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The purpose of this study was the utilization of different methods of tissue culture in proliferation of epithelial cells and autologous graft to cover surface areas without skin specifically, which is due to thermal burns more than 50%. In this experience we performed from rabbits and success to cover almost 24 times original donor site with autograft.

The aim of soil mapping is to partition soil bodies using map units, which arc more homogenous for specific soil properties than arc the soil bodies as a whole. Soil properties arc expected to be similar at delineations of a specified soil map unit. Therefore, it is supposed that a model developed to estimate a soil property for one of these delineations could be generalised for the others. This study was conducted to determine the possibility of generalisation (extrapolation) of continuous models of spatial variability to estimate soil physical and chemical properties in similar delineations of a soil map unit. A consociation soil map unit in two different locations of a detailed soil map (1:20 000 scale), as similar delineations, was selected in the north-west of Faradonbch region, Iran. Sixty topsoil samples (0-20 cm) were randomly collected in each delineation (totally 120 samples) with 30-m intervals and the samples were GPS-recordcd. Laboratory studies consisted of bulk density, pH, calcium-carbonate equivalent, organic matter content, percentage of coarse fragments, and particle-size distribution. First, variography was done according to the soil data of each delineation (named areas A and B) and kriged maps were generated based on their own semivariogram parameters. Then, the kriged map of the soil properties for the second similar delineation (area B) was regenerated based on the corresponding models and their parameters obtained from the first similar delineation (area A). Finally, the regenerated kriged map of each variable was compared with its original kriged map. Visual comparison of the kriged maps of area B obtained from two steps of variography showed very high accordance for all of the soil properties. Quantitative comparison of the kriged maps suggests that the accuracy expected by the users of the soil information should be considered before generalisation of the data for similar units. Lower values of accordance obtained by the Kappa index and, especially, the classification success index than overall accuracy indicate that model generalisation should not be used where high precision of soil information is expected. Discrepancies observed for the kriged maps of the same variables in similar delineations could be due to different soil management practices in the past as a result of different historical developments. Additional keywords: continuous models, geostatistics, Kappa index, overall accuracy, soil map delineations., Introduction The idea of generalising (extrapolating) environmental variables was explored early (Prescott 1938), mainly to identify areas in the world with similar climates for crop production. The aim of soil [...]

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disorder in which excess fat accumulates in hepatocytes and can lead to serious complications. Oxidative stress is one of the leading causes of NAFLD. Pomegranates are considered antioxidant-rich fruit. This systematic review study was aimed to investigate the impact of pomegranate on NAFLD. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases/search engines (from inception up to July 2023) were searched for interventional studies (human and animal) that examined the effects of supplementation with different parts of pomegranate including fruits, peels, seeds, or flower on NAFLD outcomes. A total of 222 articles were retrieved following the initial search. After excluding duplicates, the title and abstract of 114 articles were screened. Afterward, irrelevant articles were removed and the full texts of the remaining 27 articles were reviewed. Eventually, 19 articles (16 animal and three human interventional studies) that met the inclusion criteria, published between 2009 and 2023, were included in this systematic review. Our study indicates the potential beneficial effects of different parts of pomegranate on the improvement of NAFLD. However, given that the majority of the included articles were animal studies, further investigations in the form of human clinical trials are warranted to suggest a clinical indication of such interventions., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Canonical mitotic and meiotic cell divisions commence with replicated chromosomes consisting of two sister chromatids. Here, we developed and explored a model of premature cell division, where nonreplicated, G 0 /G 1 -stage somatic cell nuclei are transplanted to the metaphase cytoplasm of mouse oocytes. Subsequent cell division generates daughter cells with reduced ploidy. Unexpectedly, genome sequencing analysis revealed proper segregation of homologous chromosomes, resulting in complete haploid genomes. We observed a high occurrence of somatic genome haploidization in nuclei from inbred genetic backgrounds but not in hybrids, emphasizing the importance of sequence homology between homologs. These findings suggest that premature cell division relies on mechanisms similar to meiosis I, where genome haploidization is facilitated by homologous chromosome interactions, recognition, and pairing. Unlike meiosis, no evidence of recombination between somatic cell homologs was detected. Our study offers an alternative in vitro gametogenesis approach by directly reprogramming diploid somatic cells into haploid oocytes.

Three-dimensional nanofiber scaffolds offer a promising method for simulating in vivo conditions within the laboratory. This study aims to investigate the influence of a bilayer amniochorionic membrane/nanofibrous fibroin scaffold on the differentiation of human menstrual blood mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MenSCs) into female germ cells. MenSCs were isolated and assigned to four culture groups: (i) MenSCs co-cultured with granulosa cells (GCs) using the scaffold (3D-T group), (ii) MenSCs using the scaffold alone (3D-C group), (iii) MenSCs co-cultured only with GCs (2D-T group), and (iv) MenSCs without co-culture or scaffold (2D-C group). Both MenSCs and GCs were independently cultured for two weeks before co-culturing was initiated. Flow cytometry was employed to characterize MenSCs based on positive markers (CD73, CD90, and CD105) and negative markers (CD45 and CD133). Additionally, flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry were used to characterize the GCs. Differentiated MenSCs were analyzed using real-time PCR and immunostaining. The real-time PCR results demonstrated significantly higher levels of VASA expression in the 3D-T group compared to the 3D-C, 2D-T, and 2D-C groups. Similarly, the SCP3 mRNA level in the 3D-T group was notably elevated compared to the 3D-C, 2D-T, and 2D-C groups. Moreover, the expression of GDF9 was significantly higher in the 3D-T group when compared to the 3D-C, 2D-T, and 2D-C groups. Immunostaining results revealed a lack of signal for VASA, SCP3, or GDF9 markers in the 2D-T group, while some cells in the 3D-T group exhibited positive staining for all these proteins. These findings suggest that the combination of a bilayer amniochorionic membrane/nanofibrous fibroin scaffold with co-culturing GCs facilitates the differentiation of MenSCs into female germ cells., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Authors Afshin Zare and Amin Tamadon were employed by the PerciaVista R&D Co. The remaining 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 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Electroporation-based technologies using microsecond pulsed electric field (µsPEF) exposures are established as laboratory and clinical tools that permeabilize cell membranes. We demonstrate a µsPEF bioeffect on nucleocytoplasmic import and export of enzymes that regulate genetic expression, histone deacetylases (HDAC) -4 and -5. Their μsPEF-induced nucleocytoplasmic transport depends on presence and absence of extracellular calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) for both MCF7 and CHO-K1 cells. Exposure to 1, 10, 30 and 50 consecutive square wave pulses at 1 Hz and of 100 µs duration with 1.45 kV/cm magnitude leads to translocation of endogenous HDAC4 and HDAC5. We posit that by eliciting a rise in intracellular Ca 2+ concentration, a signaling pathway involving kinases, such as Ca 2+ /CaM-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), is activated. This cascade causes nuclear export and import of HDAC4 and HDAC5. The potential of µsPEF exposures to control nucleocytoplasmic transport unlocks future opportunities in epigenetic modification., 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 © 2022 Safaei and Thompson.)

Background and Aims: Thalassemia syndromes are the most common hemoglobinopathy globally related to blood transfusion and iron overload in the body. Splenectomy, excessive iron overload, and repeated exposure to antigens in blood transfusions can cause severe damage to the patient's immune system making the patient prone to frequent infection. This study evaluates the immune system status and infection rate in beta-thalassemia major patients receiving iron chelators., Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital on patients with a beta-thalassemia major who had iron overload due to frequent blood transfusions. The percentage of lymphocyte markers was determined by flow cytometry. Serum levels of immunoglobin were measured by nephelometric assay. Also, Nitro blue tetrazolium and dihydrorhodamine assays were used to evaluate the phagocytic function., Results: Of the 106 patients participating in this study, 59 (55.7%) and 47 (44.3%) are male and female, respectively. The mean age ± SD of participants was 24.7 ± 12.1 years with 4 to 55 years. There was no significant correlation between sex, the C3 and C4 complements, the lymphocyte markers, and the immunoglobulin levels. Furthermore, all of these variables increased significantly over 30 ( p  < 0.05). Moreover, there was a strong positive correlation between splenectomy and IgG immunoglobulin ( p  < 0.001) and CD16 ( p  = 0.005) lymphocyte marker., Conclusion: Iron chelator agents effectively improve patients' immune system with thalassemia major. The increase in IgG and IgM immunoglobulins levels is due to frequent blood transfusions, which stimulate the immune system., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a heterogeneous population of adult stem cells, which are multipotent and possess the ability to differentiate/transdifferentiate into mesodermal and nonmesodermal cell lineages. MSCs display broad immunomodulatory properties since they are capable of secreting growth factors and chemotactic cytokines. Safety, accessibility, and isolation from patients without ethical concern make MSCs valuable sources for cell therapy approaches in autoimmune, inflammatory, and degenerative diseases. Many studies have been conducted on the application of MSCs as a new therapy, but it seems that a low percentage of them is related to clinical trials, especially completed clinical trials. Considering the importance of clinical trials to develop this type of therapy as a new treatment, the current paper is aimed at describing characteristics of MSCs and reviewing relevant clinical studies registered on the NIH database during 2016-2020 to discuss recent advances on MSC-based therapeutic approaches being used in different diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Mohammad Reza Kouchakian et al.)

Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is the repeated failure of good-quality embryos in implantation process following several assisted reproduction cycles. Disruption of the endometrial receptivity is one of the main causes of RIF. Progesterone plays a pivotal role in the endometrial receptivity through the regulation of gene expression pattern by binding to its receptors in the endometrial cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression level of progesterone receptor (PR) and its phosphorylated form in the endometrial stromal cells (eSC) of RIF patients and compare it to the eSC of healthy fertile women as control group. After isolation of the eSC from biopsy samples of RIF patients and healthy fertile women and their characterization, expression levels of PR mRNA, PR protein, and phospho-Ser294 PR protein were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in PR mRNA expression (P < 0.01.) and phospho-Ser294 PR protein (P < 0.05) level in RIF patients compared to the control group. These data for the first time suggest that the expression of PR and its phosphorylated form are impaired in RIF patients. Therefore, designing therapeutic methods for improving PR expression status and its regulation in the endometrium of RIF patients may help in improving the final reproductive outcomes of these cases.

A novel method for condensation reaction of indan-1,3-dione with various aldehydes which are efficiently catalyzed by a task-specific ionic liquid, 2-hydroxyethylammonium formate, to provide the corresponding 2-arylidenindane-1,3-diones has been developed. This green, low-cost, high-yield, and fast reaction takes place at room temperature without the use of any solvent and catalyst. A plausible reaction mechanism that involves ionic liquid-assisted activation is also discussed. This work is the first report of ionic liquids as a reaction medium and catalyst for the synthesis of 2-arylidenindane-1,3-diones., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a complementary, well-established comprehensive, cost-effective, and rapid technique for monitoring of illicit drugs used in a general population. This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to estimate the rank and consumption rate of illicit drugs through WBE studies. In the current study, the related investigations regarding the illicit drug consumption rate based on WBE were searched among the international databases including Scopus, PubMed, Science direct, Google scholar, and local database, Magiran from 2012 up to May 2019. The illicit drug consumption rate with 95% confidence intervals was pooled between studies by using random effect model. The heterogeneity was determined using I 2 statistics. Also, subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the possible effects of year and location of studies on observed heterogeneity. Meta-analysis of 37 articles indicates that the overall rank order of illicit drugs according to their pooled consumption rate can be summarized as tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabis (7417.9 mg/day/1000 people) > cocaine (655.7 mg/day/1000 people) > morphine (384.9 mg/day/1000 people) > methamphetamine (296.2 mg/day/1000 people) > codeine (222.7 mg/day/1000 people) > methadone (200.2 mg/day/1000 people) > 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (126.3 mg/day/1000 people) > amphetamine (118.2 mg/day/1000 people) > 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3, 3-diphenylpyrrolidine (33.7 mg/day/1000 people). The pooled level rate was 190.16 mg/day/1000 people for benzoylecgonine (main urinary cocaine metabolite), 137.9 mg/day/1000 people for 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (main metabolite of cannabis), and 33.7 mg/day/1000 people for 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3, 3-diphenylpyrrolidine (main metabolite of methadone). The I 2 values for all selected drugs were 100% (P value < 0.001). The results of year subgroup indicated that the changes of heterogeneity for all selected drugs were nearly negligible. The heterogeneity within studies based on continents subgroup just decreased in America for drugs like 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (I 2  = 24.4%) and benzoylecgonine (I 2  = 94.1%). The outcome of this meta-analysis can be used for finding the illicit drugs with global serious problem in view of consumption rate (i.e., cannabis and cocaine) and helping authorities to combat them.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by oligomenorrhea, anovulation, and hyperandrogenism. Altered mitochondrial biogenesis can result in hyperandrogenism. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of vitamin D3 on mitochondrial biogenesis of the granulosa cells in the PCOS-induced mouse model. Vitamin D3 applies its effect via the mitogen-activated pathway kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (MAPK-ERK1/2) pathway. The PCOS mouse model was induced by the injection of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Isolated granulosa cells were subsequently treated with vitamin D3, MAPK activator, and MAPK inhibitor. Gene expression levels were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction. MAPK proteins were investigated by western blot analysis. We also determined reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels with 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Mitochondrial membrane potential (mtMP) was also measured by TMJC1. Mitochondrial biogenesis (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-α and nuclear respiratory factor), antioxidant (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase), and antiapoptotic (B-cell lymphoma-2) genes were upregulated in the PCOS mice that treated with vitamin D3 compared with the PCOS mice without any treatment. Vitamin D3 and MAPK activator-treated groups also reduced ROS levels compared with the nontreated PCOS group. In summary, vitamin D3 and MAPK activator increased the levels of mitochondrial biogenesis, MAPK pathway, and mtMP markers, while concomitantly decreased ROS levels in granulosa cells of the PCOS-induced mice. This study suggests that vitamin D3 may improve mitochondrial biogenesis through stimulation of the MAPK pathway in cultured granulosa cells of DHEA-induced PCOS mice which yet to be investigated., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder diagnosed by anovulation hyperandrogenism. Hyperandrogenism increases apoptosis, which will eventually disturb follicular growth in PCOS patients. Since mitochondria regulate apoptosis, they might be affected by high incidence of follicular atresia. This may cause infertility. Since vitamin D3 has been shown to improve the PCOS symptoms, the aim of study was to investigate the effects vitamin D3 on mtDNA copy number, mitochondrial biogenesis, and membrane integrity of granulosa cells in a PCOS-induced mouse model., Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the PCOS mouse model was induced by dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Granulosa cells after identification by follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) were cultured in three groups: 1. granulosa cells treated with vitamin D3 (100 nM for 24 hours), 2. granulosa cells without any treatments, 3. Non-PCOS granulosa cells (control group). Mitochondrial biogenesis gene (TFAM) expression was compared between different groups using real-time PCR. mtDNA copy number was also investigated by qPCR. The mitochondrial structure was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Hormonal levels were measured by an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit., Results: The numbers of pre-antral and antral follicles increased in PCOS group in comparison with the non-PCOS group. Mitochondrial biogenesis genes were downregulated in granulosa cells of PCOS mice when compared to the non-PCOS granulosa cells. However, treatment with vitamin D3 increased mtDNA expression levels of these genes compared to PCOS granulosa cells with no treatments. Most of the mitochondria in the PCOS group were spherical with almost no cristae. Our results showed that in the PCOS group treated with vitamin D3, the mtDNA copy number increased significantly in comparison to PCOS granulosa cells with no treatments., Conclusion: According to this study, we can conclude, vitamin D3 improves mitochondrial biogenesis and membrane integrity, mtDNA copy number in granulosa cells of PCOS mice which might improve follicular development and subsequently oocyte quality., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright© by Royan Institute. All rights reserved.)

Potential energy surfaces of sequential reactions of NO with Ti + ion in the gas phase were investigated for various spin multiplicities using the coupled-cluster and the multireference configuration interaction methods. The mechanisms of Ti + reactions with up to four NO molecules were fully determined, with all transition-state structures being found by relaxed surface scans and confirmed by the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) calculations. The reaction mechanisms are consistent with the products observed in mass spectrometric experiments. In the first reaction, the nitrogen atom and TiO + ion are produced with intersystem crossings for singlet and triplet states. The OTi(NO) + complex is formed in the second reaction, and the third reaction involves N-N bond formation, yielding the N 2 O molecule and TiO 2 + ion. The fourth NO molecule reacts with the TiO 2 + ion in an electron-transfer reaction to produce final products TiO 2 and NO + . The coupled-cluster relative energies were used as a reference to evaluate the overall performance of common density functionals for this particular reaction.

The presence of excess nitrate in groundwater limits it use as a drinking water supply and its removal is critical to balance the nitrogen cycle in aquatic systems. In this study, ultra-thin 2-dimensional Ag-TiO 2 /γ-Al 2 O 3 /Chitosan (Ag-TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 /CS) nano-composite was synthesized for the fast reduction of nitrate under UVA irradiation from aqueous solutions. As-synthesized nano-composite was well characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Experimental variables including pH, nitrate concentration, photocatalyst dose and contact time were considered to demonstrate their effect on the rate of nitrate reduction. Formic acid was used as a radical scavenger at optimal concentration of 2:1 (formic acid:nitrate). The results showed that upon UVA irradiation, the synthesized nano-composite exhibited fast nitrate reduction in broad pH range (about 74% removal at pH 11 in 5 min reaction time) in diverse water chemical conditions. The Ag-doped and hybrid heterostructures can effectively utilize UV-visible-light to remove nitrate and degrade formic acid. For the 3 cycles the photocatalyst efficiency remained same and after the third cycle, its efficacy decreased gradually. This work suggests 2D Ag-TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 /CS nano-composite for the fast removal of nitrate in drinking water treatment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Density functional theory investigations at the DFT-B3LYP/6-311++G ** theoretical level employed to determine the tautomerism, substituent effects of 4-substituted 4-amino-5-methyl-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione, and its derivatives (4-R-H, 4-R-CH 3 , 4-R-F, 4-R-NO 2 ) in the selected solvent (acetone, acetonitrile, and dichloromethane) and gas phases using the polarizable continuum method (PCM) model. The substituted 1,2,4-triazoles have two main different tautomers namely N 2 -H and S 7 -H. For considered derivatives, thione forms are more energetically stable and dominant form in the studied solvent and gas phases. In addition, geometrical parameters, charges on atoms, dipole moments, energetic properties, and the nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) are investigated. It has been seen that these molecular features of the studied compound and its derivatives are mostly solvent dependent. For electron-releasing and -withdrawing derivatives in the solution and gas phases, 2-H forms are the more stable and dominant form. The relative stability of the C 4 -substituted 1,2,4-triazole tautomerism is influenced by the possibility for intramolecular interactions between substituent and electron-donor or electron-acceptor centers of the triazole ring.

Response of an ion mobility spectrometer at ambient pressure was quantitatively determined for fourteen chemicals from five chemical families spanning a range of proton affinities and temperature from 30 to 175 °C with moisture from 1 to 1 × 10 4 ppm v in purified air. Peak intensities, drift times and reduced mobility coefficients were determined for hydrated protons from a 63 Ni ion source and for protonated monomers and proton bound dimers of alcohols, aldehydes, acetates, ketones, and organophosphates. These measurements permitted the determination of response factors with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and the influence of moisture and temperature on APCI response with correlation to computational models of hydration values. The formation of protonated monomers and proton bound dimers was described by heats of formation for a displacement reaction of water on H + (H 2 O) n by an analyte vapor and favorably matched results from density functional theory (DFT) with the 6-311 + G(dp) basis set. Response factors worsened with increased moisture and decreased temperature for compounds of medium, and more so, of low proton affinities. Findings here provide a broad measure and understanding for quantitative response in ion mobility spectrometers for substances for combinations of moisture and temperature., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study evaluates the efficiency of sulfate radicals used in advanced oxidation process in water treatment. The targeted pollutant is an antibiotic, sulfaquinoxaline (SQ-Na) sodium, widely used in the veterinary field. The results show a degradation of SQ-Na until 90% after 300 min of irradiation at optimal sodium persulfate (SPS) concentration (200 mg/L). Degradation of the antibiotic obeys a pseudo-first-order kinetics when the concentration of sulfate radicals ranging from 0 to 240 mg/L. The decomposition of SQ-Na via the UV/SPS method is favored significantly under acidic conditions but becomes slow at neutral pH and almost inhibited under alkaline conditions. The contribution of the sulfate radicals alone and of both radicals hydroxyl and sulfate on the SQ-Na degradation is evaluated at 69% and 80%, respectively. Toxicity tests with Sinapis alba and Daphnia magna on treated samples, before and after irradiation, indicate the formation of new by-products more toxic during the treatment process. PRACTITIONER POINTS: SQ-Na was significantly degraded (90%) under UV/SPS system. SQ-Na decay exhibited a pseudo-first-order kinetics. SQ-Na was completely degraded via UV/SPS process under acidic conditions. The shoot growth appears to be more sensitive to oxidation by-products toxicity than root growth. Ineffectiveness in eliminating the ecotoxicity., (© 2019 Water Environment Federation.)

The analysis of exhaled breath is drawing a high degree of interest in the diagnostics of various diseases, including lung cancer. Electronic nose (E-nose) technology is one of the perspective approaches in the field due to its relative simplicity and cost efficiency. The use of an E-nose together with pattern recognition algorithms allow 'breath-prints' to be discriminated. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient online E-nose-based lung cancer diagnostic method via exhaled breath analysis with the use of some statistical classification methods. A developed multisensory system consisting of six metal oxide chemoresistance gas sensors was employed in three temperature regimes. This study involved 118 individuals: 65 in the lung cancer group (cytologically verified) and 53 in the healthy control group. The exhaled breath samples of the volunteers were analysed using the developed E-nose system. The dataset obtained, consisting of the sensor responses, was pre-processed and split into training (70%) and test (30%) subsets. The training data was used to fit the classification models; the test data was used for the estimation of prediction possibility. Logistic regression was found to be an adequate data-processing approach. The performance of the developed method was promising for the screening purposes (sensitivity-95.0%, specificity-100.0%, accuracy-97.2%). This shows the applicability of the gas-sensitive sensor array for the exhaled breath diagnostics. Metal oxide sensors are highly sensitive, low-cost and stable, and their poor sensitivity can be enhanced by integrating them with machine learning algorithms, as can be seen in this study. All experiments were carried out with the permission of the N.N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology ethics committee no. 15/83 dated March 15, 2017.

The atmospheric oxidation mechanism of imidazole initiated by hydroxyl radicals is investigated via OH-addition and H-abstraction pathways by quantum chemistry calculations at the M06-2X/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory coupled with reaction kinetics calculations using statistical Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) theory and transition state theory (TST). It was found that OH addition proceeds more rapidly than H-abstraction by several orders of magnitude. Moreover, H-abstraction reactions with submerged barriers exhibit positive temperature dependence. Effects of reaction temperature and pressure on the reaction between imidazole and OH radicals are studied by means of RRKM calculations. Effective rate coefficients involve two-step mechanisms. According to the experiment, the obtained branching ratios show that the kinetically most efficient process corresponds to OH addition onto a carbon atom which is adjacent to a nitrogen atom having a lower energy barrier. These ratios also reveal that the regioselectivity of the oxidation reaction decreases with increasing temperatures and decreasing pressures. Because of negative activation energies, pressures larger than 100 bar are required to reach the high pressure limit. The atmospheric lifetime of imidazole in the presence of OH radicals is estimated to be ∼4.74 days, based on the calculated overall kinetic rate constant of 1.22 × 10-12 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at a pressure of 1 bar and nearly ambient temperature. NBO analysis demonstrates that the calculated energy barriers are dictated by charge transfer effects and aromaticity changes because of the delocalization of nitrogen lone pairs to empty π* orbitals.

Electron capture detectors (ECDs) and detectors used in ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) have been successfully used for the detection of numerous compounds including hazardous substances. The general principles of their operations are similar and based on sample component ionization and measurement of the signal using the differences in the mobility of electric charge carriers. Differences in sensitivity result from various parameters of these instruments. Value of electric field intensity in ionic reactors have an influence on ionization process. The main goal of the performed tests was to compare the analytical properties of ECD and two types of IMS detectors: a drift tube spectrometer (DT IMS) and a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS). In the work performed, the efficiency of ionization and the response of detectors to selected analytes were compared. ECD, DT IMS and DMS were equipped with 63-Ni radioactive sources. Analytes have been ionized via electron capture process or dissociative electron transfer. Results obtained for oxygen and chloro-substituted organic compounds (carbon tetrachloride, benzyl chloride, chloroform, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide) were used to calculate the relative signal and to compare the ionization efficiency for three detectors. The phenomena observed experimentally were related to energy dependencies and electron capture cross-sections of analytes. The efficiency of ionization in DT IMS was also compared for electron capture when nitrogen was used as the carrier gas, and when the ionization process was based on the collisions of the analyte molecules with the O 2 - with the use of air., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: This study investigates epidemiologic and practical information about the incidence and risk factors of childhood cancer in a population of Southern Iranian children., Materials and Methods: A total number of 300 cancer patients along with 600 age- and gender-matched healthy control were interviewed by a trained physician regarding their demographic characteristics, and major family-associated risk factors, childhood malignancies., Results: The average annual percentage change for cancers in the studied population is calculated as 45%. Our study indicated that possible risk factors which could contribute to the development of childhood cancer are maternal oral contraceptive pill use during pregnancy, exposure to radiation during pregnancy, parental smoking, residence near high voltage electricity lines, exposure to pesticides and fertilizers, patient allergy, contact with domestic animals and father's educational degree. Furthermore, new ecological risk factors such as air pollution due to nonstandard petroleum or toxic inhalant particles, nonhealthy food consumption, and satellite jamming are other predisposing factors., Conclusion: Our study reported a higher average annual percentage change of childhood cancers in our area, compared to the existing literature. In conclusion, detection and prevention of the consistent and possible new environmental risk factors such as nonstandard petroleum or satellite jamming from all around the country should be taking into consideration., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

In this study the effects of phosphate, potassium, yeast extract, and trace metals on the growth of Mucor indicus and chitosan, chitin, and metabolite production by the fungus were investigated. Maximum yield of chitosan (0.32 g/g cell wall) was obtained in a phosphate-free medium. Reversely, cell growth and ethanol formation by the fungus were positively affected in the presence of phosphate. In a phosphate-free medium, the highest chitosan content (0.42 g/g cell wall) and cell growth (0.66 g/g sugar) were obtained at 2.5 g/L of KOH. Potassium concentration had no significant effect on ethanol and glycerol yields. The presence of trace metals significantly increased the chitosan yield at an optimal phosphate and potassium concentration (0.50 g/g cell wall). By contrast, production of ethanol by the fungus was negatively affected (0.33 g/g sugars). A remarkable increase in chitin and decrease in chitosan were observed in the absence of yeast extract and concentrations lower than 2 g/L. The maximum chitosan yield of 51% cell wall was obtained at 5 g/L of yeast extract when the medium contained no phosphate, 2.5 g/L KOH, and 1 mL/L trace metal solution., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and kinetin (KIN) on Mucor indicus growth, cell wall composition, and ethanol production. A semi-synthetic medium, supplemented with 0-5 mg/L hormones, was used for the cultivations (at 32 °C for 48 h). By addition of 1 mg/L of each hormone, the biomass and ethanol yields were increased and decreased, respectively. At higher levels, however, an inverse trend was observed. The glucosamine fraction of the cell wall, as a representative for chitosan, followed similar but sharper changes, compared to the biomass. The highest level was 221% higher than that obtained without hormones. The sum of glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine (chitin and chitosan) was noticeably enhanced in the presence of the hormones. Increase of chitosan was accompanied by a decrease in the phosphate content, with the lowest phosphate (0.01 g/g cell wall) being obtained when the chitosan was at the maximum (0.45 g/g cell wall). In conclusion, IAA and KIN significantly enhanced the M. indicus growth and chitosan production, while at the same time decreasing the ethanol yield to some extent. This study shows that plant growth hormones have a high potential for the improvement of fungal chitosan production by M. indicus.

A rapid, simple and reproducible high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for determination of fluconazole in human plasma. The separation was performed on MZ C8 column (125 x 4 mm, 5 µm) using acetonitrile - potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (15 : 85, v/v), pH 3.0, as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. The wavelength was set at 261 nm. The assay enables the measurement of fluconazole for therapeutic drug monitoring with a minimum quantification limit of 20 ng/mL. The method involves simple, protein precipitation procedure and analytical recovery was complete. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 0.1-4 µg/mL. The coefficients of variation for inter-day and intra-day assay were found to be less than 10%.

An efficient and selective synthesis of substituted chromene derivatives via three-component reaction of 4-hydroxycoumarin or 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, activated acetylenic compounds and N-nucleophiles is described. The reaction was conducted under solvent-free conditions at 70°C using potassium fluoride impregnated on natural zeolite as a cheap and available solid base. The procedure has several advantages involving selectivity, excellent yields and a convenient work-up method.

Background: Homoisoflavonoids are naturally occurring compounds belong to flavonoid classes possessing various biological properties such as cytotoxicity. In this work, an efficient strategy for the synthesis of novel homoisoflavonoids, [1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-ones, was developed and all compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities on three breast cancer cell lines., Methods: Our synthetic route started from benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ol which was reacted with 3-bromopropanoic acid followed by the reaction of oxalyl chloride to afford 6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one. The aldol condensation of the later compound with aromatic aldehydes led to the formation of the title compounds. Five novel derivatives 4a-e were tested for their cytotoxic activity against three human breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-MB-231 using the MTT assay., Results: Among the synthesized compounds, 7-benzylidene-6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one (4a) exhibited the highest activity against three cell lines. Also the analysis of acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining results revealed that 7-benzylidene-6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one (4a) and 7-(2-methoxybenzylidene)-6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one (4b) induced apoptosis in T47D cell line., Conclusion: Finally, the effect of methoxy group on the cytotoxicity of compounds 4b-4d was investigated in and it was revealed that it did not improve the activity of [1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-ones against MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-MB-231.