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Background and Aim: Wearing high-heeled shoes increases the height of the center of gravity and takes the line of gravity away from the center of the base of support. This may result in the loss of body balance. In this study the effect of 3 heel heights on the static and dynamic postural stability in healthy young women was investigated. Materials and Methods: In this cross-over quasi-experimental study with repeated measures, three dynamic indices of anteroposterior, mediolateral, and overall stability were determined using Biodex stabilometer and static stability using a modified CTSIB test. The measurements were made at 4 conditions of the feet, i. e., barefoot, and wearing shoes with a heel height of 3, 5, or 7 centimeters. Results: The mean static stability index in the barefoot condition was significantly different from that in any the 3 conditions of wearing heels. With the eyes closed, the most unstable condition was in the case of the 7-cm heel, which caused also the most unstable dynamic condition; the differences were all statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings indicate that postural instability increases with increases in the height of shoe heels. On the whole, considering both the static and dynamic stability, the 3-cm heel can be recommended as the optimum-height heel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ultrasound is an important method to determine the volume of the gallbladder and check its structure. Considering the variation in the size and volume of the gallbladder in disease and physiological conditions, determining the volume of the gallbladder is clinically valuable. This study was carried out to evaluate the gallbladder volume and its association with patients' demographic data in the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies of Iranian Adults (PERSIAN) Guilan cohort study (PGCS) population., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 957 individuals aged 35-70 participated in determining the gallbladder volume by a radiologist based on the ultrasound method. The demographical data were collected using a questionnaire. After fasting for 12 h, the ultrasound was performed with an Ultrasonic device (Sonix SP series) with a 3.5 to 5 MHz probe., Results: The total frequency of gallbladder lesions was 2.2%. The results showed a significant association between marriage and gender with the presence or absence of lesions in the studied participants (P < 0.05). Also, significant differences were reported between the volume of gallbladder and gender, body mass index (BMI), social and economic status (SES), metabolic equivalent of task (MET), history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and hypertension (P < 0.05). The results of a linear regression represented a significant association between gender, BMI, MET, and CVD and the mean volume of the gallbladder (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant association between the presence or absence of a lesion and the individuals' average gallbladder volume (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: According to our results, gender, BMI, MET, and CVD were significantly associated with gallbladder volume., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this study, a novel porous hybrid material, poly(lauryl methacrylate) polymer-grafted UiO-66-NH 2 (UiO = University of Oslo), was synthesized for efficient extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from aqueous samples. The polymer end-tethered covalently to the MOF's surface was synthesized by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization, revealing a distinct type of morphology. The adsorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, N 2 adsorption-desorption analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The analyses were carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Parameters including the type and volume of the eluent, the amount of the adsorbent, and adsorption and desorption times were investigated and optimized. Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection, intraday precision, and interday precision were in the range of 3-8 ng L -1 , 1.4-3.1, and 4.1-6.5%, respectively. The procedure was used for analysis of PAHs from natural water samples., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.)

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an obesity-associated health problem that causes other liver diseases for the patient. Four anthropometric indices: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were analyzed as NAFLD predictors in the present study. Methods: From the total number of individuals who referred to the PERSIAN Guilan Cohort study (PGCS) located in the north of Iran during the period of study, a total of 960 people were enrolled in the present study. NAFLD was diagnosed using through an abdominal ultrasound exam. Height, weight, WC, BMI, WHR and WHtR were later calculated. Chi-square, ANOVA and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the risk factors. Results: Out of the 960 individuals who were enrolled in the study, 597 (62.2%) were male and 363 (37.8%) were female (with an average age of 47.21 ± 7.29 years). There was a significant relationship between weight and NAFLD (P<0.001). There was also a significant relationship between BMI (OR= 8.41; 95% CI = 5.59-12.75), WC (OR= 2.67; 95% CI = 2.05-3.48), WHR (OR= 3.84; 95% CI = 2.26-6.52), WHtR (OR= 28.53; 95% CI = 6.94-117.31) and NAFLD (P<0.001). The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that WHtR, BMI and WC were effective predictors for the risk of NAFLD while WHtR played a more important role in the prediction of NAFLD. Conclusion: Anthropometric indices, especially WHtR, as a simple screening tool, seem to be an important criterion for the detection of NAFLD.