paper describes the development of a new design of hollow fiber solid/liquid phase microextraction (HF-SLPME) for determination of brilliant green (BG) residues in water fish ponds. This method consists of an aqueous donor phase and carbon nanotube reinforced organic solvent (acceptor phase) operated in direct immersion sampling mode. The multi-walled carbon nanotube dispersed in the organic solvent is held in the pores and lumen of a porous polypropylene hollow fiber. It is in contact directly with the aqueous donor phase. In this method the solid/liquid extractor phase is supported using a polypropylene hollow fiber membrane. Both ends of the hollow fiber segment are sealed with magnetic stoppers. This device is placed inside the donor solution and plays the rule of a pseudo-stir bar. It is disposable, so single use of the fiber reduces the risk of carry-over problems. Brilliant green (BG) after extraction from the aqueous samples with mentioned HF-SLPME device was determined by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy with diode array detection (UV-vis/DAD). The absorption wavelength was set to 625 nm (λ(max)). The effect of different variables on the extraction was evaluated and optimized to enhance the sensitivity and extraction efficiency of the proposed method. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 1.00-10,000 μg L(-1) of BG in the initial solution with R(2)=0.979. Detection limit, based on three times the standard deviation of the blank, was 0.55 μg L(-1). All experiments were carried out at room temperature (25±0.5°C)., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the two methods of delivery, "hands-on" vs. "hands poised", on perineal trauma and delivery outcome in primiparous women referred to Shariati Hospital of Isfahan during 2007-2008., Methods: In a clinical trial study, 100 low risk primiparous pregnant women were randomly assigned to two hands-on and hand-poised (hands-off) groups. In the hands-on group, this method was used to control fetal head in the second stage of labor. It means that the fingers of one hand supported fetal occiput and the other hand applied slight pressure on the head to control the delivery of the head during the crowning process. In the hands-poised group, midwife observed the parturient woman and do not touch perineum during the second labor stage while fetal head was delivering. Then, the two groups were compared in terms of perineal trauma, as well as neonatal and delivery outcome., Results: Demographic characteristics of all studied women were similar in two groups. The rate of episiotomy was higher in hands-on group (84% vs. 40%, p = 0.001). The rate of postpartum hemorrhage (4(th) stage) was higher in hands-on group (12% vs. 4%, p = 0.04). The rate of mild and moderate postpartum pain in hands-on group was higher than hands-off group (70% vs. 58% and 29% vs. 10%, p < 0.001) but sever pain was not different in two groups., Conclusions: It seems that hands-poised method is associated with less perineal trauma, particularly regarding the lower need for episiotomy and postpartum hemorrhage.

Viral infections may have an important role in the pathogenesis of biliary atresia, and related clinical outcomes. In this research for determination of the possible role of HBV, HCV, HCMV, adenovirus, and BK virus infections in biliary atresia related clinical complications, the molecular and antigenic prevalence of these viral agents were studied. In this retrospective study, 34 formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) biopsy and autopsy liver tissue samples of neonates with biliary atresia were evaluated. The molecular prevalence of these viral infections was assayed by different PCR and RT-PCR methods. The antigenic prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HCMV infections was also studied in these liver tissue samples by immunohistochemistry (IHC) method. HBV, HCV, and adenovirus genomes were detected in 9%, 6%, and 6% of liver autopsy and biopsy tissues of infants with biliary atresia, respectively. HBV and HCV co-infection was confirmed in 6% of FFPE samples. The genome of other investigated viruses was not detected in FFPE liver tissues. Detection of viral infection in FFPE liver tissue samples of newborns with biliary atresia, suggests the need for complete studies for the determination of accurate role of these viral infections in pathogenesis of biliary atresia.

A simple method was developed for speciation and spectrophotometric determination of inorganic As(III) and As(V) using an electrochemical hydride generation technique. For speciation of As(III) and As(V), a graphite rod was used as cathode to reduce As(III) to AsH(3), the rod was then replaced with a tin-lead alloy wire for reducing As(V) to AsH(3). The spectrophotometric determination was based on the reaction of AsH(3) with silver diethyldithiocarbamate to give an absorbing complex at 510 nm. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration curves were linear over the ranges of 0.1-5 microg ml(-1) for As(III) and 0.5-4.0 microg ml(-1) for As(V). The concentration detection limits of 0.02 and 0.06 microg ml(-1) were achieved for As(III) and As(V), respectively. The relative standard deviations for five replicate speciation and determination of 3.0 microg ml(-1) As(III) and As(V) were 0.8 and 7.2%, respectively. The accuracy and recovery of the method were evaluated by analyzing tap water spiked with As(III) and As(V).

Aim: To investigate the associations of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype with HBeAg and anti-HBe status, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and HBV-DNA detection in different groups of HBV-infected patients in southwest Iran., Methods: A total of 89 HBsAg-positive serum samples were collected from the same number of patients. All sera were then investigated to determine HBV DNA and serological markers. For all the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive samples, biochemical, histopathological assays and genotyping were also performed., Results: Genotype D was the only type of HBV found in different clinical forms of acute and chronic infections. There was a high prevalence of HBeAg-negative HBV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis (52.7%). Out of 55 patients with chronic hepatitis, seven (12.7%) were diagnosed with cirrhosis. A significant association between the presence of anti-HBe antibody and an increase in ALT level, among either HBeAg-negative (P = 0.01) or HBeAg-positive (P = 0.026) patients, was demonstrated. No significant differences were observed between the clinical outcomes of HBeAg-positive and -negative individuals (P = 0.24)., Conclusion: Genotype D has been recognized as the only type of HBV found in different clinical forms of HBV infections, including cirrhosis, among the residents of southwest Iran. Anti-HBe possibly plays a role in disease progression in some patients with chronic hepatitis, at least for a period of disease.

Background: In 2002, fixed-dose combination therapy (FDCT) with rosiglitazone maleate plus metformin hydrochloride became available for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2) in subjects whose disease was uncontrolled on monotherapy with metformin or a thiazolidinedione. FDCT allows a reduced pill burden and a less complex medication regimen., Objective: The objective of this study was to assess changes in medication adherence rates associated with oral hypoglycemic agents in subjects switching from either monotherapy or dual therapy with metformin and/or rosiglitazone to rosiglitazone-metformin FDCT., Methods: In this retrospective database analysis, data were obtained from the pharmacy claims database of a large health benefits company. Prescription claims for subjects aged > or =18 years with DM-2 whose disease was uncontrolled on monotherapy with metformin or a thiazolidinedione were analyzed over a 12-month study period (a 6-month preindex period and a 6-month postindex period). Some subjects were receiving monotherapy with either metformin or rosiglitazone during the preindex period and remained on monotherapy throughout the postindex period (Mono/Mono cohort), switched to dual therapy with both agents (Mono/Dual cohort), or switched to FDCT (Mono/FDCT cohort). Some subjects were receiving dual therapy with metformin and rosiglitazone during the preindex period and remained on dual therapy throughout the postindex period (Dual/Dual cohort) or switched to FDCT (Dual/FDCT cohort). A medication possession ratio (MPR)-a proxy measurement of medication adherence-was calculated for each subject for each period. Changes in medication adherence were compared using a general linear model., Results: Overall, data from the records of 16,928 subjects (8499 men, 8429 women; mean [SD] age, 58.12 [11.97] years) were included in this study. There was significantly less reduction in the MPR change for the Mono/FDCT cohort compared with the Mono/Dual cohort (-4.6% vs -12.4%; P < 0.001). There was significant improvement in the mean MPR change for the Dual/FDCT cohort compared with the Dual/Dual cohort (3.5% vs -1.3%; P < 0.005)., Conclusions: The results of this retrospective database analysis suggest that rosiglitazone-metformin FDCT yielded significant improvements in medication adherence rates compared with dual therapy regimens.