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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Phosphorus is an essential and limiting nutrient for all living organisms. Although phosphorus is a finite resource on earth, it is usually wasted today. Precipitation of struvite from waste residues is mainly carried out to recover phosphorus. This study aimed to investigate the percentage of phosphorous recovery from sewage sludge in the presence of grape-biochar via the formation of biochar/struvite precipitates. METHODS: Different amounts of grape-biochar were applied to recover nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, and magnesium) from sewage sludge via the formation of struvite by digestion of sewage sludge with H2SO4 and the molar ratio of magnesium/ammonium/phosphorus in 2:1:1 at pH=8.5. Solubility and release properties of the precipitates were determined and the equations, such as first-order, parabolic diffusion, power function, and simple Elovich models, were fitted to the kinetic data. FINDINGS: The phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge increased by application of grape biochar in the precipitation system, and the accumulation release of nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, and magnesium) from samples increased in the presence of grape biochar, especially in high amounts. Increasing the remove and recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge by application of grape-biochar decreased the incidence of eutrophication, as an environmental dilemma, and provided the requirement for phosphorus-fertilizers by solid waste management. The solubility of the samples was 0.5 mole per liter hydrochloric acid > in 20 gram per liter citric acid > water. The results showed that the phosphorus - cumulative - release of composites in water good fitted the parabolic kinetic model (R²=0.97-0.99), whereas it followed the simple Elovich model (R²=0.86-0.92) in 0.5 mole per liter hydrochloric acid and first-order kinetics model (R²=0.76-0.92) in 20 gram per liter critic acid. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the presence of grape-biochar for recovery of phosphorus from sludge as struvite had a good potential for increasing the release of nutrients for the formation of struvite, and these precipitates had a high potential to be used as a slow-release phosphorus-fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the ability of rats to absorb and store the folate synthesized by cecal bacteria. Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were folate depleted by feeding a low folacin AIN93G formulated basal diet for 28 d; they were then fed repletion diets containing folate (0.25-1.0 mg/kg diet), dietary fiber (DF; wheat bran, oat bran, ground corn, wheat germ) or undigested and fermented dietary material (UFDM; polydextrose, inulin) in the presence and absence of an antibiotic (succinylsulfathiazole). Fermentation was stimulated by DF and UFDM and reduced by the antibiotic. In the absence of succinylsulfathiazole, the increase in liver folate (during the repletion phase) was proportional only to the folate content of the diet and did not vary with added DF or UFDM. Adding succinylsulfathiazole lowered total folate excretion from 13.8 [+ or -] 8.2 to 4.8 [+ or -] 2.9 nmol/d (pooled diets, P < 0.00001) in agreement with its role in inhibiting bacterial folate synthesis. In addition, succinylsulfathiazole lowered liver folate in rats fed control and test diets approximately equally with a mean decrease from 11.6 [+ or -] 2.5 to 7.5 [+ or -] 2.5 nmol/g wet liver (pooled diets, P < 0.00001), suggesting that the antibiotic also affected rat folate absorption and/or metabolism. Increased bacterial fermentation and excretion as well as increased bacterial folate production in the presence of added DF and UFDM were demonstrated by increased volatile fatty acid content in cecal and fecal samples (P < 0.000001) and increased diaminopimelic acid, muramic acid and folate in feces (P < 0.00001). The magnitude of these changes depended on the type of DF and UFDM. These results show that bacterially synthesized folate is not substantially absorbed and stored in the liver of Sprague-Dawley male rats. KEY WORDS: * folate bioavailability * dietary fiber, inulin * polydextrose * fermentation * rats

Abstract This paper presents a differential complementary metal oxide semiconductor inductor‐capacitor voltage controlled oscillator (LC‐VCO). The VCO is adopted from the gate‐to‐source capacitor feedback Colpitts VCO which has the advantage of large value of negative conductance. Due to the large negative conductance, the VCO has a more reliable startup oscillation at the lower currents. The main characteristics of the VCO such as negative conductance, oscillation frequency and phase noise are discussed and analysed. The value of parameters in this circuit have been determined using Non‐dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA‐II) to have the optimum performance. The designed VCO oscillates at 2.76 GHz under a supply voltage of 1.4 V. Power dissipation of the proposed VCO is 873 μW which is significantly lower than that of some other VCOs. The post‐layout simulation results of the proposed VCO are presented and compared with the performance of some other VCOs.

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death among young people worldwide. Chloroquine, an antimalarial drug, has been shown to easily cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and inhibit autophagy in a variety of disorders, including Alzheimer disease and brain ischemia. We investigated the effects of chloroquine on neuronal protection after induction of brain trauma in male rats. Methods A total of 120 male Wistar rats were treated with chloroquine at doses of 1.5, 3, and 6 mg/kg intraperitoneally after induction of diffuse TBIs. The veterinary coma scale was used to assess short-term neurological deficits. BBB disruption was evaluated using the Evans Blue dye method 6-hour post-injury. Vestibulomotor function was evaluated using the beam walk and beam balance methods. Histopathological changes in the brain tissue in different groups were evaluated using light microscopy and hematoxylin-eosin staining. Brain water and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contents of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) were assessed using the wet/dry method and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Results The results showed that injecting chloroquine (3 and 6 mg/kg) 30 minutes after TBI significantly reduced brain edema and BBB disruption, and recovered neurological deficits post-TBI (P

Abstract The anticoagulants of choice for the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolic disease during pregnancy are unfractionated heparin and low‐molecular‐weight heparin. Heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is introduced as a rare but critical side effect of heparin products raising the thromboembolic event paradoxically. Here, we present a case of HIT in pregnancy with challenging management due to coincidence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) and limited anticoagulant options in the pharmaceutical market of our country of residence. We describe a 6‐week pregnant patient with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), which developed HIT during antenatal care. Therapeutic anticoagulation was initiated with argatroban, then switched to apixaban due to limited access to argatroban. Another therapeutic challenge was the concurrent incidence of LA. The interdisciplinary care team decided on adding up warfarin and scheduled termination at 12 weeks regarding the hazardous condition of the patient. We also reviewed related case literature to convey a new insight into managing pregnancy‐related HIT. HIT is a pro‐coagulatory and lethal complication associated with heparin therapy that can be diagnosed by clinical suspicion, the 4T score system, and confirmatory laboratory analyses. Alternative anticoagulation is the cornerstone of the treatment and an interdisciplinary plan will be worthwhile to make the best clinical decision regarding the critical situation and least the thromboembolic events mortality during pregnancy.

We describe a method to calibrate a Software-Defined Radar (SDRadar) system mounted on an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) with an ultra-wideband (UWB) waveform operated in the near-field region. Radar calibration is a prerequisite for using the full capabilities of the radar system to retrieve geophysical parameters accurately. We introduce a framework and process to calibrate the SDRadar with the UWB waveform in the 675 MHz–3 GHz range in the near-field region. Furthermore, we present the framework for computing the near-field radar cross section (RCS) of an external passive calibration target, a trihedral corner reflector (CR), using HFSS software and with consideration for specific antennas. The calibration performance was evaluated with various distances between the calibration target and radar antennas. The necessity for the knowledge of the near-field RCS to calibrate SDRadar was demonstrated, which sets this work apart from the standard method of using a trihedral CR for backscatter radar calibration. We were able to achieve approximately 0.5 dB accuracy when calibrating the SDRadar in the anechoic chamber using a trihedral CR. In outdoor field conditions, where the ground rough surface scattering effects are present, the calibration performance was lower, approximately 1.5 dB. A solution is proposed to overcome the ground effect by elevating the CR above the ground level, which enables applying time-gating around the CR echo, excluding the reflection from the ground.

Introduction: Toleration of the complexity and pain of interventions such as endoscopy and colonoscopy is highly difficult for patients. Considering the disagreement on the method of injection of propofol, this study was performed to evaluate the quality of anesthesia using the three methods of propofol + fentanyl, propofol + fentanyl + lidocaine, and propofol + fentanyl + lidocaine + ketamine. Methods: This one-way blind clinical trial study included 99 patients who were admitted in three groups by block randomization method. In a group of patients that were sedated with propofol + fentanyl + lidocaine + ketamine, the dose of all drugs is reduced by half the amount of the other groups. Variables included age, sex, frequency of cough, apnea, need for jaw thrust maneuver, O2 saturation, duration of recovery, and procedural satisfaction. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. P value of < 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: The three groups were similar in terms of demographic characteristics. The effects of the three sedation protocols on the variables showed that patient's apnea, cough, O2 saturation, and also proceduralist satisfaction in the group of the patient that sedated with four drugs was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than other groups. But there was no significant difference between the three groups when comparing the recovery time and need for jaw thrust during the procedure. Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that the use of combination of “propofol + fentanyl + lidocaine + ketamine” with lower doses, significantly results in higher quality sedation compared with higher doses of “propofol + fentanyl + lidocaine” or “propofol + fentanyl” for scoping procedures.

Abstract Background: We aimed to evaluate Iran's current COVID-19 infection, emphasizing the number of infection detection and the disease's reproductive number in its high peak in November and after the lockdown in December. Materials and Methods: Using the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Contact Tracing Evaluation and Strategic Support Application, we used the average weekly new cases and average case mortality in November and December 2020. The average case isolation and identification time (25%, Four days) and the average case contact within the household and community were entered into the application. We examined Two modeling systems with 50% and 70% case isolation for the November period as alternative scenarios for the current infection control rate. Results: Our modeling showed only 11% and 30% of the infections were detected in November and December. The disease's reproductive number is similar to the natural reproductive number of the disease (2-3) in November. The two models used to increase the rate of case isolation to 50% and 70% did not significantly change the reproductive number. Conclusion: The priority in Iran for COVID-19 infection control should be a dramatic increase in the number of testing to achieve the correct number of case detection and fulfill the contact tracing criteria to reduce the disease spread.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture reduces knee stability. In old patients with ACL rupture, surgery is not recommended due to the person's low level of activity and knee osteoarthritis. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a good treatment option in inflammatory cases in orthopedics. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess and comparison of the effect of PRP and arthroscopic surgery on anterior cruciate ligament rupture. This is a clinical trial that was performed in 2020-2021 in Tehran. 100 patients were randomly divided into two groups. The first group of patients underwent ACL tendon repair surgery by arthroscopy and tendon graft. The second group were treated by PRP injection. Both groups of patients were visited from 3 months to 14 months after surgery or PRP treatments. The pain was assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), we also used Knee Score by the Oxford Score Knee Outcome Scale (OKS) to assess patient’s functions. The mean VAS score was 3.05 ± 2.47 in patients in surgery group and mean VAS score was 4.39± 2.66 in patients in the PRP group (p = 0.03). These data showed significant improvements in VAS score in both groups with higher improvements in surgical group. After procedures, the ROM was 120.33 ± 19.60º in surgery group and 109.31 ± 17.22º in PRP group (p = 0.03). Patients in both groups had significantly decreased pain severity after 14 months, but the patients in the surgical treatment group had significantly lower pain and higher ROM compared to PRP group.

Human activities, such as groundwater extraction and sediment starvation, are projected to add to climatic factors like sea level rise to exacerbate saline water intrusion into the Mekong Delta, Vietnam over the next 30 years, according to process-based model simulations.

Background: Some studies have shown that vitamin C has a positive effect on reducing headaches after spinal anesthesia, but studies in this field are inadequate. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of vitamin C infusion on the decrease of headache after spinal anesthesia in cesarean section. Methods: This clinical trial study was performed on 160 patients undergoing cesarean section referred to Kowsar Hospital of Yazd in 2017. The patients were randomly divided into two groups including group 1, 2 gr of vitamin C in 500 cc normal saline, and group 2, 500 cc of normal saline was injected preoperatively. The two groups were compared for headache incidence. Results: At the time of recovery, 2 hours later, the frequency of headache in the intervention group was significantly lower than the control group (P 0.05). Conclusion: Considering the patient's condition, and according to the anesthesiologist and surgeon, vitamin C can be used to reduce pain in patients undergoing cesarean section with spinal anesthesia.

Knowledge of the amount of nutrients in soil is required to achieve sustainable management. The objective of this study was to assess the variability of soil-available and single-point buffering index of phosphorus (P) in the farmlands of the Khoy region, Iran. Composite soil samples (0-30 cm) were collected at 114 locations on regular grid of 1000 m. Some soil physico-chemical characteristics such as soil texture, soil organic matter ( OM) content, soil pH, electrical conductivity ( EC), calcium carbonate equivalent ( CCE), available P (Pava) and single-point P sorption index ( PSI) were measured. Results showed that all variables in this study have spatial distribution in the effective range of 1500-4800 m. Moreover, experimental semivariograms of all studied variables were best-fit by spherical and exponential models. Most importantly, kriged maps revealed that a major part of the study area contains high Pava, which is seemingly due to the frequent application of phosphate fertilizers along with poultry manure. Some soils in the western part showed low PSI index; they therefore need more P fertilizer application. In addition, due to the lower PSI value in the eastern half of the study region, applying less fertilizer at more frequent intervals seems to be more beneficial than larger single applications. Eventually, to reduce environmental risks and prevent the loss of natural resources, the method of applying P fertilizer needs to be mainly based on the created PSI distribution map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The spike glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, has attracted attention for its vaccine potential and binding capacity to host cell surface receptors. Much of this research focus has centered on the ectodomain of the spike protein. The ectodomain is anchored to a transmembrane region, followed by a cytoplasmic tail. Here we report a distant sequence similarity between the cysteine-rich cytoplasmic tail of the coronavirus spike protein and the hepcidin protein that is found in humans and other vertebrates. Hepcidin is thought to be the key regulator of iron metabolism in humans through its inhibition of the iron-exporting protein ferroportin. An implication of this preliminary observation is to suggest a potential route of investigation in the coronavirus research field making use of an already-established literature on the interplay of local and systemic iron regulation, cytokine-mediated inflammatory processes, respiratory infections and the hepcidin protein. The question of possible homology and an evolutionary connection between the viral spike protein and hepcidin is not assessed in this report, but some scenarios for its study are discussed.

Machine learning has recently emerged as a promising approach for studying complex phenomena characterized by rich datasets. In particular, data-centric approaches lead to the possibility of automatically discovering structures in experimental datasets that manual inspection may miss. Here, we introduce an interpretable unsupervised-supervised hybrid machine learning approach, the hybrid-correlation convolutional neural network (hybrid-CCNN), and apply it to experimental data generated using a programmable quantum simulator based on Rydberg atom arrays. Specifically, we apply hybrid-CCNN to discover and identify new quantum phases on square lattices with programmable interactions. The initial unsupervised dimensionality reduction and clustering stage first reveals five distinct quantum phase regions. In a second supervised stage, we refine these phase boundaries and seek insights into the phases by training multiple CCNN classifiers. A learned spatial weighting, introduced to the CCNNs in this work, enables discovery of spatial structure at scales beyond the filter size. The characteristic spatial weightings and snippets of correlations specifically recognized in each phase capture quantum fluctuations in the striated phase and identify a previously undetected boundary-ordered phase as well as motifs of more exotic ordered phases. These observations demonstrate that a combination of programmable quantum simulators with machine learning can be used as a powerful tool for detailed exploration of correlated quantum states of matter.

Patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 represents usually a variety range of symptoms related to influenza-like syndrome and respiratory tract infections. Likewise, kidney involvement and acute kidney injury (AKI) were reported in many previous studies. Although a hypovolemic circulation would be the most common reason in patients with AKI, some strong proofs are suggesting a cytokine storm due to immune system exaggeration and inflammation-mediated tubular injury in COVID-19 infections. The inflammatory response in cytokine storm leads to the high release of cytokines mostly including TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, INFγ, IL-2, IL-7, and endothelial mediators. The main culprits in the AKI and consequent organ failure are resident leukocytes in specific tissues, activated following the cytokine release, and systemic inflammatory response. AKI management and cytokine profile evaluation should be highly emphasized in patients with COVID-19 to prevent the progression of chronic kidney disease or permanent renal failure. Treatment options in COVID-19 regarding no specific drugs should be supportive and based on stabilizing the patients; however, combination therapy with different antiviral have shown promising outcomes. As a result, utilizing the anti-TNFα and anti-IL-1 agents should be noticed if indicated. Additionally, the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a curative approach.

The upper limb vascular pattern shows a significant number of diversities in the arterial or venous system. Although variations are usually found in the forearm region, the brachial artery variations are less common. In this report, we described a rare case of a higher bifurcation level of the brachial artery giving rise to the radial and ulnar arteries at the middle portion of the arm. It is crucial for surgeons or even radiologists to be familiar with the diverse morphological patterns of the brachial artery and its branches. Moreover, they should be aware of latent hazards in the therapeutic procedures to diminish surgical complications while operating on the upper extremities.

Background: Based on the importance of varicocele, the aim of this is to compare the comparison between doppler sonography before and after laparoscopic lymphatic sparing varicocelectomy and microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy. Patients and Methods: Patients with primary varicocele who were referred to Ahwaz Imam Khomeini Hospital after informed consent were included. Primary information included varicocele severity, pain intensity, latency, Doppler sonography (Resistive index (RI), venous return, venous diameter before and after Valsalva) were obtained, and then patients were entered into one of the two groups of surgery. The admission duration, return to work duration, the pain and analgesic consumption, and the length of anxiety were recorded in patients. Patients were examined 3 months later, and the severity of varicocele in the examination, pain score, latency, Doppler sonography indices, sperm indices in both groups were registered. In the end, the information is entered into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software and evaluated. Results: We observed that the severity of varicocele (P = 0.34), pain (P = 0.45), latralite (P = 0.56), RI (P = 0.65), intravenous diameter (P = 0.75) did not show statistically significant difference between the two groups, also in evaluating these indices after surgery, there were significant differences between the two groups in pain (P = 0.04) and time for return to work (P = 0.036). Conclusions: The methods used in varicocelectomy did not have any effect on the outcome of the treatment. Accordingly, using any of these methods can improve the post-surgical state of the patients and promote the fertility performance and reduction of complications due to surgery in patients.

Background: Recently, the surgical methods are used in patients with anterior cruciate ligament rupture and have been associated with successful results. There are different results in the term of using of the surgical methods for anterior cruciate ligament that often is associated with some complications such as infection, static laxity, remaining the pain, need to recurrence surgery, and limitation in the range of motion. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to compare outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with the fixed loop and the adjustable loop. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 60 patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction referred to Kashani Hospital of Isfahan, Iran, from March 2017 to February 2019. Also, this study was approved in the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. 30 patients were assigned to a fixed loop and 30 patients under the adjustable loop method. Postoperative outcomes were compared with the fixed loop group and the adjustable loop group. Results: The frequency of static laxity below 8 mm in the fixed loop group was 83.3% and the frequency of static laxity below 8 mm in the adjustable loop was 76.7%. There was no significant difference between the fixed loop group and the adjustable loop group based on static laxity. Also, no infection was seen in the fixed loop group and the adjustable loop group. There was no significant difference between the fixed loop group and the adjustable loop group in terms of range of motion and knee score before and after surgery. After surgery, 96.7% of the fixed loop group and 86.7% of the adjustable loop group returned to normal activity. There was no significant difference between the fixed loop group and the adjustable loop group in terms of return to normal activity and satisfaction. Conclusion: Using the fixed loop is effective, useful, and with low-complication for the patients with anterior cruciate ligament and also using the adjustable loop grafts is effective, useful, and with low-complication for the patients with the anterior cruciate ligament rupture.

Fama and French (1993) show that systematic risk of market, size, and book to market value constitute the common risk factors in the United States exchange market. In this study, we examine the explaining power of their model in Tehran stock exchange (TSE) for the period of 1991-2015, and explore the validity of the model in TSE. While book to market value risk is of less importance for investors in TSE, size risk is essential and is priced for a large number of firms. Further, we investigate the contribution of each risk factor in bull and bear markets. It is shown that in bull markets, investors pay more attention to size risk, and in bear markets, risk of book to market value is more important in determining the risk factor. Finally, we introduce risk of price to earning as a common risk factor and add it to Fama-French three-factor model. We emphasize its role alongside the other three factors in stock pricing in TSE.

In this paper, a backward approach is proposed for maximizing net present value (NPV) in multi-mode resource constrained project scheduling problem while assuming discounted positive cash flows (MRCPSP-DCF). The progress payment method is used and all re-sources are considered as pre-emptible. The proposed approach maximizes NPV using unscheduled resources through resource calendar in backward mode. For this purpose, a Genetic Algorithm is applied to solve experimental cases with 50 variables and the results are compared with forward serial programming method. The remarkable results reveal that the backward approach is an effective way to maximize NPV in MRCPSP-DC while activity splitting is allowed. The algorithm is flexible enough to be used in real project.

There is considerable interest in consumption of plant-based foods rich in phytoestrogens, more specifically the isoflavones and their derivatives from soy, because of their reported beneficial effects such as their potential to prevent breast and prostate cancer as well as prevent coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. However, information is still insufficient regarding the pharmacokinetics of the absorption and excretion of soy isoflavones. Moreover, data on the effects of sex and age of animals and of the source of isoflavones on their bioavailability are limited. Results from a previous study at Health Canada suggested that the metabolism of dietary isoflavones is significantly affected by the sex of the rats and that the source of dietary isoflavones (such as endogenous or extracted) may have a marked effect on their potency. The present study was conducted to obtain information on the effects of the sex, age, and source of soy isoflavones on their bioavailability in a rat model. Three sources of isoflavones--Novasoy (extracted isoflavones supplement), a mixture of synthetic aglycosides (daidzein, genistein, and glycitein), and a mixture of synthetic glycosides (daidzin, genistin, and glycitin) were administered once only by oral gavage at 20 or 40 mg/kg body weight. The first phase of the animal project has been completed; plasma samples were collected at 0, 10, and 30 min and 1, 2, 8, 24, and 48 h and urine and fecal samples were collected at 0-2, 2-8, 15-24, 24-32, and 32 48 h after dosing. The second phase of the animal project will measure the concentrations of isoflavones and their metabolites in plasma after a single intravenous injection of 2 sources of synthetic aglycosides (daidzein, genistein, and glycitein) and synthetic glycosides (daidzin, genistin, and glycitin). The extent of absorption will be determined for dosage forms by comparing the area under the curve (AUC) of the plasma-concentration time curve after intravenous (i.v.) administration with that after oral administration. The extent of bioavailability will then be calculated as f = AU[C.sub.oral]/AU[C.sub.iv] x 100. An improved liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method is being developed to confirm the plasma isoflavone data obtained by the HPLC-UV method used in our previous study. The data will assist in assessing safety, nutritional quality, and health benefits of dietary phytoestrogens.

Printed, flexible and wearable dry electrodes for monitoring electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, without any skin preparation and use of wet gel, has been developed. Silver (Ag) flake ink was screen printed on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate to fabricate the dry ECG electrode. Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite, as a conductive polymer, was then deposited on the printed Ag electrode by using a bar coating technique. The performance of the printed electrodes was investigated by testing the MWCNT/PDMS composite conductivity and measuring the electrode-skin impedance for electrode radii varying from 8 mm to 16 mm. It was observed that the dry ECG electrode, with the largest area, demonstrated better performance, in terms of MWCNT/PDMS composite conductivity, ECG signal intensity and correlation when compared to a commercial wet silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrode. In addition, the capability of the dry ECG electrodes for monitoring ECG signals in both the relaxed sitting position and while the subject is in motion, was also investigated and the results were compared with a wet Ag/AgCl ECG electrode (T716). While the subject is in motion, the printed dry electrodes were less noisy and were able to better identify the typical ECG characteristics in the signals due to its better conformal contact at the electrode-skin interface. The results obtained demonstrated the feasibility of employing conventional screen printing process for the development of flexible dry ECG electrodes for applications in the biomedical industry. Keywords: Dry ECG electrode, ECG monitoring, MWCNT, PDMS, Screen printing, Wearable biomedical sensors

Abstract Objective The present study is a case report of a 57-year-old female with controlled hypertension who presented with spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) mimicking a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and was successfully treated by surgical decompression. Methods A 57-year-old woman with a medical history of hypertension presented with a sudden onset of weakness in the right upper and lower extremities. Weakness of grade 3/5 was noted in her right upper and lower extremities, but there was no motor weakness of the right facial muscles. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam of the cervical spine revealed an epidural hematoma extending from level C5 to level C7, causing spinal cord compression. Results During surgery, a cervical spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) was evacuated. Postoperatively, the power in both limbs improved to grade 5/5 just after surgery. Conclusions A high degree of suspicion, meticulous history taking, and physical examination have a great importance in these rare conditions because anticoagulant therapy as a routine treatment for ischemic CVA could be life-threatening.

Background and aims: Nosocomial infections are the main cause of the problems related to health and health care costs. One of the pathogens that causes these infections is Staphylococcus aureus. Its resistance to antibiotics forced researchers to find herbal substitution such as Sesame and Olive. This study was aimed to determine antibacterial effect of sesame oil, olive oil and their synergism on S. aureus. Methods: In this experimental study, at first, olive oil and sesame oil was extracted by cold press assay and the mixture of them was prepared with equal proportion of both oils, and then the standard strain of lyophilized S. aureus ATCC 25923 was prepared from the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology. To determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the oils, micro-broth dilution method was used. Results: This study indicated the amounts of MIC for sesame oil, olive oil and their synergism; 32 mg/ml, 32 mg/ml, 8 mg/ml and the amounts of MBC; 128 mg/ml, 128 mg/ml, 32 mg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: The results showed the same antibacterial activity for olive oil and sesame oil. It also showed that mixture of these oils enhances the growth inhibitory and bactericidal properties of the oils compared to using them individually.

Background: One of the most common problems among patients who candidate for operation is anxiety and intensity of it; uncontrolling can led to unwanted complications such as hypotension and tachycardia. Due to high prevalence rate of hypotension in patients under the operation with spinal anesthesia, which can be related to patient’s anxiety, this study aimed to determine the effect of preoperative anxiety on hemodynamic changes during spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing the surgery for lumbar disc herniation. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 100 patients who were candidates for surgery for lumbar disc herniation were selected. The intensity of anxiety was assessed using Zung Anxiety Status Inventory (ASI) and the blood pressure was measured before and during surgery; and correlation between the anxiety and blood pressure was evaluated. Findings: The mean ± SD of Zung score was 54.64 ± 14.40. 24, 42, 23 and 11 percent of the patients had mild, moderate, sever and very sever anxiety, respectively. The patients with low, moderate and sever anxiety faced significant decreases in systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure levels and heart rate; but changing in blood pressure and heart rate in patients with very sever anxiety was not significantly different compared to before the operation. Conclusion: Intensity of anxiety in the before and during surgery is one of the factors effect on blood pressure changing and heart rate specially hypotension and applying of preventive activities for decrease of anxiety.

Carcinoid tumors are well differentiated neuroendocrine tumors with secretory components. These tumors are uncommon but the most common primary tumors of the distal small intestine. We present a rare terminal ileum carcinoid tumor presenting with a small bowel obstruction. A 65 years old man presented with intermittent, gen-eralized, dull and colicky abdominal pain accompanied with intermittent nausea, fever and chills for 1 year and post prandial generalized colicky abdominal pain from 5 days prior to admission. He also complained of weight loss and frequent constipations during recent year. His abdomen was soft with mild tenderness in periumbilical, right lower quadrant and left lower quadrant without guarding, rebound tenderness and palpable mass. Laborato-ry findings indicated anemia, and barium enema showed right lower quadrant mass effect in small intestine. Narrowing of terminal ileum was noted in colonoscopy. Free fluid in lower abdomen and pelvis with 37*28*25 paravertebral hypoechoic pelvic mass, without peristalsis was seen in abdomen and pelvic sonography. After mass localization in abdominal CT scan, laparotomy and excisional biopsy was performed. The diagnosis of carcinoid tumor was confirmed by pathologic report. Carcinoid tumors are rare tumors of the Gastro intestinal tract, however, they are the most common primary tumors of the small intestines. Most of these tumors have a very indolent course and may present with non specific symptoms. In view of the poor prognosis associated with the late diagnosis, it is imperative to think of this differential diagnosis in patients presenting with non specific symptoms and in intermittent partial bowel obstruction.

Knowledge of phenotypic changes the cellular prion protein (PrPC) contributes to may provide novel avenues for understanding its function. Here we consider data from functional knockout/down studies and protein-protein interaction analyses from the perspective of PrP’s relationship to its ancestral ZIP metal ion transporting proteins. When approached in this manner, a role of PrPC as a modulator of a complex morphogenetic program that underlies epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) emerges. To execute EMT, cells have to master the challenge to shift from cell-cell to cell-substrate modes of adherence. During this process, cell- cell junctions stabilized by E-cadherins are replaced by focal adhesions that mediate cell-substrate contacts. A similar reprogramming occurs during distinct organogenesis events that have been shown to rely on ZIP transporters. A model is presented that sees ZIP transporters, and possibly also PrPC, affect this balance of adherence modes at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels.

The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) was recently observed to co-purify with members of the LIV-1 subfamily of ZIP zinc transporters (LZTs), precipitating the surprising discovery that the prion gene family descended from an ancestral LZT gene. Here, we compared the subcellular distribution and biophysical characteristics of LZTs and their PrP-like ectodomains. When expressed in neuroblastoma cells, the ZIP5 member of the LZT subfamily was observed to be largely directed to the same subcellular locations as PrP(C) and both proteins were seen to be endocytosed through vesicles decorated with the Rab5 marker protein. When recombinantly expressed, the PrP-like domain of ZIP5 could be obtained with yields and levels of purity sufficient for structural analyses but it tended to aggregate, thereby precluding attempts to study its structure. These obstacles were overcome by moving to a mammalian cell expression system. The subsequent biophysical characterization of a homogeneous preparation of the ZIP5 PrP-like ectodomain shows that this protein acquires a dimeric, largely globular fold with an α-helical content similar to that of mammalian PrP(C). The use of a mammalian cell expression system also allowed for the expression and purification of stable preparations of Takifugu rubripes PrP-1, thereby overcoming a key hindrance to high-resolution work on a fish PrP(C).

Prions are units of propagation of an altered state of a protein or proteins; prions can propagate from organism to organism, through cooption of other protein copies. Prions contain no necessary nucleic acids, and are important both as both pathogenic agents, and as a potential force in epigenetic phenomena. The original prions were derived from a misfolded form of the mammalian Prion Protein PrP. Infection by these prions causes neurodegenerative diseases. Other prions cause non-Mendelian inheritance in budding yeast, and sometimes act as diseases of yeast. We report the bioinformatic construction of the PrionHome, a database of >2000 prion-related sequences. The data was collated from various public and private resources and filtered for redundancy. The data was then processed according to a transparent classification system of prionogenic sequences (i.e., sequences that can make prions), prionoids (i.e., proteins that propagate like prions between individual cells), and other prion-related phenomena. There are eight PrionHome classifications for sequences. The first four classifications are derived from experimental observations: prionogenic sequences, prionoids, other prion-related phenomena, and prion interactors. The second four classifications are derived from sequence analysis: orthologs, paralogs, pseudogenes, and candidate-prionogenic sequences. Database entries list: supporting information for PrionHome classifications, prion-determinant areas (where relevant), and disordered and compositionally-biased regions. Also included are literature references for the PrionHome classifications, transcripts and genomic coordinates, and structural data (including comparative models made for the PrionHome from manually curated alignments). We provide database usage examples for both vertebrate and fungal prion contexts. Using the database data, we have performed a detailed analysis of the compositional biases in known budding-yeast prionogenic sequences, showing that the only abundant bias pattern is for asparagine bias with subsidiary serine bias. We anticipate that this database will be a useful experimental aid and reference resource. It is freely available at: http://libaio.biol.mcgill.ca/prion.

The evolutionary origin of prion genes, only known to exist in the vertebrate lineage, had remained elusive until recently. Following a lead from interactome investigations of the murine prion protein, our previous bioinformatic analyses revealed the evolutionary descent of prion genes from an ancestral ZIP metal ion transporter. However, the molecular mechanism of evolution remained unexplored. Here we present a computational investigation of this question based on sequence, intron-exon, synteny and pseudogene analyses. Our data suggest that during the emergence of metazoa, a cysteine-flanked core domain was modularly inserted, or arose de novo, in a preexisting ZIP ancestor gene to generate a prion-like ectodomain in a subbranch of ZIP genes. Approximately a half-billion years later, a genomic insertion of a spliced transcript coding for such a prion-like ZIP ectodomain may have created the prion founder gene. We document that similar genomic insertions involving ZIP transcripts, and probably relying on retropositional elements, have indeed occurred more than once throughout evolution.

The physiological environment which hosts the conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) to disease-associated isoforms has remained enigmatic. A quantitative investigation of the PrP(C) interactome was conducted in a cell culture model permissive to prion replication. To facilitate recognition of relevant interactors, the study was extended to Doppel (Prnd) and Shadoo (Sprn), two mammalian PrP(C) paralogs. Interestingly, this work not only established a similar physiological environment for the three prion protein family members in neuroblastoma cells, but also suggested direct interactions amongst them. Furthermore, multiple interactions between PrP(C) and the neural cell adhesion molecule, the laminin receptor precursor, Na/K ATPases and protein disulfide isomerases (PDI) were confirmed, thereby reconciling previously separate findings. Subsequent validation experiments established that interactions of PrP(C) with PDIs may extend beyond the endoplasmic reticulum and may play a hitherto unrecognized role in the accumulation of PrP(Sc). A simple hypothesis is presented which accounts for the majority of interactions observed in uninfected cells and suggests that PrP(C) organizes its molecular environment on account of its ability to bind to adhesion molecules harboring immunoglobulin-like domains, which in turn recognize oligomannose-bearing membrane proteins.

In the more than twenty years since its discovery, both the phylogenetic origin and cellular function of the prion protein (PrP) have remained enigmatic. Insights into a possible function of PrP may be obtained through the characterization of its molecular neighborhood in cells. Quantitative interactome data demonstrated the spatial proximity of two metal ion transporters of the ZIP family, ZIP6 and ZIP10, to mammalian prion proteins in vivo. A subsequent bioinformatic analysis revealed the unexpected presence of a PrP-like amino acid sequence within the N-terminal, extracellular domain of a distinct sub-branch of the ZIP protein family that includes ZIP5, ZIP6 and ZIP10. Additional structural threading and orthologous sequence alignment analyses argued that the prion gene family is phylogenetically derived from a ZIP-like ancestral molecule. The level of sequence homology and the presence of prion protein genes in most chordate species place the split from the ZIP-like ancestor gene at the base of the chordate lineage. This relationship explains structural and functional features found within mammalian prion proteins as elements of an ancient involvement in the transmembrane transport of divalent cations. The phylogenetic and spatial connection to ZIP proteins is expected to open new avenues of research to elucidate the biology of the prion protein in health and disease.

Nicotine is an alkaloid found in tobacco. Human exposure to nicotine primarily occurs through the use of tobacco products. To date, limited nicotine pharmacokinetic data in animals have been reported. This study exposed male Sprague-Dawley rats to vehicle (and/or air) or 4 doses of nicotine via nose-only inhalation (INH), oral gavage (PO), and intravenous (IV) infusion. Plasma, 6 tissues (brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney, and muscle), and urine were collected at multiple timepoints from 5 min to 48 h post-dose. The concentrations of nicotine, cotinine, and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (3-OH-cotinine) were determined, and the pharmacokinetic profiles were compared among the 4 doses for each route. The results indicated that after single nicotine dose, nicotine bioavailability was 53% via PO. Across all the administration routes and doses, nicotine was quickly distributed to all 6 tissues; kidney had the highest nicotine and cotinine levels, and the lung had the highest 3-OH-cotinine levels; nicotine was metabolized extensively to cotinine and cotinine was metabolized to a lesser extent to 3-OH-cotinine; the elimination of plasma nicotine, cotinine, and 3-OH-cotinine followed first-order kinetics; plasma nicotine had a shorter half-life than cotinine or 3-OH-cotinine; the half-lives of plasma nicotine, cotinine, and 3-OH-cotinine were dose- and route-independent; and nicotine and cotinine were major urinary excretions followed by 3-OH-cotinine. Nicotine, cotinine, and 3-OH-cotinine levels in plasma, tissues, and urine exhibited dose-dependent increases. These study findings improve our understanding of the pharmacokinetics of nicotine, cotinine, and 3-OH-cotinine across different routes of exposure., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology 2024.)

Since the passage of the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act (2018 Farm Bill), the number of products containing cannabis-derived compounds available to consumers have rapidly increased. Potential effects on liver function as a result from consumption of products containing cannabidiol (CBD), including hemp extracts, have been observed but the mechanisms for the effects are not fully understood. In this study, hepatocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were used to evaluate potential hepatic effects of CBD and hemp extract at exposure concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 30 μM. Despite that a significant reduction in cell viability occurred only in the 30 μM group for both CBD and hemp extract, significant changes to cytochrome P450 activity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and lipid accumulation occurred within the concentration range of 0.1-3 μM for both CBD and hemp extract. Albumin and urea production, caspase 3/7 activity, and intracellular glutathione were significantly affected within the concentration range of 3-30 μM by CBD or hemp extract. These findings indicate that CBD and hemp extract can alter hepatic function and metabolism. The current study contributes data to help inform the evaluation of potential hepatotoxic effects of products containing cannabis-derived compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Consumer use of cannabidiol (CBD) is growing, but there are still data gaps regarding its possible adverse effects on reproduction and development. Multiple pathways and signaling cascades involved in organismal development and neuronal function, including endocannabinoid synthesis and signaling systems, are well conserved across phyla, suggesting that Caenorhabditis elegans can model the in vivo effects of exogenous cannabinoids. The effects in C. elegans on oxidative stress response (OxStrR), developmental timing, juvenile and adult spontaneous locomotor activity, reproductive output, and organismal CBD concentrations were assessed after exposure to purified CBD or a hemp extract suspended in 0.5% sesame oil emulsions. In C. elegans , this emulsion vehicle is equivalent to a high-fat diet (HFD). As in mammals, HFD was associated with oxidative-stress-related gene expression in C. elegans adults. CBD reduced HFD-induced OxStrR in transgenic adults and counteracted the hypoactivity observed in HFD-exposed wild-type adults. In C. elegans exposed to CBD from the onset of feeding, delays in later milestone acquisition were irreversible, while later juvenile locomotor activity effects were reversible after the removal of CBD exposure. CBD-induced reductions in mean juvenile population body size were cumulative when chronic exposures were initiated at parental reproductive maturity. Purified CBD was slightly more toxic than matched concentrations of CBD in hemp extract for all tested endpoints, and both were more toxic to juveniles than to adults. Dosimetry indicated that all adverse effect levels observed in C. elegans far exceeded recommended CBD dosages for humans., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Camacho, Welch, Ferguson, Sepehr, Vaught, Zhao, Fitzpatrick, Yourick, Sprando and Hunt.)

Hemp extracts and consumer products containing cannabidiol (CBD) and/or other phytocannabinoids derived from hemp have entered the marketplace in recent years. CBD is an approved drug in the United States for the treatment of certain seizure disorders. While effects of CBD in the liver have been well characterized, data on the effects of other cannabinoids and hemp extracts in the liver and methods for studying these effects in vitro are limited. This study examined the hepatotoxic potential of CBD, CBD concentration-matched hemp extract, and cannabinol (CBN), at consumer-relevant concentrations determined by in silico modeling, in vitro using primary human hepatocytes. Primary human hepatocytes exposed to between 10-nM and 25-μM CBD, CBN, or hemp extract for 24 and 48 h were evaluated by measuring lactate dehydrogenase release, apoptosis, albumin secretion, urea secretion, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Cell viability was not significantly affected by CBD, CBN, or the hemp extract at any of the concentrations tested. Exposure to hemp extract induced a modest but statistically significant decrease in albumin secretion, urea secretion, and mitochondrial membrane potential at the highest concentration tested whereas CBD only induced a modest but statistically significant decrease in albumin secretion compared with vehicle control. Although this study addresses data gaps in the understanding of cannabinoid hepatoxicity in vitro, additional studies will be needed to determine how these results correlate with relevant consumer exposure and the biological effects of cannabinoids in human liver., (Published 2024. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Journal of Applied Toxicology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The entry of antibiotics, as pollutants, into the environment has created great concerns. Environmental dynamics of antibiotics based on soil chemical properties need to be a better understanding of their chemical behavior. This research is focused on studying the adsorption behavior and kinetic mechanisms of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in an agricultural soil. For this purpose, a batch experiment was conducted at different times (5 min-24 h), and using initial concentrations of CIP (0-1 mmol L -1 ) in the soil. The adsorption processes as affected by pH and ionic strength were assessed based on the modeling with response surface methodology (RSM). According to the results, the sorption equilibrium was found within 240 min, and the pseudo second-order model was the best for describing the data. Increasing the initial CIP concentration increased CIP adsorption, but increases in ionic strength and pH had an inverse effect. Based on RSM modeling, the CIP adsorption was 7.31 and 7.03 (mg g -1 ) in the presence of NaCl and CaCl 2 electrolytes, respectively, in the optimized conditions (pH 6.5 and ionic strength 0.01 mol L -1 ). The spontaneous nature of CIP adsorption was determined based on thermodynamic calculations (ΔG° = -10.8 to -12.4 kJ mol -1 ). The interaction of pH and ionic strength was described with the quadratic model. The obtained results contribute to understanding the CIP fate in the soil environment and facilitate decisions regarding entry and controlling soil contamination due to this antibiotic., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been reported to induce hepatotoxicity in clinical trials and research studies; however, little is known about the safety of other nonintoxicating cannabinoids. New approach methodologies (NAMs) based on bioinformatic analysis of high-throughput transcriptomic data are gaining increasing importance in risk assessment and regulatory decision-making of data-poor chemicals. In the current study, we conducted a concentration response transcriptomic analysis of hemp extract and its four major constituent cannabinoids [CBD, cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN)] in hepatocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Each compound impacted a distinctive combination of biological functions and pathways. However, all the cannabinoids impaired liver metabolism and caused oxidative stress in the cells. Benchmark concentration (BMC) analysis showed potencies in transcriptional activity of the cannabinoids were in the order of CBN > CBD > CBC > CBG, consistent with the order of their cytotoxicity IC 50 values. Patterns of transcriptomic changes induced by hemp extract and its median overall BMC were very similar to CBD but differed significantly from other cannabinoids, suggesting that potential adverse effects of hemp extract were largely due to its major constituent CBD. Lastly, transcriptomic point-of-departure (tPoD) values were determined for each of the compounds, with the value for CBD (0.106 µM) being concordant with a previously reported one derived from apical endpoints of clinical and animal studies. Taken together, the current study demonstrates the potential utility of transcriptomic BMC analysis as a NAM for hazard assessment of data-poor chemicals, improves our understanding of the possible health effects of hemp extract and its constituent cannabinoids, and provides important tPoD data that could contribute to inform human safety assessment of these cannabinoid compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The potential of Aspergillus niger , to enhance non-exchangeable potassium (K + ) release from mineral structures were investigated as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical fertilizers. Optimizing the culture medium for maximum K + release, alongside identifying potential mechanisms of action of the A. niger including the production of various organic acids and pH reduction in the minerals feldspar and phlogopite, were among the primary objectives of the present study. K + dissolution from feldspar and phlogopite in the presence of Aspergillus niger were examined through a two-step experiment; impact of different carbon sources (glucose, sucrose, and fructose) on K + release using the Plackett-Burman design (PBD) with 12 experimental runs and effect of other independent variables including pH (ranging from 5 to 10), carbon concentration (3-12.3 g l -1 ), and incubation time (5-18 days) on K + release using the central composite design (CCD). Our results indicated that the PBD demonstrated a strong predictive capacity (RMSE = 0.012-0.018 g l -1 and R 2  = 0.85-0.89) for K + release. According to the CCD model, pH exerted a significant positive influence on increasing soluble K + release (P < 0.001). The highest levels of K + release (157.8 and 175.3 mg l -1 in feldspar and phlogopite, respectively) were observed at the central levels (0) of time and carbon source, and at the +α level (+1.68) of pH. Furthermore, based on the CCD model, the optimal conditions for achieving high K + release from feldspar and phlogopite in a medium were pHs of 10.36 and 10.31, sucrose concentrations of 11.23 and 11.32 g l -1 , and incubation times of 15 and 18 days, respectively. The determination coefficients of the CCD model indicated that 89.5% and 92.6% of the changes in soluble K + for feldspar and phlogopite, could be explained by this model, respectively. In the current study, the production of organic acids and the resulting pH reduction, along with the reduction in mineral particle size in feldspar and phlogopite, were identified as potential mechanisms influencing the enhancement of potassium solubility. The predominant acids in both feldspar and phlogopite were lactic acid (70.9 and 69.15 mg l -1 ) and citric acid (40.48 and 22.93 mg l -1 ), although the production levels of organic acids differed in the two minerals. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of A. niger to proficiently release non-exchangeable potassium from mineral matrices, indicating its promising potential in agricultural applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), one of the important medicinal plants in the world, has valuable pharmacological compounds with antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiurolithic, antiproliferative and neuroprotective activities. Phenolic monoterpenes such as thymol and carvacrol with many medical importance are found in Oregano essential oil. The biosynthesis of these compounds is carried out through the methyl erythritol-4 phosphate (MEP) pathway. Environmental stresses such as salinity might improve the secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. The influence of salinity stress (0 (control), 25, 50 and 100 mM NaCl) on the essential oil content, composition and expression of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR), γ-terpinene synthase (Ovtps2) and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP71D180) genes involved in thymol and carvacrol biosynthesis, was investigated in two oregano subspecies (vulgare and gracile)., Results: Essential oil content was increased at low NaCl concentration (25 mM) compared with non-stress conditions, whereas it was decreased as salinity stress intensified (50 and 100 mM). Essential oil content was significantly higher in subsp. gracile than subsp. vulgare. The highest (0.20 mL pot -1 ) and lowest (0.06 mL pot -1 ) amount of essential oil yield was obtained in subsp. gracile at 25 and 100 mM NaCl, respectively. The content of carvacrol, as the main component of essential oil, decreased with increasing salinity level in subsp. gracile, but increased in subsp. vulgare. The highest expression of DXR, Ovtps2 and CYP71D180 genes was observed at 50 mM NaCl in subsp. vulgare. While, in subsp. gracile, the expression of the mentioned genes decreased with increasing salinity levels. A positive correlation was obtained between the expression of DXR, Ovtps2 and CYP71D180 genes with carvacrol content in both subspecies. On the other hand, a negative correlation was found between the expression of CYP71D180 and carvacrol content in subsp. gracile., Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrated that both oregano subspecies can tolerate NaCl salinity up to 50 mM without significant reduction in essential oil yield. Also, moderate salinity stress (50 mM NaCl) in subsp. vulgare might increase the carvacrol content partly via increment the expression levels of DXR, Ovtps2 and CYP71D180 genes., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)