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Sand and dust storms cause damages to infrastructure, human society, and the environment. The methods used to control wind erosion depend on the type of ecosystem and land use. The purpose of this paper is to present the measures taken to control wind erosion in south-eastern Ahvaz (Khuzestan, Iran), which is a hotspot for dust storms. The map of land units was prepared using land resources method using remote sensing and field survey based on land forms and soil properties. The stationary ecological factors such as landform, geology, soils, and plants were surveyed and mapped on a 1:25,000 scale. The variation of dynamic ecological characteristics (climate, water resources) and the socioeconomic resources of lands factors related to dust production were also studied, and attribute table were formed in GIS environment. The ecological capability maps of different land uses including forestry, agriculture, range management, and environmental conservation were developed using Makhdoum’s model by analysis data and overlaying geographical maps in Geographical Information System. Based on the land capability class of each unit, specific dust control projects were identified for implementation. The results of land use showed that 37% of the dust source area is covered by rangelands, 10% by bare land, 11% by dried wetlands, 24% by rainfed, and 13% by farmland. The different control approaches were designed based on the type of land use such as dried wetlands, degraded rangeland, dunefields, and cropland.

Ahmad Jalili,1 Anthony Bewley,2 Michael Sticherling,3 Linda Stein Gold4 1Dermatology & Skin Care Clinic, Buochs, Switzerland; 2Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University London, London, UK; 3Department of Dermatology, Psoriasis Center, University Medical Center, Erlangen, Germany; 4Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USACorrespondence: Linda Stein Gold, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA, Email LSTEIN1@hfhs.orgAbstract: Psoriasis is a well-known chronic disease characterized by the development of erythematous, indurated, scaly, pruritic plaques on the skin with cycles of remission and symptom flare-ups. The management of patients with chronic plaque psoriasis has been more challenging since the Covid-19 pandemic as health care professionals have had to adapt to remote consultations for some patients, and patients have had to adapt to the changing health landscape. The rapid resolution of psoriasis symptoms especially those with a substantial impact on quality of life can improve patient satisfaction and adherence, making it an important factor in successful treatment. Cal/BD foam contributes to improved patient adherence and treatment outcome through its rapid action and superior efficacy versus Cal or BD monotherapy, Cal/BD ointment and gel and clobetasol cream in the short-term flare treatment of psoriasis. Moreover, the benefits of proactive long-term management of psoriasis compared to reactive management and its favourable safety profile are higher efficacy and a better health-related quality of life. Cal/BD foam should be considered an effective topical treatment for short-term flare treatment and long-term control of adult psoriatic patients.Keywords: psoriasis, adherence, proactive management, quality of life

Babak Kashefi,1 Mehdi Mohammadi,2 Farzin Rezaei,1 Narges Ghadami,1 Khashaiar Jalili,3 Ali Jalili2 1Neurosciences Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 2Cancer and Immunology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 3Faculty of Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, CanadaCorrespondence: Ali JaliliCancer and Immunology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, IranEmail Ali130@gmail.comIntroduction: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a non-pharmacological method for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The precise biochemical mechanism of the effects of ECT is not clear, and since the two factors including matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha (CXCL12) play an important role in improving nerve damage, the effects of ECT and its relation with serum levels of MMP-9 and CXCL12 in patients with mania were investigated in this study.Methods: In this before and after intervention study, the patients with mania, referring to the Qods Hospital in Sanandaj, were selected by the census method during the years 2015– 2018. Young’s test was performed 24 hrs before and after the first, third, and sixth sessions of ECT. For biochemical analysis, 3 mL of peripheral blood were taken prior to any anesthesia and 6 hrs after the first, third, and sixth sessions. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient by using the SPSS16 software.Results: The results showed a significant decrease in Young’s test scores during the first to the sixth session of ECT (P≤ 0.05). Although the levels of CXCL12 were slightly increased after the sixth course of ECT, they were not significant. Moreover, there were no significant relationship between the Young’s test score and the serum levels of both MMP-9 and CXCL12 (P≥ 0.05).Conclusion: ECT improved patients clinically, but this effect was independent of serum levels of MMP-9 and CXCL12, and possibly other biochemical factors are involved in this pathway.Keywords: matrix metalloproteinase, stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha, electroconvulsive therapy

Shole Shahgheibi,1,* Roya Mardani,1,* Erfan Babaei,2 Parastoo Mardani,3 Masomeh Rezaie,1 Fariba Farhadifar,1 Daem Roshani,2 Mobin Naqshbandi,2 Ali Jalili2 1Deparment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 2Cancer & Immunology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 3Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Payame Noor University, Sanandaj, Iran*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ali JaliliCancer & Immunology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, IranTel +98 9 183771862Email Ali130@gmail.comBackground: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a multifactorial condition, and the precise mechanism is still unknown. In the current study, we aimed to determine the relationship between the platelet (PLT) indices and CXC12 levels in patients with IUGR.Patients and Materials: In this study, 36 patients with IUGR and 36 healthy pregnant mothers were enrolled as the case and control groups, respectively. Gestational age for both groups was between 24 and 40 years. Blood samples were taken, and platelet indices were examined by a full-diff cell counter. Serum levels of CXCL12 were measured by ELISA, and the data were analyzed using an independent Student’s t-test.Results: In this study, we observed that the mean value of PLT count (154.3 ± 50 vs 236 ± 36) and plateletcrit (0.124 ± 0.038 vs 0.178 ± 0.021) were significantly lower in the case than the control group. In contrast, the mean platelet volume (7.94 ± 0.55 vs 7.62 ± 0.53) and platelet distribution width (17.57 ± 0.7 vs 16.96 ± 0.59) were significantly higher in the case than the control group. More importantly, we found that the serum levels of CXCL12 were significantly higher (5.3 ng/mL± 3.1 vs 2.8 ± 1.6) in the patients compared to the pregnancy controls.Conclusion: Our data show that platelet indices are changed in IUGR, and the levels of circulating CXCL12 are increased in patients with IUGR. These findings provide a base for further studies to better defining the pathophysiology of IUGR.Keywords: platelets, SDF-1, intrauterine growth restriction, CXCL12

Manizheh Narimani,1 Mohammadreza Sharifi,2 Ali Jalili1 1Cancer and Immunology Research Center, Institute of Research for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 2Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IranCorrespondence: Ali JaliliCancer and Immunology Research Center, Institute of Research for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, IranTel +98-9183771862Email Ali130@gmail.comIntroduction: Human Baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis repeat-containing 5 (BIRC5) which encodes survivin exhibits multiple biological activities, such as cell proliferation and apoptosis. Survivin is overexpressed in numerous malignant diseases including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Recent studies have shown that the CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease-mediated gene-editing systems are suitable approach’s for editing or knocking out various genes including oncogenes.Methods and materials: We used CRISPR-Cas9 to knockout the BIRC5 in the human leukemic cell line, HL60, and KG1, and these cell lines were transfected with either the Cas9- and three sgRNAs expressing plasmids or negative control (scramble) using Lipofectamine 3000. The efficacy of the transfection was determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain (RT-qPCR) and surveyor mutation assays. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively.Results: We have successfully knocked out the BIRC5 gene in these leukemic cells and observed that the BIRC5-knocked out cells by CRISPR/Cas9 showed a significant decrease (30 folds) of survivin at mRNA levels. Moreover, cell death and apoptosis were significantly induced in BIRC5-CRISPR/Cas9-transfected cells compared to the scramble vector.Conclusion: We demonstrated for the first time that targeting BIRC5 by CRISPR/Cas9 technology is a suitable approach for the induction of apoptosis in leukemic cells. However, further studies targeting this gene in primary leukemic cells are required.Keywords: BIRC5, survivin, CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease, AML, KG1 cells, HL60 cell

Mohammad Amin Boshagh,1,2 Poorya Foroutan,1,2 Mohammad Raman Moloudi,3 Shohreh Fakhari,1 Parisa Malakouti,1 Bahram Nikkhoo,1 Ali Jalili1,21Cancer and Immunology Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 2Department of Immunology & Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 3Liver and Digestive Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, IranBackground: The presence of neutrophil-rich inflammation in colon tissues of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the most important histological characteristics of this disease. However, the expression of CXCL chemokines governing the infiltration of neutrophils in UC has not been well elucidated.Materials and methods: In this experimental study, the UC model was induced in Wistar rats by administration of 2 mL 4% acetic acid into the large colon through the rectum. Animals were anesthetized after 48 hrs; their colon tissue samples were isolated for macroscopic and histopathological examinations. The expression of CXCL family was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) technique.Results: Heavy infiltration of neutrophils, coagulation necrosis, and ulcers were observed in H&E staining, which pathologically proved the UC model. qRT-PCR results showed that ELR+, CXC chemokines such as CXCL6 and CXCL3 had the highest expression in the UC group, which was 49 and 28 times higher than that of the control group, respectively. In addition, other chemokines of this group including CXCL1, CXCL2, and CXCL7 had a significant increase compared to the control group (P≤0.05). However, ELR−, CXC chemokines such as CXCL4, CXCL13, and CXCL16 showed a smaller upregulation, while CXCL14 chemokine showed a significant decrease compared to the control group (P≤0.05). However, the expression of CXCL9-12 and CXCL17 did not change.Conclusion: The results showed that the ELR+, CXC chemokines, especially CXCL6 and CXCL3, many involved in the pathogenesis of UC; therefore, CXCL6 and CXCL3 chemokines can be used as therapeutic targets for UC, although more studies using human samples are required.Keywords: ELR+, CXC chemokines, chemokine, CXCLs, ulcerative colitis

Andreas Pinter,1 Henrik Thormann,2 Flavia Angeletti,1 Ahmad Jalili3 1Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Allergology, University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; 2Dermatology Clinic, Vejle, Denmark; 3Department of Dermatology, Bürgenstock Medical Center, Obbürgen, Switzerland Abstract: An aerosol foam formulation of a once-daily, fixed-dose combination of a synthetic vitamin D3 analog/synthetic corticosteroid (calcipotriol [Cal] 50 µg/g and betamethasone dipropionate [BD] 0.5 mg/g) has recently been introduced for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. Data from several sources – randomized controlled trials, case reports (as highlighted in this review), and real-world evidence (RWE) – underscore the considerable and rapid clinical response, effectiveness, and favorable safety and tolerability of Cal/BD aerosol foam in mild-to-moderate psoriatic patients previously treated with class 3 or 4 topical corticosteroids, in patients unsatisfied with ongoing phototherapy in combination with topical therapy and in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. In addition, our case series, considered together with other RWE, highlights that Cal/BD aerosol foam is more effective and with greater levels of patient preference and acceptability than comparator preparations. Thus, Cal/BD aerosol foam offers several treatment advantages, including relief of itch, and is an appropriate first-line topical therapy for consideration in patients with psoriasis of any severity. Keywords: aerosol, betamethasone dipropionate, calcipotriol, psoriasis

In this study, we used multivariate decoding methods to study processing differences between canonical (montring and count) and noncanonical finger numeral configurations (FNCs). While previous research investigated these processing differences using behavioral and event-related potentials (ERP) methods, conventional univariate ERP analyses focus on specific time intervals and electrode sites and fail to capture broader scalp distribution and EEG frequency patterns. To address this issue a supervised learning classifier--support vector machines (SVM)--was used to decode ERP scalp distributions and alpha-band power for montring, counting, and noncanonical FNCs (for integers 1 to 4). The SVM was used to test whether the numerical information presented in FNCs can be decoded from the EEG data. Differences in the magnitude and timing of accuracy rates were used to compare the three types of FNCs. Overall, the algorithm was able to predict numerical information presented in FNCs beyond the random chance level accuracy, with higher rates for ERP scalp distributions than alpha-power. Montring had lower peak accuracy compared to counting and noncanonical configurations, likely due to automaticity in processing montring configurations leading to less distinct scalp distributions for the four numerical magnitudes (1 to 4). Paralleling the response time data, the peak decoding accuracy time for montring was earlier for montring (472 ms), compared to counting (577 ms) and noncanonical FNCs (604 ms). The results provide support for montring configurations being processed automatically, somewhat similar to number symbols, and provide additional insights for processing differences across different forms of FNCs. This study also highlights the strengths of decoding methods in EEG/ERP research on numerical cognition.

BACKGROUND: Individuals diagnosed with an obesity-related cancer (ORC survivors) are at an elevated risk of incident diabetes compared with cancer-free individuals, but whether this confers survival disadvantage is unknown. METHODS: We assessed the rate of incident diabetes in ORC survivors and evaluated the association of incident diabetes with all-cause and cancer-specific mortality among females with ORC in the Womens Health Initiative cohort (N = 14,651). Cox proportional hazards regression models stratified by exposure-risk periods (0-1, >1-3, >3-5, >5-7, and >7-10 years) from ORC diagnosis and time-varying exposure (diabetes) analyses were performed. RESULTS: Among the ORC survivors, a total of 1.3% developed diabetes within ≤1 year of follow-up and 2.5%, 2.3%, 2.3%, and 3.6% at 1-3, 3-5, 5-7, and 7-10 years of follow-up, respectively, after an ORC diagnosis. The median survival for those diagnosed with diabetes within 1-year of cancer diagnosis and those with no diabetes diagnosis in that time frame was 8.8 [95% confidence interval (CI), 7.0-14.5) years and 16.6 (95% CI, 16.1-17.0) years, respectively. New-onset compared with no diabetes as a time-varying exposure was associated with higher risk of all-cause (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.16-1.40) and cancer-specific (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.99-1.38) mortality. When stratified by exposure-risk periods, incident diabetes in ≤1 year of follow-up was associated with higher all-cause (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.40-2.20) and cancer-specific (HR0-1, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.28-2.57) mortality, compared with no diabetes diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Incident diabetes was associated with worse cancer-specific and all-cause survival, particularly in the year after cancer diagnosis. IMPACT: These findings draw attention to the importance of diabetes prevention efforts among cancer survivors to improve survival outcomes.

Short-read genome sequencing (GS) holds the promise of becoming the primary diagnostic approach for the assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and fetal structural anomalies (FSAs). However, few studies have comprehensively evaluated its performance against current standard-of-care diagnostic tests: karyotype, chromosomal microarray (CMA), and exome sequencing (ES). To assess the clinical utility of GS, we compared its diagnostic yield against these three tests in 1,612 quartet families including an individual with ASD and in 295 prenatal families. Our GS analytic framework identified a diagnostic variant in 7.8% of ASD probands, almost 2-fold more than CMA (4.3%) and 3-fold more than ES (2.7%). However, when we systematically captured copy-number variants (CNVs) from the exome data, the diagnostic yield of ES (7.4%) was brought much closer to, but did not surpass, GS. Similarly, we estimated that GS could achieve an overall diagnostic yield of 46.1% in unselected FSAs, representing a 17.2% increased yield over karyotype, 14.1% over CMA, and 4.1% over ES with CNV calling or 36.1% increase without CNV discovery. Overall, GS provided an added diagnostic yield of 0.4% and 0.8% beyond the combination of all three standard-of-care tests in ASD and FSAs, respectively. This corresponded to nine GS unique diagnostic variants, including sequence variants in exons not captured by ES, structural variants (SVs) inaccessible to existing standard-of-care tests, and SVs where the resolution of GS changed variant classification. Overall, this large-scale evaluation demonstrated that GS significantly outperforms each individual standard-of-care test while also outperforming the combination of all three tests, thus warranting consideration as the first-tier diagnostic approach for the assessment of ASD and FSAs.