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Narrowband optical absorption plays a key role in photonic sensors and photovoltaic elements. Here, we propose a design of creating narrowband absorbers based on the symmetric and asymmetric defective photonic crystals (SDPCs and ADPCs) consisting of defects in the form of DMD in which M indicates the WS2 or WSe2 monolayer and D represents the SiO2 layer. In this paper, the effect of the defect layer thickness, polarization, and incident angle of light on the number and wavelength of defect modes in both symmetric and asymmetric structures is investigated. The findings suggest that the wavelength of the defect modes can be adjusted by varying the thickness of layer D as well as the design of the wavelength and tuned by polarization and incident angle of light. In both SDPC and ADPC, the wavelength of the defect mode shows red shift with an increase in the thickness of layer D and exhibits blue shift with an increase in the angle of light in both TE and TM polarization. This narrowband absorber demonstrates great potential for being adopted in the detection of photodetectors, absorbent filters, and the like. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A defective Thue–Morse quasi-photonic crystal containing molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is suggested to construct an ultra-narrowband multiple resonant absorber in the visible range. Multiple high absorption peaks can be achieved by altering the design of the proposed structure in different ways such as changing the generation number or the symmetry with respect to defect. Two structures are introduced, which create more than seven absorption peaks higher than 40% and one of the peaks about 100%. Defect modes' wavelength can be tuned to show the blue shift by incident angles and the polarization of light. Our optimal structures are useful for applications in multiplex filters and multiple channel sensors due to their high amount and narrowband absorption peaks and can show nearly perfect absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among ultrathin transition metal dichalcogenides, WS2 monolayers with a direct bandgap have attracted intensive attention because of their narrow optical absorption centered at 619 nm. However, these layers with stronger absorption are needed in applications such as photonic devices. In this paper, an increase in absorption is achieved through plasmonic coupling of a nearby Au thin layer directly or through a spacer to the WS2 monolayer. The optical properties of the designed structures are investigated by the transfer matrix method in the visible wavelength region. In the structure consisting of a WS2 monolayer with Au and spacer layers, the absorption at 619 nm was increased to 61%. Sharp optical absorption as high as 40% for a large range of incidence angles in both polarizations was retained. Our study provides useful information for the design of WS2 monolayers in photonic devices for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2007.06.037 Byline: E. Mohebbi Keywords: Inventory; Production; Limited capacity; Random environments; Markov-modulated processes; Level crossings Abstract: This note presents an extension of our earlier paper on a production-inventory system with limited storage capacity in a multi-state random environment [i.e., E. Mohebbi, A production-inventory model with randomly changing environmental conditions, Eur. J Res. 174 (2006) 539-552]. More specifically, it assumes that the production rate as well as the occurrence rate and batch sizes of a compound Poisson demand stream are influenced by the state of a continuous-time homogeneous Markov chain representing the random environment. We present an adaptation of the system-point method of level crossings which yields the limiting distribution of inventory level (stock-on-hand) for a two-parameter production control policy when stockouts are lost. Author Affiliation: Department of Management/MIS, College of Business, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, USA Article History: Received 17 January 2006; Accepted 17 June 2007

A material requirements planning simulator with a two-level bill-of-material is used to study the impact of introducing component commonality into an assemble-to-order environment when demand is subject to random variations, and component procurement orders experience random delays. By using simulated data, our ANOVA results show that component commonality significantly interacts with existence of demand and supply chain uncertainties, and benefits of component commonality are most pronounced when both uncertainties exist. Keywords: Component commonality; Lead-time uncertainty; Demand uncertainty; Assemble-to-order environment, 1. Introduction The assemble-to-order (ATO) strategy emerges in manufacturing environments where many finished products are assembled from a relatively small set of standard components and subassemblies. In a typical ATO [...]

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Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are linked to tobacco smoking, opium use, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. However, little is known about the association of HPV infection with risk factors of HNSCCs, including opium and tobacco use. This cross-sectional analysis of a national multi-center case-control study in Iran included 498 HNSCC cases and 242 controls. We investigated the association of opium and tobacco use with α- (n = 21), β- (n = 46), and γ-HPV (n = 52) types in saliva samples using type-specific bead-based multiplex genotyping assays (TS-MPG). We found that α-HPV positivity was significantly associated with tobacco smoking (OR = 10.35; 95% CI = 1.15, 93; p = .03), but not with opium use (OR = 1.06; 95% CI = 0.41, 2.76; p = .89). Additionally, tobacco smoking correlated with an elevated risk of β-species 2 HPV infection (OR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.04, 1.58; p = .020). Conversely, opium use showed a positive association with γ-species 12 HPV infection (OR = 5.67; 95% CI = 1.43, 22.44; p = .013). These findings indicate that tobacco and opium use may influence the risk of HPV infection in different ways depending on the HPV genus and species. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings in other populations., (© 2024 UICC.)

Objective: Despite the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) program in Iran, the regulation of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure-an often-overlooked hazard-, still requires improvement. We employed a multi-center case-control study to investigate the association between exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) from various tobacco products (cigarettes, water-pipes, pipes, and chopogh), opium use, and the risk of lung cancer., Method: We included 627 lung cancer cases and 3477 controls. Exposure to SHS tobacco and SHS opium was collected through a questionnaire. We used mixed-model logistic regressions to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI)., Result: Among the overall population exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS), the odds ratio (OR) compared to those never exposed was 1.35 (95% CI: 1.08-1.71). Never smokers who were ever exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS) had 1.69-fold risk of lung cancer compared to those who were never exposed (95% CI: 1.13-2.52). Exposure to SHTS between 2-3 per day (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.13-4.53) and more than three hours per day (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.20-4.37) can increase the risk of lung cancer compared with the no exposure group (P-trend <0.01). We did not observe any association between exposure to second-hand opium smoke (SHOS) and the risk of lung cancer, either in the overall population or among never-smokers., Conclusion: Our study estimates the impact of second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS) on lung cancer risk in both the overall population and never-smokers. Additional studies are required to evaluate the association between exposure to second-hand smoke from opium and other type of tobacco, including water-pipe and the risk of lung cancer., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Lotfi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Although the relationship between allergies and cancer has been investigated extensively, the role of allergies in head and neck cancer (HNC) appears less consistent. It is unclear whether allergies can independently influence the risk of HNC in the presence of substantial environmental risk factors, including consumption of alcohol, betel quid, and cigarettes. This study aims to find this association. We examined the relationship between allergies and HNC risk in a hospital-based case-control study with 300 cases and 375 matched controls. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals, controlling for age, sex, tobacco smoking and opium usage history, alcohol consumption, and socioeconomic status. Our study showed a significant reduction in the risk of HNC associated with allergy symptoms after adjusting for confounders. The risk of HNC was greatly reduced among those with any type of allergy (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.28, 0.65). The ORs were considerably reduced by 58-88% for different kinds of allergies. The risk of HNC reduction was higher in allergic women than in allergic men (71% vs. 49%). Allergies play an influential role in the risk of HNC development. Future studies investigating immune biomarkers, including cytokine profiles and genetic polymorphisms, are necessary to further delineate the relationship between allergies and HNC. Understanding the relationship between allergies and HNC may help to devise effective strategies to reduce and treat HNC., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified opium consumption as carcinogenic to humans. This study aimed to estimate the potential reduction in incident cancers by 2035 in Iran, which accounts for 42% of global opium consumption, through decreasing opium use prevalence., Methods: The population attributable fraction (PAF) of opium-related cancers was projected using national cancer incidence, age- and gender-specific opium use prevalence, relative cancer risks associated with opium use, and annual percentage changes in cancer incidence rates in Iran. Opium-related cancers were defined based on IARC monographs as cancers of lung, larynx, bladder, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, and pharynx. The number of preventable cancer cases under different opium prevalence scenarios was determined by subtracting attributable cases in each year based on current prevalence from those in alternative scenarios., Findings: By 2035, an estimated 3,001,421 new cancer cases are expected in Iran, with 904,013 (30.1%) occurring in opium-related sites. Maintaining the current opium prevalence (5.6%) is projected to cause 111,130 new cancer cases (3.7% of all cancers, 12.3% of opium-related). A 10%, 30%, and 50% reduction in opium prevalence could prevent 9,016, 28,161, and 49,006 total incident cancers by 2035 in Iran, respectively. Reducing opium use prevalence by 10%-50% is projected to have the highest impact on lung cancer (prevention of 2,946-15,831 cases), stomach cancer (prevention of 2,404-12,593 cases), and bladder cancer (prevention of 1,725-9,520 cases)., Interpretation: Our results highlight the significant benefits that can be achieved through effective cancer prevention policies targeting opium use in Iran. Neglecting this risk factor is estimated to pose a significant burden on cancer incidence in the next decade in this population., Funding: None., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Where authors are identified as personnel of the International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization, the authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article and they do not necessarily represent the decisions, policy, or views of the International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization., (© 2024 World Health Organization.)

Zinc oxide and polylactic-co-glycolic acid (ZnO-PLGA) nanocomposites are known to exhibit different biomedical applications and antibacterial activity, which could be beneficial for adding to wound dressings after different surgeries. However, possible cytotoxic effects along with various unexpected activities could reduce the use of these prominent systems. This is correlated to the property of ZnO, which exhibits different polymeric forms, in particular, wurtzite, zinc-blende, and rocksalt. In this study, we propose a computational approach based on the density functional theory to investigate the properties of ZnO-PLGA systems in detail. First, three different stable polymorphs of ZnO were considered. Subsequently, the abilities of each system to absorb the PLGA copolymer were thoroughly investigated, taking into account the modulation of electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. Significant differences between ZnO and PLGA systems have been found; in this study, we remark on the potential use of these models and the necessity to describe crucial surface aspects that might be challenging to observe with experimental approaches but which can modulate the performance of nanocomposites.

Background: Limited data exist for the association between bladder cancers and waterpipe smoking, an emerging global public health concern., Methods: We used the IROPICAN database in Iran and used multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for cigarette smoking, opium use, and other confounding factors. In addition, we studied the association between exclusive waterpipe smoking and bladder cancer., Results: We analyzed 717 cases and 3,477 controls and a subset of 215 patients and 2,145 controls who did not use opium or cigarettes. Although the OR adjusted for opium, cigarettes, and other tobacco products was 0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.69-1.20], we observed a statistically significant elevated risk in exclusive waterpipe smokers (OR = 1.78; 95% CI, 1.16-2.72) compared with non-users of opium or any tobacco. Associations were strongest for smoking more than two heads/day (OR = 2.25; 95% CI, 1.21-4.18) and for initiating waterpipe smoking at an age less than 20 (OR = 2.73; 95% CI, 1.11-6.72). The OR for urothelial bladder cancer was higher in ex-smokers (OR = 2.35; 95% CI, 1.24-4.42) than in current smokers (OR = 1.52; 95% CI, 0.72-3.15). All observed associations were consistently higher for urothelial histology., Conclusions: Waterpipe smoking may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, notably among individuals who are not exposed to cigarette smoking and opium., Impact: The study provides compelling evidence that waterpipe smoking is a confirmed human carcinogen, demanding action from policymakers. See related In the Spotlight, p. 461., (©2024 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

Self-consistent charge density functional tight-binding (DFTB) calculations have been performed to investigate the electrical properties and transport behavior of asymmetric graphene devices (AGDs). Three different nanodevices constructed of different necks of 8 nm, 6 nm and 4 nm, named Graphene-N8, Graphene-N6 and Graphene-N4, respectively, have been proposed. All devices have been tested under two conditions of zero gate voltage and an applied gate voltage of +20 V using a dielectric medium of 3.9 epsilon interposed between the graphene and the metallic gate. As expected, the results of AGD diodes exhibited strong asymmetric I ( V ) characteristic curves in good agreement with the available experimental data. Our predictions implied that Graphene-N4 would achieve great asymmetry ( A ) of 1.40 at | V | = 0.2 V with maximum transmittance ( DS | = 0.2 V with maximum transmittance ( T ) of 6.72 in the energy range 1.30 eV. More importantly, while the A of Graphene-N4 was slightly changed by applying the gate voltage, Graphene-N6/Graphene-N8 showed a significant effect with their A increased from 1.20/1.03 under no gate voltage (NGV) to 1.30/1.16 under gate voltage (WGV) conditions. Our results open up unprecedented numerical prospects for designing tailored geometric diodes., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Objective: The scientific literature presents conflicting data on a possible causal relationship between opium users and the development of head and neck cancer (HNC). This study aimed to explore the risk of HNC among opium users is a narcotic addictive drug., Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis encompassed academic databases and gray literature up to May 2023, focusing on epidemiologic observational studies that reported the effect size of the HNC risk and opium use., Results: This study incorporated 14 effect size estimations to examine the association between opium use and the risk of head and neck cancers based on various HNC sub-sites, including the lip and oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. The random effect model revealed a significant correlation between combined HNCs and opium use (odds ratio [OR]: 4.88; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 2.99, 7.96). Additionally, opium consumption significantly increased the incidence of lip and oral cavity cancers (OR: 1.82; 95 % CI: 1.25, 2.65). Opium users faced an approximately eightfold increase in laryngeal cancer risk (OR: 7.86; 95 % CI: 4.66, 13.24) compared to non-opium users., Conclusions: In summary, our findings strongly suggest that opium use is emerging as a significant risk factor for HNC. This underscores the need for further research and focused preventive measures to address this concerning association., 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Opium use has been associated with an increased risk of cancers of the lung, oesophagus, and pancreas, and it was recently classified by the International Agency for Cancer Research as carcinogenic to humans. It is not clear whether opium also increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of our study was to assess the association between various metrics of opium use and the risk of CRC., Methods: This case-referent study from seven provinces in Iran comprised 848 CRC cases and 3215 referents. Data on opium use (duration, amount, frequency) and potential confounders were collected by trained interviewers. Multivariable unconditional logistic regression models were used to measure odds ratios (OR) adjusted for age, gender, province, marital status, family history of CRC-linked cancers, consumption of red meat, fruits and vegetables, body shape, occupational physical activity, and socioeconomic status., Results: Regular opium consumption was not associated with the risk of CRC (OR 0.9, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.7, 1.2) compared to subjects who never used opium. However, frequent opium use more than twice a day was associated with an increased risk of CRC compared to non-users of opium (OR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.1, 3.8; p for quadratic trend 0.008)., Conclusion: There seems to be no overall association between opium use and CRC, but the risk of CRC might be increased among persons who use opium many times a day.

In the current study, we aimed to calculate the fraction of cancer attributable to modifiable risk factors in Iran in 2020. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated for established cancer risk factors using three data sources: the national cancer incidence reports, relative risks extracted from global and national meta-analyses, and exposure prevalence from national/subnational population-based surveys. In addition to overall cancers, the PAFs were estimated separately for each cancer site among men and women. Overall, 32.6% of cancers in 2020 in Iran were attributable to known risk factors. The PAF in men (40.2%) was twice as high as in women (21.1%). Cigarette smoking (15.4%), being overweight (5.0%), opium use (3.9%) and H. pylori infection (3.8%) were the leading causes of cancers. For men, the highest PAFs belonged to cigarette smoking (26.3%), opium use (6.8%) and being overweight (3.1%), while for women, the highest PAFs belonged to being overweight (7.2%), H. pylori infection (2.7%) and cigarette smoking (2.7%). Among Iranian men and women, the PAFs of waterpipe smoking were 2% and 0.9%, respectively. A third of incident cancers in Iran are due to modifiable exposures, mainly cigarette smoking, being overweight, and H. pylori infection. Opium consumption and waterpipe smoking collectively accounted for 8.8% of cancer occurrence in men and 1.3% in women in Iran. These emerging risk factors should be taken into consideration in future PAF studies., (© 2023 UICC.)

Background: Data on the association between head and neck cancer (HNC) and dietary factors are inconclusive. No study has so far investigated the association between dietary total antioxidant capacity (dTAC) and HNC concerning interactions with other risk factors., Method: Pathologically confirmed new diagnosed HNC patients were included in this study. The control group was healthy hospital visitors who were frequently matched with patients on age (5 years interval), gender, and province of residence. Trained interviewers administered a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to assess the participants' food intake 1 year before the cancer diagnosis. Data on TAC scores of foods was collected by Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and Total Radical-trapping Antioxidant Parameters (TRAP) from published data. We applied logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, energy intake, socioeconomic status, province, opium use, alcohol use, physical activity, and dental health. We also studied the interaction of dTAC with tobacco smoking status, and opium use on the risk of HNC., Results: We recruited 876 HNC patients and 3,409 healthy controls. We observed a significant decrease in the odds of HNC with increasing dTAC scores. The OR of HNC for the third vs. the first tertile was 0.49 (95%CI 0.39-0.61) for FRAP and 0.49 (95%CI 0.39-0.62) for TRAP. Both dTAC scores were inversely associated with lip and oral (T3 ver. T1 OR = 0.51; 95%CI 0.36-0.71 for FRAP and OR = 0.59; 95% CI 0.44-0.82 for TRAP) and larynx (T3 ver. T1 OR = 0.43; 95%CI 0.31-0.61 for FRAP and OR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.26-0.55 for TRAP) cancers. There was no interaction between tobacco smoking, opium use; and TRAP or FRAP on the risk of HNC., Conclusion: An antioxidant-rich diet in terms of FRAP or TRAP could decrease the risk of HNC and its subtypes., 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 © 2023 Toorang, Seyyedsalehi, Sasanfar, Rashidian, Hadji, Mohebbi, Safari, Najefi, Naghibzadeh-Tahami, Bofetta and Zendehdel.)

Background and Objectives: We aimed to investigate geographical disparity in cancer survival in 9 provincial population-based cancer registries in Iran from 2015 to 2016., Material and Method: In the current study, data from 90,862 adult patients (aged >15 years) diagnosed with cancer were retrieved from 9 population-based cancer registries across Iran. Five-year survival rates were estimated by applying relative survival approaches. We also applied the international cancer survival standard weights for age standardization. Finally, we calculated the excess hazard ratio (EHR) for each province adjusted for age, sex, and cancer sites to estimate the excess hazard ratio of mortality compared to the capital province (Tehran)., Results: The largest gap in survival was observed in more curable cancer types, including melanoma (41.4%), ovary (32.3%), cervix (35.0%), prostate (26.7%), and rectum (21.4%), while the observed geographical disparity in lethal cancers such as lung, brain, stomach, and pancreas was less than 15%. Compared to Tehran, we found the highest excess hazard of death in Western Azerbaijan (EHR=1.60, 95% CI 1.51, 1.65), Kermanshah (EHR=1.52, 95% CI=1.44, 1.61), and Kerman (EHR=1.46, 95% CI=1.38, 1.53). The hazard ratio of death was almost identical in Isfahan (EHR=1.04, 95% CI=1.03, 1.06) and Tehran provinces., Conclusion: Provinces with higher HDI had better survival rates. IRANCANSURV study showed regional disparities in cancer survival in Iran. Cancer patients in provinces with a higher Human Development Index (HDI) had a higher survival rate and lived longer compared to the patients in provinces with medium and low HDI regions., 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background & Objective: Since December 2019 in Wuhan, China there is a new form of pneumonia and after expansion in other countries, World Health Organization (WHO) called it Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since the clinical laboratory findings have played an important role in the progression of the disease, this study aimed to evaluate the laboratory findings in COVID-19 patients (before vaccination)., Methods: In this case-control study that was conducted from February to August 2020; the laboratory test status in 101 positive COVID-19 patients was evaluated and compared with 101 healthy individuals., Results: The results of our study showed that 21% of patients had low WBC, 24.75% low RBC, 37.62%, low Hb, 18.81% with low HCT, 29.7%, low Plt, 41.58% had High PT, 71.29% high CRP, 17.82% high urea, 11.88% high CR, 15.84% high LDH, 10.89% low sodium, 14.75% low potassium (K). The quantitative examination of blood factors showed that lymph%, mixed%, PLT, HCT, Hb, and RBC were higher in the control group than in the case group. While Neu%, WBC, PTT, CRP, UREA, LDH, K in the patient group were higher than in the control group., Conclusion: According to the results of the study, it can be concluded that in the clinical treatment of COVID-19 patients, much attention should be paid to the laboratory indicators to identify and intervene early in critically ill patients., Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Background: Mental health is integral to public health in adolescents. Although previous studies have shown that low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with mental disorders (MD), it is unclear which mental health domains are most important. Thus, our study aimed to investigate the associations between 5 domains of mental disorder and SES inequality in adolescents., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among adolescents (N = 1724). Associations between SES inequality with mental disorders, such as emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior, were examined. We used the concentration index (CI) to determine inequality. The gap between the low and high socioeconomic groups was decomposed into its determinants using the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method., Results: Mental health's overall CI was -0.085 ( P ˂ 0.001). The emotional problem was primarily caused by SES inequality (-0.094 [ P = 0.004]). Decomposition of the gap between the 2 economic groups showed that physical activity, school performance, exercise, parents' smoking status, and gender were the most important determinants of inequality., Conclusion: SES inequality plays a vital role in adolescents' mental health. It seems that the emotional problem domain of mental health might be more amenable to interventions than other domains., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

MoO 3 and MoO 2 systems have attracted particular attention for many widespread applications thanks to their electronic and optical peculiarities; from the crystallographic point of view, MoO 3 adopts a thermodynamically stable orthorhombic phase (α-MoO 3 ) belonging to the space group Pbmn , while MoO 2 assumes a monoclinic arrangement characterized by space group P 2 1 / c. In the present paper, we investigated the electronic and optical properties of both MoO 3 and MoO 2 by using Density Functional Theory calculations, in particular, the Meta Generalized Gradient Approximation (MGGA) SCAN functional together with the PseudoDojo pseudopotential, which were used for the first time to obtain a deeper insight into the nature of different Mo-O bonds in these materials. The calculated density of states, the band gap, and the band structure were confirmed and validated by comparison with already available experimental results, while the optical properties were validated by recording optical spectra. Furthermore, the calculated band-gap energy value for the orthorhombic MoO 3 showed the best match to the experimental value reported in the literature. All these findings suggest that the newly proposed theoretical techniques reproduce the experimental evidence of both MoO 2 and MoO 3 systems with high accuracy.

Water-pipe tobacco smoking is harmful to health, yet its rate of prevalence remains uncertain. Recent evidence has shown that the prevalence of water-pipe smoking among students is higher than in the general population. In this study, a systematic review of related literature on water-pipe use was conducted, and for this purpose, 76 articles were examined in the study. In this vein, geographic distribution and time trends of water-pipe consumption in Iran were considered. The results of this study showed that lifetime, last-year, and last-month prevalence of water-pipe smoking use among Iranian students were 28.78 (25.07-32.49), 20.84 (16.01-25.66), and 16.36 (11.86-20.85), respectively. The results also showed a wide variation by the region and sex in Iran. This study has shown the importance of addressing public prevention and alerting programs in schools and universities.

Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diodes are very interesting in many different applications exploiting environment-friendly renewable energy solutions. Moreover, since the dimensions of such devices are at the nanoscale, the size and the characteristics of their constitutive elements can drastically influence their macroscale performance. As it could be difficult to describe in detail the physical phenomena occurring among materials in nanoscale systems, in this work first-principles calculations have been used to study the structural and electrical properties of three different hafnium oxide (HfO 2 )-MIM diodes. These devices have been simulated at the atomistic level by interposing 3 nm of HfO 2 between drain and source electrodes made of gold and platinum, respectively. The monoclinic and orthorhombic polymorphs of HfO 2 have been considered to model different types of MIM diodes, and the interface geometries have been optimized to compute the current-voltage characteristics, reflecting the tunneling mechanisms occurring in such devices. The calculation of the transmission pathways has also been carried out to investigate the effects of atomistic coordinates despite the use of the same material. The results demonstrate the role of the Miller indices of metals and the influence of the HfO 2 polymorphs on the MIM properties. In this study, the importance of interface phenomena on the measurable properties of the proposed devices has been investigated in detail., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) are a class of chemical carcinogens found in various environmental sources such as food, drinking water, cigarette smoke, the work environment, and the indoor air population. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the links between nitrate, nitrite, and NOCs in food and water and the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, including esophageal cancer (EC), gastric cancer (GC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and pancreatic cancer (PC). A systematic search of the literature in Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Embase was performed for studies on the association between NOCs in drinking water and food sources and GI cancers. Forest plots of relative risk (RR) were constructed for all the cancer sites and the intake sources. The random-effects model was used to assess the heterogeneity between studies. Forty articles were included after removing duplicate and irrelevant articles. The meta-analysis indicated that the intake of high dose vs. low dose of these compounds was significantly associated with the overall GI cancer risk and nitrite (RR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.07-1.29), and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) (RR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.06-1.65). We found that dietary nitrite intake increased GC (RR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.02-1.73), and EC (RR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.01-1.89). Additionally, dietary NDMA intake increased the risk of CRC (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.18-1.58). This meta-analysis provides some evidence that the intake of dietary and water nitrate, nitrite, and NOCs may be associated with GI cancers. In particular, dietary nitrite is linked to GC and EC risks and dietary NDMA intake is associated with CRC.

Opium use was recently classified as a human carcinogen for lung cancer by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. We conducted a large, multicenter case-control study evaluating the association between opium use and the risk of lung cancer. We recruited 627 cases and 3477 controls from May 2017 to July 2020. We used unconditional logistic regression analyses to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) and measured the association between opium use and the risk of lung cancer. The ORs were adjusted for the residential place, age, gender, socioeconomic status, cigarettes, and water pipe smoking. We found a 3.6-fold risk of lung cancer for regular opium users compared to never users (95% CI: 2.9, 4.6). There was a strong dose-response association between a cumulative count of opium use and lung cancer risk. The OR for regular opium use was higher for small cell carcinoma than in other histology (8.3, 95% CI: 4.8, 14.4). The OR of developing lung cancer among opium users was higher in females (7.4, 95% CI: 3.8, 14.5) than in males (3.3, 95% CI: 2.6, 4.2). The OR for users of both opium and tobacco was 13.4 (95% CI: 10.2, 17.7) compared to nonusers of anything. The risk of developing lung cancer is higher in regular opium users, and these results strengthen the conclusions on the carcinogenicity of opium. The association is stronger for small cell carcinoma cases than in other histology., (© 2022 UICC.)

Limited evidence is available to acknowledge the association between opium use and liver cancer. In a case-control study, we recruited 117 cases of primary liver cancer (PLC) and 234 age and sex-matched neighborhood controls from 2016 to 2018. We calculated odds ratios (OR) for opium use and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), using conditional logistic regressions. Compared with non-users the adjusted OR (AOR, 95% CI) for opium use was 6.5 (95% CI, 2.87-13.44). Compared with people who had no history of use, a strong dose-response effect of opium use was observed by amount of use (AOR, 10.70; 95% CI, 3.92-28.70). Cumulative use of opium also indicated that using over 30 gr-year could increase the PLC risk dramatically (AOR, 11.0; 95% CI, 3.83-31.58). Those who used opium for more than 21 years were highly at risk of PLC (AOR, 11.66; 95% CI, 4.43-30.67). The observed associations were significant even among never tobacco smokers (including cigarette and water-pipe smoking)., Prevention Relevance: The results of this study indicate that opium use dramatically increased the risk of liver cancer. Because opioids are increasing for medical and non-medical use globally; accordingly, severe health consequences such as liver cancer have to be investigated widely., (©2022 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Cancer survival is a key indicator for the national cancer control programs. However, survival data in the East Mediterranean region (EMR) are limited. We designed a national cancer survival study based on population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) from nine provinces in Iran. The current study reports 5-year net survival of 15 cancers in Iranian adults (15-99 years) during 2014 to 2015 in nine provinces of Iran. We used data linkages between the cancer registries and the causes of death registry and vital statistics and active follow-up approaches to ascertain the vital status of the patients. Five-year net survival was estimated through the relative survival analysis. We applied the international cancer survival standard weights for age standardization. Five-year survival was highest for prostate cancer (74.9%, 95% CI 73.0, 76.8), followed by breast (74.4%, 95% CI 72.50, 76.3), bladder (70.4%, 95% CI 69.0, 71.8) and cervix (65.2%, 95% CI 60.5, 69.6). Survival was below 25% for cancers of the pancreas, lung, liver, stomach and esophagus. Iranian cancer patients experience a relatively poor prognosis as compared to those in high-income countries. Implementation of early detection programs and improving the quality of care are required to improve the cancer survival among Iranian patients. Further studies are needed to monitor the outcomes of cancer patients in Iran and other EMR countries., (© 2022 UICC.)

HfO 2 can assume different crystalline structures, such as monoclinic, orthorhombic, and cubic polymorphs, each one characterized by unical properties. The peculiarities of this material are also strongly related to the presence of doping elements in the unit cell. Thus, the present paper has the main purpose of studying and comparing twelve different systems characterized by diverse polymorphs and doping percentages. In particular, three different crystalline structures were considered: the monoclinic P2 1 /c , the orthorhombic Pca2 1 , and the cubic Fm3¯m phases of HfO 2 . Each one has been studied by using Y as a doping agent with three different contents: 0% Y:HfO 2 , 8% Y:HfO 2 , 12% Y:HfO 2 , and 16% Y:HfO 2 . For all the systems, density functional theory (DFT) methods based on PBE/GGA, and on the HSE hybrid functionals were used to optimize the geometry as well as to study their optical properties. Depending on the polymorphs, Y affects the formation energy in different ways and causes changes in the optical properties. When the percentage of Y did not exceed 12%, a stabilization of the cubic phase fraction and an increase of the dielectric constant was observed. Additionally, the calculated optical bandgap energies and the refractive index are examined to provide an overview of the systems and are compared with experimental data. The bandgaps obtained are in perfect agreement with the experimental values and show a slight increase as the doping percentage grows, while only minor differences are found between the three polymorphs in terms of both refractive index and optical band gap. The adopted first principles study generates a reasonable prediction of the physical-chemical properties of all the systems, thus identifying the effects of doping phenomena., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

As colorectal cancer (CRC) is largely due to modifiable lifestyle habits, the awareness on its risk factors is highly important. Dietary fatty acids have been linked to CRC risk. We explored the association between dietary trans fatty acids (TFAs) intake and CRC risk. We analyzed 865 CRC cases (434 in colon and 404 in rectum) and 3206 controls of the IROPICAN study, with data collected by trained interviewers using validated questionnaires. TFAs intake (industrial and ruminant types) was categorized into quartiles. Multivariate logistic regression models were built to calculate the odds ratios (OR) for the association between CRC and TFAs. We observed a positive association between industrial TFAs and colon cancer (OR for highest vs lowest quartile [OR Q4vsQ1 ] = 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.54). A higher association was observed between industrial TFAs and CRC, occurring after 50 years of age. In addition, elaidic acid was associated with an increased risk of colon (OR Q4vsQ1 = 1.58, 1.24-2.02) and specifically of proximal colon cancer (OR Q4vsQ1 = 2.12, 1.40-3.20), as well as of rectum cancer (OR Q4vsQ1 = 1.40, 1.07-1.83). An inverse association was observed between ruminant TFAs intake and colon cancer risk (OR Q4vsQ1 = 0.80, 0.67-0.97). Industrial TFAs, such as semisolid/solid hydrogenated oils, may increase the risk of CRC, especially colon and proximal colon cancer. In contrast, ruminant TFAs do not appear to be associated with CRC. Awareness programs and regulatory actions regarding hydrogenated oils are warranted, given their high consumption through ultra-processed foods in more developed and less developed countries.

A VO 2 (B) polymorph has been thoroughly investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations to evaluate the structure, Raman spectrum, cohesive energy, phonon band structure, an delectronic and optical properties. Among the computed Raman modes, eight of them have been assigned to the VO 2 (B) structure in full agreement with the corresponding experimental spectra. The minimized structure of the VO 2 (B) polymorph indicated the presence of negative frequencies in its phonon dispersion curves, confirming the dynamic instability of this material. Herein, the combination of generalized gradient approximation (GGA)/PBEsol with a hybrid HSE functional has been employed to perform ab initio calculations on VO 2 (B), since the conventional semi-local DFT calculations are believed to underestimate the band gap of materials. By considering the electronic structure calculations, for the first time, we found that the calibration of the PBEsol functional can efficiently model the metallic-like properties of VO 2 (B) with a band gap of 0.26 eV, while the corresponding electronic bandgap of VO 2 (B) based on the HSE functional possesses a larger band gap of 0.67 eV. The prediction of optical characteristics of VO 2 (B) indicated that the optical conductivity of VO 2 (B) lies in the infrared region of light. This work strongly suggests the combination of GGA/PBEsol with HSE hybrid functionals to carefully describe the physical properties of smart materials exploitable in electronics and optoelectronics applications. The nanostructure of VO 2 (B) looks promising for IR photodetectors and smart windows applications as a semiconductor material with excellent optical features. It is predicted that in the future VO 2 (B) will continue to expand the envelope of its capabilities because of its remarkable properties., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy of glucosamine and potential mechanisms of actions in a neuropathic pain model in rats., Methods: Glucosamine (500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg) was administered via gavage route, 1 day before the chronic constriction injury (CCI) of sciatic nerve and daily for 14 days (prophylactic regimen), or from days 5 to 14 post-injury (therapeutic regimen), as the indicators of neuropathic pain, mechanical allodynia, cold allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia were assessed on days 0, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 after ligation. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) gene expressions were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. TNF-α protein content was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method., Results: Three days after nerve injury, the threshold of pain was declined among animals subjected to neuropathic pain. Mechanical and cold allodynia, as well as thermal hyperalgesia were attenuated by glucosamine (500, 1000, 2000 mg/kg) in the prophylactic regimen. However, existing pain was not decreased by this drug. Increased mRNA expression of iNOS and TNF-α was significantly reduced in the spinal cord of CCI animals by glucosamine (500, 1000, 2000 mg/kg) in the prophylactic regimen. The overall expression of spinal TNF-α was increased by CCI, but this increase was reduced in animals receiving glucosamine prophylactic treatment., Conclusion: Findings suggest that glucosamine as a safe supplement may be a useful candidate in preventing neuropathic pain following nerve injury. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects may be at least in part responsible for the antinociceptive effects of this drug.