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Background: Nurses may make medication errors during the implementation of therapeutic interventions, which initially threaten the patient's health and safety and prolong their hospital stay. These errors have always been a challenge for healthcare systems. Given that factors such as the timing, type, and causes of medication errors can serve as suitable predictors for their occurrence, we have decided to conduct a review study aiming to investigate the prevalence of medication errors and the associated factors among Iranian nurses. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, studies were searched on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, IranMedex, Magiran, and SID databases using a combination of keywords and Boolean functions. The study that reported the prevalence of medication errors among nurses in Iran without time limitation up to May 2023 was included in this study. Results: A total of 36 studies were included in the analysis. The analysis indicates that 54% (95% CI: 43, 65; I2 = 99.3%) of Iranian nurses experienced medication errors. The most common types of medication errors by nurses were wrong timing 27.3% (95% CI: 19, 36; I2 = 95.8%), and wrong dosage 26.4% (95% CI: 20, 33; I2 = 91%). Additionally, the main causes of medication errors among nurses were workload 43%, fatigue 42.7%, and nursing shortage 38.8%. In this study, just 39% (95% CI: 27, 50; I2 = 97.1%) of nurses with medication errors did report their errors. Moreover, the prevalence of medication errors was more in the night shift at 41.1%. The results of the meta-regression showed that publication year and the female-to-male ratio are good predictors of medical errors, but they are not statistically significant(p > 0.05). Conclusions: To reduce medication errors, nurses need to work in a calm environment that allows for proper nursing interventions and prevents overcrowding in departments. Additionally, considering the low reporting of medication errors to managers, support should be provided to nurses who report medication errors, in order to promote a culture of reporting these errors among Iranian nurses and ensure patient safety is not compromised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world has been suffering from COVID-19 disease for more than a year, and it still has a high mortality rate. In addition to the need to minimize transmission of the virus through non-pharmacological measures such as the use of masks and social distance, many efforts are being made to develop a variety of vaccines to prevent the disease worldwide. So far, several vaccines have reached the final stages of safety and efficacy in various phases of clinical trials, and some, such as Moderna/NIAID and BioNTech/Pfizer, have reported very high safety and protection. The important point is that comparing different vaccines is not easy because there is no set standard for measuring neutralization. In this study, we have reviewed the common platforms of COVID-19 vaccines and tried to present the latest reports on the effectiveness of these vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reinfection with COVID-19 is possible after exposure to a high dose of the virus. Due to immunity acquired during the previous infection, light symptoms are expected. The finding indicates importance of continuous protection in healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Bacterial resistance to most common antibiotics is a harbinger of the requirement to find novel anti-infective, antimicrobials agents, and increase innovative strategies to struggle them. Numerous bacteria produce small peptides with antimicrobial activities called bacteriocin. This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial properties of the fusion protein of Enterocin A and Colicin E1 modified against pathogens. Materials and Methods: Analysis of recombinant bacteriocin Enterocin A and Colicin E1 (ent A-col E1) was performed to assay the stability and antibacterial activity of this fusion protein. The pET- 22b vector was employed to express the coding sequence of the ent A-col E1 peptide in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), disk diffusion, and time-kill tests were performed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the ent A-col E1 against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 9027), Escherichia coli (ATCC 10536), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 33591). Results: The suggested recombinant peptide had good antibacterial activity against both Gramnegative and Gram-positive pathogens. It has also good stability at various temperatures, pH levels, and salt concentrations. Conclusion: Because bacteriocins are harmless compounds, they can be recommended as therapeutic or preventive supplements to control pathogens. According to the obtained results, the ent A-col E1 peptide can serve as an efficient antibacterial compound to treat or prevent bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis , is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. Despite significant advances in detection techniques and therapeutic approaches for tuberculosis, there is still no suitable solution for early screening and reducing the number of individuals affected and their effective treatment. Various cellular events can disrupt the development of TB. The basis of these events is dysregulating of genes expression patterns related with specific molecules. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are molecules discovered to regulate the expression of protein-coding genes and participate in gene silencing, cell cycle regulation and cellular differentiation processes. Dysregulation of lncRNAs has been found to be associated with many diseases, including cancers and infectious diseases. Thus, the recognition of lncRNAs as novel molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets for tuberculosis is promising. In the present review, we try to summarize the current findings of lncRNA expression patterns and its role in tuberculosis infection process. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is one of very important malignancies which are related to high mobility and mortality in the world. Despite several efforts for improving diagnosis and treatment strategies of lung cancer, finding and developing new and effective therapeutic and diagnostic are needed. A variety of internal and external factors could be involved in lung cancer pathogenesis. Among internal factors, epigenetic mechanisms have been emerged as very important players in the lung cancer. Non-coding RNAs is known as one of epigenetic regulators which exert their effects on a sequence of cellular and molecular mechanisms. P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs or piR) is one of small non-coding RNAs that the deregulation of these molecules is associated with initiation and progression of different cancers such as lung cancer. Several activities are related to PIWI/piRNA pathway such as suppression of transposons and mobile genetic elements. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated the upregulation or downregulation of PIWI proteins and piRNAs could lead to the increasing of cell proliferation, apoptosis reduction and promoting tumor growth in the lung cancer. Hence, PIWI proteins and piRNA could be introduced as new diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in the lung cancer therapy. Herein, we have focused on PIWI proteins and piRNA functions and their impact on the progression of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The findings of trials investigating the effect of L-carnitine administration on glycemic control are controversial. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to explore the effects of L-carnitine intake on glycemic control. Two authors independently searched electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed and Google scholar from 1990 until February 2019, in order to find relevant RCTs. 37 studies with 44 effect sizes met the inclusion criteria and were eligible for the metaanalysis. L-carnitine supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (WMD: -4.57; 95 % CI: -6.88, -2.25), insulin (WMD: -1.21; 95 % CI: -1.85, -0.57), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (WMD: -0.67; 95 % CI: -0.90, -0.44) and HbA1C concentrations (WMD: -0.30; 95 % CI: -0.47, -0.13). L-Carnitine supplementation significantly reduced FPG, insulin, HOMA-IR, and HbA1c levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance genes are one of the most common developing resistance genes worldwide. Accordingly, it is of paramount importance to study the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes to report them to physicians to select the most appropriate treatment. Objectives: This study aimed to detect three genes of ESBL such as TEM, AmpC, and KPC simultaneously. Methods: Primers were designed for ESBL genes such as TEM, AmpC, and KPC with Genscript software. In this study, control-positive genes were used for the PCR set-up. Fifty isolates of Escherichia coli isolated in the Baqiyatallah Hospital were confirmed and checked by Multiplex PCR. Results: This study revealed that TEM, AmpC, and KPC primers could detect positive control genes. The sensitivity and specificity of the multiplex PCR technique for these genes were 0.001 ng and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: This study revealed that a Multiplex PCR with a sensitivity of 0.001 ng and 100% specificity can detect ESBL genes precisely. Accordingly, the rapid and precise detection of the antibiotic resistance genes and the recommendation of an appropriate treatment pattern can decrease the distribution of antibiotic resistance occurrence and economic cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Early childhood caries is one of the most common chronic diseases in children, affecting both oral and general health. Oral microorganisms are the most important causative agents associated with dental caries in children. The aim of this study was to compare the antimicrobial activity of common Iranian and non-Iranian children's toothpaste on the growth of four standard bacteria strains, including Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Enterococcus faecalis. Materials and Methods: In this study, six types of the most common Iranian and non-Iranian children toothpaste produced by different companies were prepared. Different concentrations of toothpaste were prepared according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standard. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Iranian and non-Iranian children's toothpaste were measured by the microbroth dilution method at ten different concentrations. Results: For the S. mutans bacteria, the lowest MIC was found in Misswake, Vi-One, and 2080 toothpaste. In the case of S. sanguinis and L. acidophilus bacteria, the lowest MIC was related to Frice toothpaste, and for E. faecalis bacteria, the lowest MICs were found for Misswake and 2080 toothpaste. Mann-Whitney U test also revealed that the inhibitory and bactericidal activities of Iranian children's toothpaste on the studied bacteria were not significantly different from those of non-Iranian children's toothpaste. Conclusion: In general, the antimicrobial activity of Iranian children's toothpaste was higher than non-that of Iranian samples. In addition, the MIC of 2080 and Frice toothpaste in the four bacteria examined was lower than in other used toothpaste. To prevent early tooth decay in children use of these two kinds of toothpaste is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease, which started in Wuhan, Chin, has now become a public health challenge in most countries around the world. Proper preventive measures are necessary to prevent the spread of the virus to help control the pandemic. Because, SARS-CoV-2 is new, its transmission route has not been fully understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the sweat secretion of COVID‐19 patients. Sweat specimens of 25 COVID- 19 patients were collected and tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA by Real‐time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method. After RNA extraction and cDNA amplification, all samples were examined for the presence of ORF-1ab and N genes related to COVID-19. Results annotated by Realtime PCR machines software based on Dynamic algorithm. The results of this study showed the absence of SARS-CoV-2 in the sweat samples taken from the foreheads of infected people. Therefore, it can be concluded that the sweat of patients with COVID- 19 cannot transmit SARS-CoV-2. However they can be easily contaminated with other body liquids. • SARS-CoV-2 has now become a public health challenge in most of countries. • SARS-CoV-2 was absent in the sweat samples taken from the foreheads of infected people. • Sweat samples in two patients was contaminated with SARS-CoV-2. • Sweat of the patients with COVID- 19 cannot transmit SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer is one of the causes of death in the world. Unfortunately, common imaging technologies did not succeed in identifying this disease, and because of the absence of sensitive and specific biomarkers, it is not possible to screen and diagnose the disease. Therefore, this disease is usually diagnosed when patient is at an advanced stage of cancer and has lost the chance of surgery, and routine treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy are not very effective. For this reason, the discovery of new biomarkers to overcome the diagnostic and therapeutic problems of pancreatic cancer is essential. Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been introduced as a group of noncoding RNAs that can play the role of critical regulators in various human diseases including cancer. A lot of studies revealed that circRNAs can have diverse roles in various cancers, including breast, colorectal, lung, renal, gastric, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The results of these researches have demonstrated that change in circRNAs expression levels in the tumor cells affects carcinogenesis, the stages of progression and metastasis of cancer through various mechanisms. Given that several studies have tested the role of circRNAs in pancreatic cancer, we decided to review the mechanisms proposed in these studies to conclude and summarize the work done in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone tumors which consisted of malignant mesenchymal cells generating osteoid and immature bone. It has been showed that osteosarcoma is common in children and adolescents and shows high mortality rate. A variety of therapeutic approaches (i.e., resection surgery, combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy) have been used as conventional treatments in patients with osteosarcoma. Despite several attempts to improve therapeutic response, the rate of survival for osteosarcoma has not changed during the past 3 decades. Therefore, the discovery and developing new effective therapeutic platforms are required. Along to the established anti-cancer agents, some physiological regulators such melatonin, have been emerged as new anti-cancer agents. Melatonin is an indolamine hormone which is secreted from the pineal glands during the night and acts as physiological regulator. Given that melatonin shows a wide spectrum anti-tumor impacts. Besides different biologic activities of melatonin (e.g., immunomodulation and antioxidant properties), melatonin has a crucial role in the formation of bones, and its deficiency could be directly related to bone cancers. Several in vitro and in vivo experiments evaluated the effects of melatonin on osteosarcoma and other types of bone cancer. Taken together, the results of these studies indicated that melatonin could be introduced as new therapeutic candidate or as adjuvant in combination with other anti-tumor agents in the treatment of osteosarcoma. Herein, we summarized the anti-tumor effects of melatonin for osteosarcoma cancer as well as its mechanism of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequent metastasis of gastric cancer (GC) complicates the cure and therefore the development of effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches is urgently necessary. In recent years, lncRNA has emerged as a drug target in the treatment of GC, particularly in the areas of cancer immunity, cancer metabolism, and cancer metastasis. This has led to the demonstration of the importance of these RNAs as prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic agents. In this review, we provide an overview of the biological activities of lncRNAs in GC development and update the latest pathological activities, prognostic and diagnostic strategies, and therapeutic options for GC-related lncRNAs. [Display omitted] • This review highlights the emerging impact of lncRNAs in gastric cancer research. • This study underlines therapeutic potential of lncRNAs in gastric cancer as a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker in gastric cancer. • It also introduces pervasive function of lncRNAs in gastric cancer cell biology, drug resistance, and exosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli strains have rapidly increased worldwide, and effective antibiotic therapeutic options are becoming more restricted. As a polymyxin antibiotic, colistin has a long history of usage, and it is used as a final line of treatment for severe infections by Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) with high-level resistance. However, its application has been challenged by the emergence of E. coli colistin resistance. Hence, determining the mechanism that confers colistin resistance is crucial for monitoring and controlling the dissemination of colistin-resistant E. coli strains. This comprehensive review summarizes colistin resistance mechanisms in E. coli strains and concentrates on the history, mode of action, and therapeutic implications of colistin. We have mainly focused on the fundamental mechanisms of colistin resistance that are mediated by chromosomal or plasmid elements and discussed major mutations in the two-component systems (TCSs) genes and plasmids that transmit the mobilized colistin resistance resistant genes in E. coli strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that affects the immune system chronically. Therefore, effective control and treatment of tuberculosis requires rapid and accurate diagnostic strategies. Tuberculosis has always been a global burden on health, social and economic systems due to the lack of standard curative and diagnostic (bio)markers. Accordingly, the management and monitoring of patients with active TB at the primary care level may be possible through new, rapid and cost-effective non-sputum-based diagnostic procedures. Biomarkers can help diagnose various diseases, including circular RNA (circRNA), which has recently been introduced as an endogenous, abundant and stable RNA in the cytoplasm with unique tissue specificity. There are frequent reports of circRNA involvement in many pathological and physiological processes in human beings. Recent studies have highlighted the presence of circRNAs in serum and their role as promising biomarkers in the diagnosis of the disease, potentially due to the continuous, stable, closed covalent circular structures and lack of easy degradation by nucleases. The purpose of this review article is to scrutinize the behavior of circulating plasma RNAs in relation to the pathogenesis and diagnosis of tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: In the past few years, application of new antimicrobial e.g. nanoparticles (NPs) to treat infection caused by drug-resistant bacteria has increased. This study aimed to determine antimicrobial property of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in combination with linezolid on Enterococcus biofilm. Materials and Methods: A total of forty-eight isolates of Enterococcus spp. were collected and confirmed by PCR method. The synthesis of biocompatible AgNPs was performed, then analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy. We carried out minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and biofilm forming capacity of AgNPs and AuNPs with linezolid. Results: Twenty-two E. faecium isolates and twenty- six E. faecalis investigated in this study. Strong biofilm formation was seen in 12 (25%) of isolates, and others isolates (75%) formed moderate biofilm. AgNPs and Au-NPs size were 26 nm and 20 nm respectively. The MIC of AgNPs was 23.2 μg/ml, and AuNPs were 92.1 μg/ml and the lowest MIC was obtained 2 μg/ml in linezolid. Biofilm formation inhibitory activity by AuNPs + Linezolide and AgNPs + Linezolide 70 to 80 percent increased in average. Conclusion: The antibiofilm activity of AgNPs and AuNPs increased when both agents were used in combination with linezolid in comparison with each agent alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer remains life-threatening cancer in women around the world. Due to the limitations of conventional treatment approaches, there is an urgent need to develop novel and more efficient strategies against cervical cancer. Therefore, the researchers attend to the alternative anti-cancer compounds like bacterial products. Rib and α are known as surface proteins of Streptococcus agalactiae with immunologic effects. In the present study, we designed a new anti-cancer fusion protein (Rib-α) originating from S. agalacti ae with in silico methods, and then, the recombinant gene was cloned in the pET-22 (+) expression vector. The recombinant protein was expressed in E. coli BL21. To purify the expressed protein, we applied the Ni-NTA column. The molecular mechanism by which Rib-α is cytotoxic to cancer cells has been discussed based on MTT, flow cytometry, and real-time PCR methods. The engineered fusion protein suppressed the proliferation of the cancer cells at 180 μg/ml. Cytotoxic assessment and morphological changes, augmentation of apoptotic-related genes, upregulation of caspase-3 mRNA, and flow cytometric analysis confirmed that apoptosis might be the principal mechanism of cell death. According to our findings, Rib-α fusion protein motivated the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Therefore, it can be an exciting candidate to discover a new class of antineoplastic agents. • ACAN-Rib-alpha recombinant protein was successfully cloned and overexpressed in E. coli BL21. • According to in silico analysis, ACAN-Rib-alpha was stable. • The ACAN-Rib-alpha suppressed the proliferation of the HeLa cells with dose and time-dependent manner. • ACAN-Rib-α fusion protein motivated the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. • ACAN-Rib-α was able to regulate the expression of anti and pro-apoptotic genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bacterial infections in serious burns have been a constant threat to human health throughout history. • Chitosan has significant antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria. • Chitosan nanoparticles could be used as drug carriers and gene carrier to enhance their transfer efficiency in the cells. • Chitosan-based nanomaterials could be used against bacterial infections. Chitosan nanomaterials have become a hot topic in biomedicine due to exerting antimicrobial effects with interestingly high levels of biodegradability and biocompatibility without causing toxicity. Regarded as a potential means of wound dressing with antimicrobial activity, chitosan exhibits higher efficiency when it is functionally modified with other natural compounds, metallic antimicrobial particles and antibiotics. Mechanistically, the antibacterial effect of chitosan is mostly, associated with the death-proceeding leakage of intracellular content, induced by malfunction and altered permeability of the negatively charged cell membrane, on which chitosan is adsorbed. Moreover, chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) are endowed with favorable features of NPs (i.e., large surface-to-volume ratio, high functionalization possibilities and a greater capacity for drug loading), as well as that of their chitosan base, thereby possessing strengthened antibacterial potential. In addition, polycations target negatively charged bacterial membranes, so bacteria cells are more strongly affected by polycationic chitosan NPs than pure chitosan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) which have a circular and closed loop structure. They are ubiquitous, stable, conserved and diverse RNA molecules with a range of activities such as translation and splicing regulation, which are able to interacting with RNA-binding proteins and specially miRNA sponge. The expression patterns of the circRNAs exhibited tissue specificity and also, step and stage specificity. Accumulating evidences approved the critical role of circular RNAs in many cancers such as ovarian cancer. Given that these molecules exert their effects through multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms (i.e., angiogenesis, apoptosis, growth, and metastasis) which are involved in cancer pathogenesis, circular RNAs, in particular, act by controlling cell proliferation in ovarian cancer, so that, it has been shown that the deregulation of these molecules is associated with initiation and progression of ovarian cancer. Therefore, they are attractive molecules which have introduced them as cancer biomarkers. Moreover, they could be used as new therapeutic candidates for developing novel treatment strategies. Here, for first time, we have provided a comprehensive review on the recent knowledge of circular RNAs and their pathological roles in the ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]