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The local strain of B. thuringiensis var. tenebrionis-BN2 (Btt-BN2) was used to control the alfalfa weevil. Experimental design using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied for the optimization of the culture medium and fermentation parameters in order to achieve a high level of Colony-Forming Unit (CFU) (spore mL-1). The parameters including the amount of carbon and nitrogen sources at three levels were investigated with CFU (spore mL-1) response for two sets of experiments. The obtained results showed that the maximum CFU (spore mL-1) for the minimum concentration of oat (2 g L-1), the minimum concentration of corn steep liquor (10 g L-1), and the maximum concentration of sugarcane molasses (10 g L-1) were equivalent to 1.4x1013 spore mL-1. Optimum fermentation parameters to obtain the highest value of CFU (spore mL-1) were determined as a maximum level of pH of eight and a medium level of temperature (28°C). Amazingly, optimum conditions enhanced the CFU value to 8.06x1013 spore mL-1, which is very significant in the Btt research. Finally, the bioassay analysis of Btt in a single system and binary system (combination of two insecticides; Matrine® and Abamectin®) at different concentrations illustrated 83% of mortality efficiency (3 ppm of Btt and 0.5 ppm Matrine) on the 3rd day of treatment and 100% efficiency almost for all combination of Btt with Matrine and/or Abamectin after the 7th day. The bioassay results showed promising environmentally friendly mortality efficiency compared to the current chemical treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Controversies results in quality of life associated with the type of delivery have been reported. This study was performed to determine the relationship between Women’s Quality of life and type of delivery. Materials and Methods: This descriptive analytical study was conducted on 300 women that referring to health center in kashan city during 2007-08. The women were divided in two groups according to the type of delivery whether it was cesarean section or vaginal delivery. Special life quality questionnaire, 2 and 4 months after delivery was completed by women. Scores of aspects in 2 and 4 months after delivery were determined and compared between two groups. Data was analyzed by SPSS-16 software, Chi-Square, independent t- test, pair t test and Mann- U Whitey test. Results: Findings showed no differences in aspects of quality of life between cesarean section and normal delivery groups except in “Mother's satisfaction toward delivery” that results showed higher score 2 months (p=0.03) and 4 months (p=0.018) after normal delivery. Scores of this aspect in 2 months after normal delivery and cesarean section was (4.40±1.11, 3.76±1.16) and in 4 months after normal delivery and cesarean section was (4.13±1.40, 3.82±1.22) respectively. Conclusion: This study showed there was not significant difference in women quality of life between cesarean section and normal delivery 2 and 4 monthes after delivery.

Functionally null mutations have been studied in patients with the cblG(ital)-variant form of methionine synthase deficiency. The mutations responsible for three cblG(ital)-variant patients, two of which were siblings, have been reported. They presented with severe developmental delay, neonatal seizures, and elevated plasma homocysteine. Four mutations, all functionally null, were found. The absence of the methionine synthase protein in the variants is the result of mutations causing premature translation termination and mRNA instability as a consequence.

In this paper, a non-linear tracking control algorithm is extended. The control objective of this research is to track a desired time-varying attitude of a satellite in the presence of inertia uncertainties and external disturbances, in order to be more suitable for implementation in a real-world application. In this investigation, the actuators are reaction wheels and the actuator dynamics are modelled in addition to the spacecraft dynamics. Thus, the control signal is DC motor voltage which is the most fundamental control variable and can be generated easily by a motor driver in practical cases. To achieve robust tracking of the desired time-varying attitude, a sliding mode controller is designed, and adaptive techniques are developed based on sliding mode control to overcome the inertia uncertainties and to estimate and compensate external disturbances. The kinematic equations of the satellite are expressed using quaternion parameters, and a novel control law will be derived by using a new facilitating approach in controller design, which is based on quaternion algebra, because of quaternion advantages, such as singularity rejection. Using this approach it will be more comfortable to deal with tedious mathematical operations, and on contrary with most of the previous studies, the terms corresponding to derivatives of the desired attitude are not neglected, and tracking capability is retained. The global stability of both methods (Sliding Mode Control (SMC) and adaptive sliding) is investigated using Lyapunov’s stability theorem. In order to validate the control methods, first, Simulink-ADAMS co-simulation of a 3-DOF attitude control is used to verify the algorithm performance and integrity, and finally, the control strategy is implemented on the Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) 3-DOF attitude simulator for different types of non-linear attitudes. Both co-simulation and implementation results clearly illustrate the designed attitude control algorithm’s excellent performance in the various manoeuvres. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Nausea, vomiting and retching, commonly experienced by women in early pregnancy, have considerable physical and psychological effects on pregnants. This study aimed to examine the effect of acupressure on nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Materials and Methods: This single-blind clinical trial was performed on 150 pregnant women (<16 weeks of gestation) referred to Naghavi prenatal clinic for seven days and at two research stages during 2010-11. They were randomly divided into three groups: the acupressure, placebo acupressure and control groups. At first stage, women received no treatment during the first 3 days and on next 4 days a continuous pressure was applied on the P6 point at both wrists using a sea-band in the acupressure and placebo groups. The control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected by the self-trained women themselves using Rhodes index which then were analyzed statistically. Results: There was no statistically significant difference among three groups in age, marriage age, gestational age, occupation and satisfaction with spouse. Although the mean change in Rhodes index was not significantly different between the acupressure and placebo groups, the difference was significant between the control and the other two groups. Conclusion: Acupressure using sea-band is considered as a noninvasive, inexpensive, safe, and effective treatment for the nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem (ADCS) is one of the vital subsystem of satellites which has a significant role in performing satellites missions. On-Board Electronic (OBE) is the main part of this subsystem which executes attitude determination and control algorithms. In this paper design of OBE of ADCS in IUST-SAT is presented. Design of this equipment is carried out based on requirements and constraints which are extracted by hierarchical design procedure. Satisfying design constraints and achieving functional requirements simultaneously, is a major task, which is carried out successfully in this paper. Also for verification of performance of this equipment before a satellite's launch, in this paper a novel and low-cost real-time hardware in the loop test bed is provided. The presented test bed is capable of assessing ADCS's equipments in a real-time condition. Finally, performance of designed OBE is investigated by implementing detumbling and initial attitude acquisition control modes in the hardware in the loop test bed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter is presented about the new formulation of botulinum toxin antibodies for the treatment of various muscle and exocrine gland hyperactivity syndromes, published within the January 1, 2007 issue.

Background and Purpose: The role of castor oil on cervical ripening is poorly understood and data in examining its efficacy within clinical trial are limited. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of utilizing castor oil on cervical ripening in pregnancies after 40 weeks. Materials and Methods: A randomized clinical trial study was performed on 200 pregnant women after 40 weeks in Shabikhany Hospital, in the City of Kashan, in 2004 to 2006. Women were divided to two groups (100 women in case group and 100 women in control group). Case group took 60 ml castor oil, while the control group omitted treatment. Comparison was then compared between the two groups for demographic characteristics: increase of Bishop Score, means of Bishop Score at entrance to study and 24 hours after entrance to study, onset of labor within 24 hours, method and time of delivery and newborns Apgar score by X2, followed by Fisher's exact test, and paired-samples T and T-tests. Results: Results showed that there were no significant differences in mother's age, education, nationality, gravidity, gestational age, parity between two groups. Paired-sample T test showed significant difference between means of Bishop Score at entrance of study and 24 hours after entrance of study in case and control groups(p0.00). Furthermore, the mean increase of Bishop score in the case group was 4.5±3.63 versus 0.67± 1.25 in the control group during the 24 hour period. During 24 hours after entrance to study, uterine contraction occurred in 70% women in case and 12% women in control groups. Statistical test showed significant difference between the two groups and an increase of Bishop Score at the onset of uterine contractions (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in method of delivery and Apgar score in their newborns between the two groups. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that use of castor oil may lead to cervical ripening in pregnant women after 40 weeks, without increase in complication of pregnancy, such as caesarean, and decrease Apgar score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pyogenic granuloma presents clinically as a rapidly growing, friable, red papule of skin or mucosa, commonly measuring less than 10 mm with frequent bleeding due to ulceration. Angioproliferative diseases including pyogenic granuloma and cherry angioma have been reported during COVID-19 infection or following COVID-19 vaccination., Case Presentation: Here, we report a 52-year-old female patient who developed diffuse skin eruptions 3 weeks after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination., Conclusion: As per our knowledge, this is the first case of eruptive PG following COVID-19 vaccination. Oral propranolol and PDL laser therapy were administered after obtaining inconvenient results from electro-cautery, and there was a good response within 6 weeks of starting therapy, defined by the cessation of new lesion formation and a decrease in the size of large lesions., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major health problem caused by an intracellular pathogen of the genus Leishmania. CL results in morphologically distinct skin injuries, ranging from nodules to plaques and ulcers, which persist as a recuperating incessant injury depending on the type of contaminating parasite. There is still no effective treatment to reduce the skin lesions in patients infected with CL. The aim of this study was to develop strategies to treat skin lesions in CL patients., Methods: We retrieved the transcriptomic data of skin lesions from patients with CL and normal skin from the gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The protein-protein interaction network (PPIN) was constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape v3.10.1 software. Critical genes were identified by topological network analysis and cluster detection. Finally, gene ontology and repurposing drugs for critical genes were determined., Results: CD8A, IFNG, IL-6, PTPRC, CCR7, TLR2, GSTA5, CYBB, IL-12RB2, ITGB2, FCGR3A, CTLA4, and IFNG were identified as the critical genes in PPIN and subnetworks. Enrichment analysis revealed that T-cell receptor signaling, toll-like receptor signaling, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, graft-versus-host disease, leishmaniasis, chemokine signaling, primary immunodeficiency, and Th17 cell differentiation were the major pathways associated with critical genes. The drug repurposing results identified cyclosporine, rituximab, infliximab, blinatumomab, and methylprednisolone as candidates for treatment of CL., Conclusion: After validating our model with available experimental data, we found that critical molecules and drug candidates play a crucial role in the treatment of skin lesions caused by Leishmania in prospective studies.

Sodium metabisulfite is one of the most employed reducing agents in hard biscuit making. The recent results about its adverse effects on human health have pushed us to look in new safer and greener directions. Two different proteases, from distinct strains (bacterial and fungal), were selected and their effects on the dough thermomechanical performances, texture, and structure of the hard biscuits were compared with those obtained from the sodium metabisulfite. Doughs treated with fungal protease showed higher stability during mixing and higher consistency throughout the heating stage. On the other hand, bacterial protease had the greatest weakening effect on protein with a marked reduction of starch gelatinization. Doughs processed with fungal enzymes reached similar values to those containing sodium metabisulfite. In terms of hardness, no significant ( p < 0.05) differences were found between biscuits made with bacterial protease and sodium metabisulfite. Analysis of the volumetric characteristics highlighted that bacterial enzymes gave higher values of specific volume and surface area. Regarding the structure of the hard biscuits, sodium metabisulfite produced a more uniform structure with fewer and smaller pockets as compared with the samples treated with proteases., Competing Interests: DECLARATION OF CONFLICTING INTERESTSThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Removing a limited number of large debris can significantly reduce space debris risks. These bodies are generally exposed to extreme environmental disturbance torques or consecutive accidents due to their large wet area, which causes them to experience accelerated high-rate tumbling motion. The existing literature has adequately explored the approximation operations with non-cooperative targets exhibiting 3-axis tumbling motion. However, the research gap lies in the lack of attention given to addressing this approximation for targets undergoing accelerated motion. Agile, accurate, and large-angle maneuvers are three common necessities for safely capturing such targets. Changes in the moment of inertia brought on by fuel slushing cannot be disregarded during such a maneuver. To deal with nonlinearities, adverse coupling effects, actuator saturation constraints, time-varying moment of inertia, and external disturbances that worsen during accelerated agile large-angle maneuvers, a novel adaptive control approach is developed in this paper. The controller's main advantage is its adjustable desired acceleration, which maintains its performance even when dealing with accelerated motion. The control law is directly synthesized from the nonlinear relative equations of motion, without any linearization or simplification of the system dynamics, making it robust to a variety of orbital elements and target behaviors. Adaptation laws are extracted from the Lyapunov stability theorem in a way that guarantees asymptotic stability. Moreover, control actuator roles (delay, saturation, and allocation) are accounted for in modeling and simulation. Finally, a comprehensive numerical simulation based on three different realistic and strict scenarios is carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed control approach. The controller's robustness against time-varying dynamic parameters (sharp and sudden change, smooth and slow change, and periodic change) is extensively demonstrated through simulation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Identifying the molecular mechanisms behind SARS-CoV-2 disparities and similarities will help find new treatments. The present study determines networks' shared and non-shared (specific) crucial elements in response to HCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2 viruses to recommend candidate medications., Methods: We retrieved the omics data on respiratory cells infected with HCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2, constructed PPIN and GRN, and detected clusters and motifs. Using a drug-gene interaction network, we determined the similarities and disparities of mechanisms behind their host response and drug-repurposed., Results: CXCL1, KLHL21, SMAD3, HIF1A, and STAT1 were the shared DEGs between both viruses' protein-protein interaction network (PPIN) and gene regulatory network (GRN). The NPM1 was a specific critical node for HCoV-229E and was a Hub-Bottleneck shared between PPI and GRN in HCoV-229E. The HLA-F, ADCY5, TRIM14, RPF1, and FGA were the seed proteins in subnetworks of the SARS-CoV-2 PPI network, and HSPA1A and RPL26 proteins were the seed in subnetworks of the PPI network of HCOV-229E. TRIM14, STAT2, and HLA-F played the same role for SARS-CoV-2. Top enriched KEGG pathways included cell cycle and proteasome in HCoV-229E and RIG-I-like receptor, Chemokine, Cytokine-cytokine, NOD-like receptor, and TNF signaling pathways in SARS-CoV-2. We suggest some candidate medications for COVID-19 patient lungs, including Noscapine, Isoetharine mesylate, Cycloserine, Ethamsylate, Cetylpyridinium, Tretinoin, Ixazomib, Vorinostat, Venetoclax, Vorinostat, Ixazomib, Venetoclax, and epoetin alfa for further in-vitro and in-vivo investigations., Conclusion: We suggested CXCL1, KLHL21, SMAD3, HIF1A, and STAT1, ADCY5, TRIM14, RPF1, and FGA, STAT2, and HLA-F as critical genes and Cetylpyridinium, Cycloserine, Noscapine, Ethamsylate, Epoetin alfa, Isoetharine mesylate, Ribavirin, and Tretinoin drugs to study further their importance in treating COVID-19 lung complications., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Exosomes, known as extracellular vehicles (EVs), are found in biological fluids. They have the capability to carry and transfer signaling molecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins, facilitating intercellular communication and regulating the gene expression profile in target cells. EVs have the potential to be used as biomarkers in diagnosis, prognosis and also as feasible therapeutic targets. The available evidence suggests that exosomes play critical roles in the reproductive system, particularly during implantation, which is widely recognized as a crucial step in early pregnancy. A proper molecular dialogue between a high-quality embryo and a receptive endometrium is essential for the establishment of a normal pregnancy. This review focuses on the key role of exosomes originated from various sources, including the embryo, seminal fluid, and uterus fluid, based on the available evidence. It explores their potential applications as a novel approach in assisted reproductive technologies (ART)., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background: Stools from colorectal cancer patients are noninvasive samples that could be used to compare the frequency of hotspot mutations between two different ethnic cohorts., Materials and Methods: We collected stool samples from the Iranian cohort (52 patients and 49 controls) and the Finnish cohort (40 patients and 14 controls). Following stool DNA extraction, we used the AmpliSeq Colon and Lung Cancer panel to prepare DNA libraries before sequencing., Results: The Iranian cohort exhibited 35 hotspot mutations in the BRAF , ERBB4 , FBXW7 , FGFR1 , FGFR3 , KRAS , MAP2K , MET , NRAS , PIK3C , SMAD4 , and TP53 genes. In the Finnish cohort, 13 hotspot mutations were found in the AKT1 , APC , KIT , KRAS , SMO , STK11 , and TP53 genes. Mutations in NRAS and FGFR3 were observed only in the Iranian cohort, while APC mutations were exclusive for the Finnish cohort., Conclusion: Genes involved in MAPK and PI3K-MAPK pathways showed a higher frequency of mutations in Iranian patients which may have therapeutic implications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences.)