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Background and aims: Academic laboratories are considered as environment for performing various laboratory processes. Physical, chemical, biological and mechanical stressors are common in laboratory environment. The purpose of the study was to provide a comprehensive health, safety and environmental risk assessment in an academic laboratory. Methods: A case study design was conducted. The relevant check list was developed for laboratory environment. Based on study objectives required variables in terms of health, safety and environment included in the check list. The data collected through observation and interviews with 10 experts of the laboratory is used. Results: Findings from checklist showed the number of risk factors contributed to health effects, safety and environmental impacts were 15, 42 and 10, respectively. In terms of risk rating benzene, sodium hydroxide, acetic acid and sulfuric acid indicated the highest level and EDTA, potassium chromate and phenol were at the lowest level. Risk rating analysis indicated that benzene had the highest risk in view of health, safety and environmental outcomes. Conclusions: Laboratory risk assessment must focus on health, safety and environmental stressors. Any preventive program should take into account the level of risks for corrective actions.

Background: . The aim of this study was to investigate of relationship of musculoskeletal symptoms with weight of backpack in Tehran secondary school students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in the city of Tehran in 2009. Two hundred thirteen students partici­pated in study. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used, asking about complaints of back, neck, and/or shoulders. Length and weight of the children were determined. Schoolbags were weighed, and the relative weight of the schoolbag was calculated. Results: Most prevalent discomfort was in shoulders as 38.1%, neck 27.6% and back 16.7%. Average difference of weight of backpack in sample that had musculoskeletal with other samples was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: .

"nBackground: Anthropometric data can be used to identify the physical dimensions of equipment, furniture, etc. The use of furni­ture that fails to fulfill the anthropometric data of its users has a negative impact on human health. Specific anthropomet­ric dimensions are necessary to design school furniture. Anthropometric data have been measured in many communi­ties especially among schoolchildren. There are different ethnic groups with probably different anthropometric data in Iran, and anthropometric data can change by time, so gathering data about anthropometric dimensions is important. This study was designed to obtain anthropometric dimensions of Iranian children (Fars ethnicity) aged 7-11 years. "nMethods: In a cross-sectional study in Yazd, Iran, descriptive statistics as well as key percentiles for 17 static anthropomet­ric data of primary school students (1015 males and 1015 females), were measured and compared between boys and girls. "nResults: The age of the students was between 6 and 11 years. Mean weight was between 21.56±5.33 kg and 36.63±9.45 kg in boys and between 20.79±3.48 kg and 35.88±9.40 kg in girls. Mean height was between 1187/02±53.98 mm and 1420.83± 69.39 mm in boys and between 1173.90±51.01mm and 1421.27±70.82 mm in girls. There was also some differ­ence in other anthropometric data between two genders. "nConclusion: Results of this study showed some differences in anthropometric data with other studies. We also observed signifi­cant gender differences in some dimensions as well.

"nBackground: In health system of any country, securing financial resources and management of the same is one of the most vital apprehensions in regards policy makers. This article expresses a part of the obstacles and threats present in the man­agement of the government financial resources of health sector and in assimilating this, the requirement for amendments in the financial system and designing new financial management system of health sector in Iran."nMethods: The authors conducted a case study based on interviews with government, and academic participants. Two meth­ods of data collection were used: retrospective analysis of official documents and in-depth interview."nResults: The root of the obstacles relevant to the management of financial resources in health sector in four intricate and fundamental modes of executing cash accounts in contrary to accrual accounts, where there is an intense weakness in the internal controls due to the lack of periodic reports, so as to define the source of deviations, the lack of a mechanized system and ultimately, the absence of a comprehensive monetary plan in the Country. Based on these obstacles, the new financial management system of health sector in Iran was designed including mission, objectives, structure, human resources and duties, processes and procedures, external environment."nConclusion: Designing new financial system in health sector of country is a way to effective and efficient management of financial resources and aid health system to achieve ultimate goals.

"nBackground: Upon the implementation of the plans of the selected hospitals in Paragraph (C) Article [88] of the Law of the Fourth Development Plan, the amount of assessment relative to the execution of each of the Paragraphs related to the direc­tives or guidelines of the mode of managing these hospitals is compulsory. The present article has made efforts to assess the imple­mentation basis of Paragraph [9] of the above-mentioned directives and a survey of conditions as to the performance of the support services in these hospitals."nMethods: This study rested on the performance of 14 supporting activities of 18 selected decentralized hospitals that took place in 2007. Data were collected from questionnaire that had 6 parts about support services and how they were done in each hospital. Then the data were analyzed with Excel software."nResults: In hospitals 35. 60 % of the activities are performed by the contractor. The materials utilized in activities are 10. 34 per­cent, equipping is 26. 48% and equipment repair is 31. 47% of the cases are secured by the contractor. Results pertaining to the survey of manpower engaged in activities show that 62. 71% of the manpower engaged has an intermediate level of educa­tion and the relative average of manpower active in such work as of functional beds can be stated as 0.64, likewise, the average satisfaction rate of the services rendered was 71%."nConclusion: A strategy leading to a decrease of incumbency and an elevation in the support service quality can bring about an increment in the quality of support services being presently rendered in hospitals which could prove effective.

"nBackground: Vitamin D is an essential element for establishing bone and muscle structures. Unexplained musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is a common problem in elderly. The aim of this study is investigation of association between vitamin D defi­ciency and unexplained MSK pain."nMethods: In order to quantify serum levels of vitamin D and other biochemical parameters, serum samples were taken from 1105 subjects aged from 17 to 79 years old, selected based on randomized clustered sampling from 50 blocks in Tehran Unex­plained MSK pain was assessed based on the verbal rating scale."nResults: Prevalence of MSK pain was 4.4% in the group with normal serum vitamin D, 4.9% in the group of mild vitamin D deficiency, 7.4% in the group of moderate vitamin D deficiency and 11.3% in the group of severe vitamin D deficiency. There was also a relative risk for unexplained MSK pain of severe vitamin D deficiency of 1.26 (95%CI: 1.01-1.72). Odds Ra­tio was 4.65 (CI95%:1.25-17.3) in this women. We found quite a high prevalence of unexplained MSK pain in people partici­pated in our study. We also found a Conclusion: Positive relationship between BMI and unexplained MSK pain. "nConclusion: vitamin D deficiency may be a major cause of unexplained MSK pain especially in older women.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among circulating levels of OPG, RANKL, cytokine profiles, bone mineral density (BMD) and vertebral fractures in pre and postmenopausal women and comparing these find­ing in three groups including osteoporotic patients with and without fracture and healthy women."nMethods: In a cross-sectional study, 215 women who attended the BMD unit of Endocrinology & Metabolism Research Center (EMRC) of Tehran University of medical sciences were recruited. Serum Osteoporotegerin and sRANKL were measured. In addition, cytokines profile evaluated. Lumbar radiographs in the antero-posterior and left lateral projections were acquired following a standardized protocol and bone mineral densitometry was performed."nResults: In X-ray study, 65.2% of postmenopausal women and 34.8% of pre menopausal women had at least one vertebral fracture (P= 0.04). Serum OPG and TNFα concentration significantly correlated with age (OPG: P= 0.001, r= 0.22, TNFα: P=0.04, r= 0.15). In logistic regression model, RANKL/OPG ratio independent of age and BMD was predicted vertebral fractures."nConclusion: Osteoimmunological insight in to vertebral fracture indicated that important role of proinflammatory cytokines and RANKL/OPG pathway in bone remodeling.

ABSTRACT: Introduction & Objective: A standard treatment option for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is local injection of anesthetic-corticosteroid. This clinical trial was designed to compare the safety and efficacy of daily application of the EMLA cream with that of a single injection of methyl prednisolone acetate. Materials & Methods: This is a clinical trial which was performed in the clinics of Shiraz medical school in 1386. Sixty five participants with clinical and electrodiagnostic evidence of mild to moderate CTS were randomized to receive either the EMLA cream (group 1) or one injection (40 mg) of methylprednisolone acetate at wrist (group 2). Visual analog scale was used to assess the patients’ pain acuity. Collected data were statistically analyzed by SPSS software using Chi-Square test. Results: Pain intensity before and after treatment and also 4 weeks after treatment in group A was 5.8±0.98 , 0.7±0.82 and 2.1± 1.2 and 5.7 ±1, 2.4±1.5 and 1.6±1.4 in group B. The differences in pain intensity in both group were significant (p

DXL of calcaneus is a portable method for BMD. This study determined a cut off point for DXL in osteoporosis diagnosis. In 510 healthy postmenopausal women, BMD of axial regions with DXA (DPX-MD, GE,Lunar Corp, Madison, WI) and heel with DXL (Demeteck- Sweden), measured. The agreement of two methods and cut off point for DXL in defining osteoporosis, obtained. DXA found osteoporosis in 34.3% and in DXL in 26.1% of cases. Agreement (Kappa) was 0.407 for spine and 0.347 for femur. T-score = -1.8 for spine and T-score = -2.2 for femur were the cut off points of DXL in diagnosis of osteoporosis (sensitivity=84% specificity=60%) and (sensitivity=84% and specificity=70%), respectively. Area under curve for regions were 0.807 (P=0.000) and 0.859 (P=0.000), respectively. These results mean DXL can not be used as a replacement for DXA, but it may can be used as a screening method for osteoporosis.

Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma species are the most serious contaminants of cell cultures and this remains one of the major problem encountered in biological research using cell cultures. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of Mycoplasma and A total of 100 different cell culture specimens including, R228, Hela, Vero, MDCK, L20, RD and Hep2 were collected. Then the specimens were investigated by culture method and biochemical tests. The rate of contaminant cell culture specimens was 32%. The highest and lowest rate of contamination was observed among Hela cell culture (25%) and R238 cell culture (0%), respectively. Moreover, the results of χ2 statistical analysis test, showed significant difference between contamination rate and kind of cell culture ( p = 0/001). It is concluded that Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma species are the most common source of further contamination of cell cultures.

Introduction: Skin cancer, the melanoma type of which causes high mortality, is the most common malignancy in Iran and all over the world. UV is the most important cause of the incidence of this disease. This study evaluates the frequency of different types of cancer and their trajectory in Ilam province from 2012 to 2011. Materials and Methods: This analytical–descriptive study covered and evaluated all skin cancer patients who were registered in Ilam Province Cancer Registry during 20002 to 2011. Required information of each individual patient, such as age, sex, residence, pathological type of skin cancer, the location of the incidence of the disorder, and the year, was collected and studied. Findings: Out of total 347 cases, 240 cases (69.2%) were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), 63 cases (18.2%) with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 16 cases (4.6%) with malignant melanoma (MM), 8 cases (2.3%) with metastatic cancer, and 20 cases (37.7%) with other skin cancers. Mean age of patients was 62/42 ± 16/11 years, and the majority of them (37.7%) were men and lived in the city. Face was the most common place of the incidence of this disease (81.6%) and hand was the least common one (1.7%). The rate of incidence of cancer has experienced considerable growth in men and a slight decrease in the case of women between 2002 and 2011 in Ilam. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the rate of skin cancer has increased among men during the studied period; thus, necessary measures are required to prevent and reduce the incidence of this disease, especially in people who are exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays because of their jobs.

A humic acid-gelatin (HA-Gel) hydrogel, a gallic acid-xanthan gum (GA-XG) hydrogel, a HA-Gel/GA-XG hydrogel, and superabsorbent polymer (SAP) of HA-Gel/GA-XG/polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel were synthesized using electron beam irradiation method. The capability of synthesized hydrogels in loading and controlled release of fulvic acid (FA) was studied. The chemical and physical structure of sorbents was confirmed by various analyses. The effect of irradiation dose on mechanical properties, gel percentage, swelling, and absorbency under load (AUL) of the sorbents was investigated. By changing the hydrogel structures into the SAP form, its swelling capacity was increased from 37 to 320 g/g. Both hybrid hydrogel and SAP were reusable for up to 7 cycles. The maximum fertilizer loading capacities for SAP and hybrid hydrogel were 402.1 and, 175.5 mg g -1 , respectively. In comparison to hydrogels, the SAP showed a slower FA-release performance. Thus, in soil media, 86 % of FA was released in 15-20 days from the hybrid hydrogel while with the SAP, 81 % of FA was released in 30-35 days. The significant improvement in the growth of fodder corn treated with FA-loaded SAP in the greenhouse media in comparison to the control groups showed the effective performance of the designed SAP, favoring its practical applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that is no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Two hydrogels of O-carboxymethyl chitosan conjugated with caffeic acid and its composite with polyacrylamide were synthesized using electron beam irradiation. The synthesized hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and mechanical properties studies. The hydrogels were loaded with doxycycline by swelling and its release was investigated in various media. The effect of the dose of electron beam irradiation and PAAm amount on the properties of hydrogels including swelling, drug loading, drug release, mechanical properties, and gel content were studied. The release of doxycycline form hydrogels in different media obeyed the mechanism of non-Fickian diffusion and best fitted to the Higuchi model and Korsmeyer-Peppas. In-vitro doxycycline release consideration indicated that the drug's release from composite hydrogel occurs with higher amounts than the other one. The cytotoxic study confirmed the non-toxicity of the prepared hydrogels dressing. Moreover, the growth inhibition of permissive bacteria against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were observed for doxycycline-loaded hydrogels. So, the synthesized hydrogels are appropriate for practical application as a new antibacterial wound dressing., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Electron beam irradiation was used for the synthesize of porous and non-porous pectin based hydrogels through conjugation of pectin with 5-hydroxytryptophan in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, respectively. The hydrogels were characterized by different methods. Tetracycline hydrochloride was loaded on the hydrogels by swelling equilibrium method and its release in different media was studied. The effect of SDS amount and electron beam irradiation dose on the swelling, drug loading, drug release, gel content, and mechanical properties were investigated. The release of drug form both hydrogels followed non-Fickian diffusion mechanism and was best fitted with the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. In vitro, drug release studies revealed that the release of drug from non-porous hydrogel is relatively slow while its release from porous hydrogel occurs with higher amounts and faster rate. Biocompatibility and cytotoxic analysis indicate that the prepared hydrogels dressing are non-thrombogenic, non-hemolytic and non-toxic. Furthermore, acceptable bacteria growth inhibition against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were observed for both drug-loaded hydrogels. Thus, these hydrogels are suitable for the application of an antibacterial wound dressing., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: Skin cancer, the melanoma type of which causes high mortality, is the most common malignancy in Iran and all over the world. UV is the most important cause of the incidence of this disease. This study evaluates the frequency of different types of cancer and their trajectory in Ilam province from 2012 to 2011., Materials and Methods: This analytical-descriptive study covered and evaluated all skin cancer patients who were registered in Ilam Province Cancer Registry during 20002 to 2011. Required information of each individual patient, such as age, sex, residence, pathological type of skin cancer, the location of the incidence of the disorder, and the year, was collected and studied., Findings: Out of total 347 cases, 240 cases (69.2%) were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), 63 cases (18.2%) with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 16 cases (4.6%) with malignant melanoma (MM), 8 cases (2.3%) with metastatic cancer, and 20 cases (37.7%) with other skin cancers. Mean age of patients was 62/42 ± 16/11 years, and the majority of them (37.7%) were men and lived in the city. Face was the most common place of the incidence of this disease (81.6%) and hand was the least common one (1.7%). The rate of incidence of cancer has experienced considerable growth in men and a slight decrease in the case of women between 2002 and 2011 in Ilam., Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the rate of skin cancer has increased among men during the studied period; thus, necessary measures are required to prevent and reduce the incidence of this disease, especially in people who are exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays because of their jobs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Anthropometric dimensions of the end users should be measured in order to create a basis for manufacturing of different products. This study was designed to measure some static anthropometric dimensions in Iranian high school students, considering ethnic differences., Method: Nineteen static anthropometric dimensions of high school students were measured and compared among different Iranian ethnicities (Fars, Turk, Kurd, Lor, Baluch, and Arab) and different genders., Results: In this study, 9,476 subjects (4,703 boys and 4,773 girls) ages 15 to 18 years in six ethnicities were assessed. The difference among ethnicities was statistically significant for all dimensions (p values < .001 for each dimension)., Conclusion: This study showed statistically significant differences in 19 static anthropometric dimensions among high school students regarding gender, age, and ethnicity., (© 2014, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.)

Objective. We measured some anthropometric dimensions of Iranian guidance school students selected from different ethnicities. Background. Anthropometric dimensions are used for design of equipment, furniture, and clothing. Furniture with inappropriate design not fulfilling the users' anthropometric dimensions may have a negative effect on health. Method. A total of 7400 Iranian guidance school students aged 12-14 years entered the study and their static anthropometric dimensions were measured. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and key percentiles were calculated. All dimensions were compared among different ethnicities and different genders. Results. This study showed significant differences in a set of 22 anthropometric dimensions regarding gender, age, and ethnicity. Conclusion. According to the results of this study, difference between genders and among different ethnicities should be taken into account by designers and manufacturers of guidance school furniture. Application. This study has prepared a data bank of anthropometric dimensions of 12-14-year-old students which can be used as basic information to find appropriate dimensions of school furniture.

Some studies have already addressed the effects of occupational organic solvent exposure on the visually evoked potentials (VEPs). Visual system is an important target for Sulphur Mustard (SM) toxicity. A number of Iranian victims of Sulphur Mustard (SM) agent were apprehensive about the delay effect of SM on their vision and a possible delay effect of SM on their visual cortex. This investigation was performed on 34 individuals with a history of chemical exposure and a control group of 15 normal people. The Toennies electro-diagnosis device was used and its signals were saved as the latencies. The mean of N75, N140 and P100 of victims of chemical warfare (VCWs) and control group indicated no significant results (P>0.05). The VCWs did not show any visual symptoms and there was no clear deficit in their VEPs.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer (27% of all cancers) and common cause of death (16%) which occurs due to cancers among women, either in developed or developing countries. The current study aimed to assess incidence of breast cancer in west of Iran (Ilam province)., Methods: During a cross-sectional study, all documented records of patients who were referred to the health centre of Ilam province in a period of 8 years (2002-2009) were investigated and 82 files which were related to breast cancer were identified. Patients' data were entered into SPSS, version 16 and using X2, t-test and descriptive statistics, they were analyzed., Results: Totally, 82 confirmed breast cancer cases were diagnosed between 2002-2009 and this figure accounted for 21.4% of all cancers in Ilam province. The mean age with standard deviation (SD) of patients was 47.4 ± 14.5 years and the disease was most frequent in the age group of 30-40 years (38.3%). The highest incidence rate was seen in 2006- 2007 and the lowest rate was seen in 2002-2003. The most prevalent morphologic pattern of breast caner (86.2%) was invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). There was a 23% incidence rate for breast cancer, with a significant increase in its incidence rate during 2002-2009., Conclusion: Due to diagnosis of the disease in its advanced stages, and also involvement of low age groups and young population in the country, screening programs such as self examination, examination by doctors and mammography should be started in the lower age groups, in ages which are lower than 30 years.

Aims: Postoperative morbidity and mortality after liver resection is closely related to the degree of intraoperative blood loss; the majority of which occurs during transection of the liver parenchyma. Many approaches and devices have therefore been developed to limit bleeding, but none has yet achieved perfect results up to now. The aim of this standardized chronic animal study was to compare the safety and efficacy of the LigaSure™ Vessel Sealing System (LVSS) with the stapler technique, which is one of the modern techniques for transecting the parenchyma in liver surgery., Methods: Sixteen pigs underwent a left liver resection (LLR). Eight pigs received a LLR by means of an Endo GIA, whereas the other eight pigs underwent liver parenchymal transection followed by simultaneous sealing by the LVSS. The operating time, transection time, blood loss during transection, and time of hemostasis were measured on the day of LLR (postoperative day 0/POD 0). Animals were re-explored on postoperative day 7 (POD 7) and the transection surface of remnant liver was observed for fluid collection (hematoma, biloma, and abscess), necrosis, and other pathologies. A biopsy was taken from the area of transection for histopathological examination., Results: All animals survived until POD 7. Operating time and transection time of the liver parenchyma on POD 0 was significantly shorter in the stapler group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of blood loss during transection, time of hemostasis and number of sutures for hemostasis on POD 0, morbidity rate, as well as the histopathological examination on POD 7. Furthermore, the material costs were significantly higher in the stapler group than in the LVSS group., Conclusion: In this standardized chronic animal study concerning transection of the parenchyma in liver surgery, LVSS seems not only to be safe, but also comparable with the stapler technique in terms of morbidity and mortality. Additionally, LVSS significantly reduces material costs. However, the transection time is significantly longer for LVSS than for the stapler resection technique.

Anthropometric data can be used to identify the physical dimensions of equipment, furniture, clothing and workstations. The use of poorly designed furniture that fails to fulfil the users' anthropometric dimensions, has a negative impact on human health. In this study, we measured some anthropometric dimensions of Iranian children from different ethnicities. A total of 12,731 Iranian primary school children aged 7-11 years were included in the study and their static anthropometric dimensions were measured. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and key percentiles were calculated. All dimensions were compared among different ethnicities and different genders. This study showed significant differences in a set of 22 anthropometric dimensions with regard to gender, age and ethnicity. Turk boys and Arab girls were larger than their contemporaries in different ages. According to the results of this study, difference between genders and among different ethnicities should be taken into account by designers and manufacturers of school furniture., Practitioner Summary: In this study, we measured 22 static anthropometric dimensions of 12,731 Iranian primary school children aged 7-11 years from different ethnicities. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and key percentiles were measured for each dimension. This study showed significant differences in a set of 22 anthropometric dimensions in different genders, ages and ethnicities.

Objective: Malnutrition, overweight and obesity are major health concerns in modern societies and especially among children. Overweight and obesity affect children's current and future health. It is known that the prevalence of overweight differs by race, sex, and geographic location., Methods: In a cross-sectional study 30092 Iranian children aged 7-18 years in six ethnic groups were selected by a cluster sampling. Prevalence of obesity and overweight and distribution of body mass index (BMI) by gender, age, and ethnicity were measured. Cutoff points of BMI for defining obesity and overweight were based on the Iranian, and IOTF standard values., Findings: This study showed a significant ethnic difference in BMI. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Iranian children was 9.27% and 3.22% respectively comparing international standards. The frequency of overweight and obesity was higher in boys., Conclusion: This study showed a significant difference in BMI among different ethnic groups.

Background: Increased complaints by school students about back and shoulder pain and discomfort have raised concerns among parents, education professionals, and orthopedists and these discomforts may be because of schoolbag carriage. The aim of this study was to investigate of relationship of musculoskeletal symptoms with weight of backpack in Tehran secondary school students., Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in the city of Tehran in 2009. Two hundred thirteen students participated in study. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used, asking about complaints of back, neck, and/or shoulders. Length and weight of the children were determined. Schoolbags were weighed, and the relative weight of the schoolbag was calculated., Results: Most prevalent musculoskeletal discomfort was in shoulders as 38.1%, neck 27.6% and back 16.7%. Average difference of weight of backpack in sample that had musculoskeletal with other samples was significant (P< 0.05)., Conclusion: Weight of the backpack appears to be strongly related to the occurrence of shoulder, neck, back, and extremities complaints in students. Although musculoskeletal discomforts are believed to be multifactorial in origin, the carriage and manipulating of heavy backpack is signally a suspected factor and may represent an overlooked daily physical stress for secondary students.

Background: Anthropometric data can be used to identify the physical dimensions of equipment, furniture, etc. The use of furniture that fails to fulfill the anthropometric data of its users has a negative impact on human health. Specific anthropometric dimensions are necessary to design school furniture. Anthropometric data have been measured in many communities especially among schoolchildren. There are different ethnic groups with probably different anthropometric data in Iran, and anthropometric data can change by time, so gathering data about anthropometric dimensions is important. This study was designed to obtain anthropometric dimensions of Iranian children (Fars ethnicity) aged 7-11 years., Methods: In a cross-sectional study in Yazd, Iran, descriptive statistics as well as key percentiles for 17 static anthropometric data of primary school students (1015 males and 1015 females), were measured and compared between boys and girls., Results: The age of the students was between 6 and 11 years. Mean weight was between 21.56±5.33 kg and 36.63±9.45 kg in boys and between 20.79±3.48 kg and 35.88±9.40 kg in girls. Mean height was between 1187/02±53.98 mm and 1420.83± 69.39 mm in boys and between 1173.90±51.01mm and 1421.27±70.82 mm in girls. There was also some difference in other anthropometric data between two genders., Conclusion: Results of this study showed some differences in anthropometric data with other studies. We also observed significant gender differences in some dimensions as well.

Overexpression and enhanced activity of insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) in diverse tumor types make it an attractive target for cancer therapy. BMS-536924 is a potent small molecule inhibitor of IGF-IR, which shows antitumor activity in multiple tumor models, including sarcoma. To facilitate the development of IGF-IR inhibitors as cancer therapy, identification of biomarkers for selecting patients most likely to derive clinical benefit is needed. To do so, 28 sarcoma and neuroblastoma cell lines were screened for in vitro response to BMS-536924 to identify sensitive and resistant cell lines. Notably, Ewing's sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and neuroblastoma are more responsive to BMS-536924, suggesting these specific subtypes may represent potential targeted patient subpopulations for the IGF-IR inhibitor. Gene expression and protein profiling were performed on these cell lines, and candidate biomarkers correlating with intrinsic and/or acquired resistance to BMS-536924 were identified. IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGF-IR were highly expressed in sensitive cell lines, whereas IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-6 were highly expressed in resistant lines. Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its ligands in resistant cell lines may represent one possible resistance mechanism by the adaptation of IGF-IR-independent growth using alternative signaling pathways. Based on cross-talk between IGF-IR and EGFR pathways, combination studies to target both pathways were performed, and enhanced inhibitory activities were observed. These results provide a strategy for testing combinations of IGF-IR inhibitors with other targeted therapies in clinical studies to achieve improved patient outcomes. Further exploration of mechanisms for intrinsic and acquired drug resistance by these preclinical studies may lead to more rationally designed drugs that target multiple pathways for enhanced antitumor efficacy.

Objective: The objective of this study was to calculate central motor conduction time (CMCT) of median and ulnar nerves in normal volunteers. Conduction time across the lower part of the brachial plexus was measured by using magnetic stimulation over the motor cortex and brachial plexus and recording the evoked response in hand muscles., Design: This descriptive study was done on 112 upper limbs of healthy volunteers. Forty-six limbs belonging to men and sixty-six belonging to women were studied by magnetic stimulation of both motor cortex and brachial plexus and recording the evoked response in thenar and hypothenar muscles. Stimulation of the motor cortex gives rise to absolute latency of each nerve whereas stimulation of the brachial plexus results in peripheral conduction time. The difference between these two values was considered the central motor conduction time (CMCT)., Results: In summary the result are as follows; Cortex-thenar latency = 21.4 ms (SD = 1.7), CMCT-thenar = 9.6 ms (SD = 1.9), Cortex-hypothenar latency = 21.3 ms (SD = 1.8), CMCT-hypothenar = 9.4 ms (SD = 1.8)., Conclusion: These findings showed that there is no meaningful difference between two genders. CMCT calculated by this method is a little longer than that obtained by electrical stimulation that is due to the more distally placed second stimulation. We recommend magnetic stimulation as the method of choice to calculate CMCT and its use for lower brachial plexus conduction time. This method could serve as a diagnostic tool for diagnosis of lower plexus entrapment and injuries especially in early stages.

The antibacterial activity of Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract was determined for 56 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, 25 isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes, 12 isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae and seven isolates of Haemophilus influenzae obtained from 200 clinical specimens of patients with respiratory tract disorders. MIC50s for these species were 64, 32, 16 and 16 mg/L, respectively; MIC90s were 128, 64, 32 and 32 mg/L, respectively; and MBCs were 512, 128, 64 and 64 mg/L, respectively. These results suggest that further studies to clarify the possible therapeutic role of E. globulus leaf extract in the treatment of respiratory tract infection are warranted.

Previous studies, and the three-dimensional structure of Anabaena PCC 7119 ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR), indicate that the positive charge of Lys75 might be directly involved in the interaction between FNR and its protein partners, ferredoxin (Fd) and flavodoxin (Fld). To assess this possibility, this residue has been replaced by another positively charged residue, Arg, by two uncharged residues, Gln and Ser, and by a negatively charged residue, Glu. UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, and CD spectroscopies of these FNR mutants (Lys75Arg, Lys75Gln, Lys75Ser, and Lys75Glu) indicate that all the mutated proteins folded properly and that significant protein structural rearrangements did not occur. Steady-state kinetic parameters for these FNR mutants, utilizing the diaphorase activity with DCPIP, indicate that Lys75 is not a critical residue for complex formation and electron transfer (ET) between FNR and NADP+ or NADPH. However, steady-state kinetic activities requiring complex formation and ET between FNR and Fd or Fld were appreciably affected when the positive charge at position of Lys75 was removed, and the ET reaction was not even measurable if a negatively charged residue was placed at this position. These kinetic parameters also suggest that it is complex formation that is affected by mutation. Consistent with this, when dissociation constants (Kd) for FNRox-Fdox (differential spectroscopy) and FNRox-Fdrd (laser flash photolysis) were measured, it was found that neutralization of the positive charge at position 75 increased the Kd values by 50-100-fold, and that no complex formation could be detected upon introduction of a negative charge at this position. Fast transient kinetic studies also corroborated the fact that removal of the positive charge at position 75 of FNR appreciably affects the complex formation process with its protein partners but indicates that ET is still achieved in all the reactions. This study thus clearly establishes the requirement of a positive charge at position Lys75 for complex formation during ET between FNR and its physiological protein partners. The results also suggest that the interaction of this residue with its protein partners is not structurally specific, since Lys75 can still be efficiently substituted by an arginine, but is definitely charge specific.

The reduction potentials and the rate constants for electron transfer (et) to ferredoxin:NADP+ reductase (FNR) are reported for site-directed mutants of the [2Fe-2S] vegetative cell ferredoxin (Fd) from Anabaena PCC 7120, each of which has a cluster ligating cysteine residue mutated to serine (C41S, C46S, and C49S). The X-ray crystal structure of the C49S mutant has also been determined. The UV-visible optical and CD spectra of the mutants differ from each other and from wild-type (wt) Fd. This is a consequence of oxygen replacing one of the ligating cysteine sulfur atoms, thus altering the ligand --> Fe charge transfer transition energies and the chiro-optical properties of the chromophore. Each mutant is able to rapidly accept an electron from deazariboflavin semiquinone (dRfH.) and to transfer an electron from its reduced form to oxidized FNR although all are somewhat less reactive (30-50%) toward FNR and are appreciably less stable in solution than is wt Fd. Whereas the reduction potential of C46S (-381 mV) is not significantly altered from that of wt Fd (-384 mV), the potential of the C49S mutant (-329 mV) is shifted positively by 55 mV, demonstrating that the cluster potential is sensitive to mutations made at the ferric iron in reduced [2Fe-2S] Fds with localized valences. Despite the decrease in thermodynamic driving force for et from C49S to FNR, the et rate constant is similar to that measured for C46S. Thus, the et reactivity of the mutants does not correlate with altered reduction potentials. The et rate constants of the mutants also do not correlate with the apparent binding constants of the intermediate (Fdred:FNRox) complexes or with the ability of the prosthetic group to be reduced by dRfH.. Furthermore, the X-ray crystal structure of the C49S mutant is virtually identical to that of wt Fd. We conclude from these data that cysteine sulfur d-orbitals are not essential for et into or out of the iron atoms of the cluster and that the decreased et reactivity of these Fd mutants toward FNR may be due to small changes in the mutual orientation of the proteins within the intermediate complex and/or alterations in the electronic structure of the [2Fe-2S] cluster.

In Iran, microscopic examination of skin scrapings from 2202 individuals with clinically diagnosed cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) lesions revealed the presence of amastigotes in 1123 cases (51.0%). Bacteriological examinations of the lesions indicated that 788 individuals (35.7%) were also infected with one or more pathogenic bacteria, including coagulase-positive staphylococci (27.8%), beta-haemolytic streptococci (10.6%), and other opportunist pathogenic bacteria (total, 2.5%). The prevalence of bacterial infections in lesions in which leishmania parasites were detected was 26.5%, while for lesions in which no parasite was found the prevalence of such infections was significantly greater (45%). The results of this study show that bacterial infections should be considered in diagnosing and treating suspected CL lesions, particularly in areas where there is no facility for carrying out bacteriological examinations. Erythromycin can be used to treat the bacterial infections of the purulent sores.