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The relationship between infertility and varicocele is still a controversial topic. This study aimed to find the association between the venous blood gas (VBG) pattern of the spermatic veins and peripheral veins with varicocele grade and spermogram variables in infertile patients. A total of 47 patients with a varicocele were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were drawn simultaneously from the spermatic vein and a peripheral vein. The pH, partial pressure of oxygen, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, oxygen saturation, and bicarbonate values of these samples were analysed. The mean age of participants was 30.48 ± 6.08. The mean volume of semen was 3.92 ± 1.57 mL, and the mean semen pH was 7.88 ± 0.22. The pH was higher (

Purpose Vitiligo is an acquired hypopigmentation condition in which well-defined macules can develop virtually everywhere on the patients' skin. This analytic case-control study was conducted in Faghihi Hospital outpatient dermatology clinic, affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, southern Iran from June to September 2019. Furthermore, we studied the relationship of hypertension with activity, age of onset, duration, affected body surface area and type of vitiligo. Patients and methods In the current case-control study, 166 individuals were enrolled in total (the case group was comprised of 83 vitiligo patients and 83 individuals actedas control group). The case group was made up of vitiligo patients (both segmental and non-segmental) between 20 and 50 years of age, no prior history of systemic disease and other hypopigmentation disorders, while individuals with any form of dermatologic findings were excluded from the control group. Individuals aged younger than 20 years old or older than 50, having a dermatologic disease other than vitiligo, being afflicted with the diseases which may lead to secondary hypertension, pregnancy, taking substances, and medication which can lead to hypertension were chosen as the exclusion criteria in this study. Results Data obtained from our study revealed that vitiligo patients had a higher prevalence of essential hypertension diagnosis than the control group (P=0.040). Also, no significant relationship was found between patients' age at the first lesion appearance (P=0.856), duration of vitiligo involvement (P=0.497), and percentage of vitiligo involvement (P=0.681) with hypertension. Conclusion According to our results, vitiligo patients were more susceptible to hypertension while no association could be found between characteristics of the disease and rise in blood pressure.

Introduction In recent years, the use of cost-effective, multifunctional, environmentally friendly and simple prepared nanomaterials/nanoparticles have been emerged considerably. In this manner, different synthesizing methods were reported and optimized, but there is still lack of a comprehensive method with multifunctional properties. Materials and methods In this study, we aim to synthesis the copper oxide nanoparticles using Achillea millefolium leaf extracts for the first time. Catalytic activity was investigated by in situ azide alkyne cycloaddition click and also A3 coupling reaction, and optimized in terms of temperature, solvent, and time of the reaction. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanoparticles was screened in terms of degradation methylene blue dye. Biological activity of the synthesized nanoparticles was evaluated in terms of antibacterial and anti-fungal assessments against Staphylococcus aureus, M. tuberculosis, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabili, C. diphtheriae and S. pyogenes bacteria's and G. albicans, A. flavus, M. canis and G. glabrata fungus. In the next step, the biosynthesized CuO-NPs were screened by MTT and NTU assays. Results Based on our knowledge, this is a comprehensive study on the catalytic and biological activity of copper oxide nanoparticles synthesizing from Achillea millefolium, which presents great and significant results (in both catalytic and biological activities) based on a simple and green procedure. Conclusion Comprehensive biomedical and catalytic investigation of the biosynthesized CuO-NPs showed the mentioned method leads to synthesis of more eco-friendly nanoparticles. The in vitro studies showed promising and considerable results, and due to the great stability of these nanoparticles in a green media, effective biological activity considered as an advantageous.

The present work was aimed to account a green and eco-friendly synthesis of palladium nanoparticles using Rosmarinus officinalis leaves extracts for the first time, therefore, that can be an acceptable replacement for chemical media to improve potential biological properties. The synthesized palladium nanoparticles were fully characterized using FT-IR, XRD, FESEM, TEM and UV/Vis spectroscopy techniques. Catalytic activity was investigated by Mizoroki-Heck reaction, and optimized based on solvent, temperature and time of the reaction, and the best results were found in water as a green media without any additional reagents. Biological activity of the synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated in terms of antibacterial and anti-fungal assessments against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, E. coli, and Micrococcus lutens bacteria’s and Candida parapsilolis, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Candida krusei fungus. Based on our knowledge, this is a comprehensive and first study on the catalytic and biological activity of palladium nanoparticles synthesizing from Rosmarinus officinalis, which presents great and significant results (in both catalytic and biological activities) based on a simple and green procedure.

Among different forms of metallic nanoparticles (NPs), zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs with a very special bandgap of 3.37 eV and considerable binding energy of excitation (60 meV at room temperature), have been classified as high-tech nanoparticles. This study aimed to synthesize ZnO NPs using the extract from Salvia hispanica leaves. The synthesized nanoparticles were fully characterized and the photocatalytic activity was evaluated through the degradation of methylene blue. Additionally, the potential in vitro biological activities of such ZnO NPs in terms of their antibacterial activity were determined, as well as their antioxidant (30 minutes), antiviral (48 hours) and mammalian cell viability properties (48 and 72 hours). This study is the first investigation into the synthesis of such green ZnO NPs mediated by this plant extract, in which both photocatalytic and biomedical properties were found to be promising. The IC50 values for the antibacterial activities were found to be around 17.4 μg mL–1 and 28.5 μg mL–1 for S. aureus and E. coli, respectively, and the antioxidant activity was comparable with the standard BHT. However, the H1N1 inhibition rate using the present green ZnO NPs was lower than oseltamivir (up to about 40% for ZnO NPs and above 90% for oseltamivir) which was expected since it is a drug, but was higher than many synthetic nanoparticles reported in the literature. In addition, the mammalian cell viability assay showed a higher than 80% cellular viability in the presence of 5, 10 and 20 μg mL–1 nanoparticles, and showed a higher than 50% cellular viability in the presence of 50 and 75 μg mL–1 nanoparticles. In this manner, this study showed that these green ZnO NPs should be studied for a wide range of medical applications.

Here, the carboxamide ligand N-(thiazole-2-yl) picolinamide (L) was synthesized in an ionic liquid tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) as the benign reaction medium. The sensitivity of L towards different metal-ions was investigated, and a comprehensive, logical optical investigation was conducted for the IIB transition metal ions, Hg2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+, based on off–on switch sensor protocols. In the absence of these metal ions, L showed weak emission only, but fluorescence intensity increased considerably upon their addition to a sensitivity range of 10−6 M. This phenomenon was enhanced significantly in the presence of Zn2+ compared to other metal ions, likely due to the coordination of metallic ions to the L, which led to the chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) effect. To prove these results, several characterization studies were conducted: a single crystal from the metal–ligand complex was prepared, followed by conduction of X-ray single crystal analysis from the Zn-complex (2) and Cd-complex (3), and conducting spectral analysis from the Zn2+, Hg2+ and Cd2+ complexes. These complexes and also the ligand showed very low toxicity on the PC12 cell line suggesting their promise for a wide range of future medical applications.

The maternal mortality rate (MMR) often reflects the development status of one country. This study calculates the incidence rate of maternal mortality and examines the related risk factors in Fars Province, located in South of Iran. Using the surveillance system of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, we reviewed all childbirth records from 2002 to 2012 in which maternal mortality occurred. Of 747,077 pregnancies, the average MMR was 21.28 per 100,000 live births per year, with a decreasing but non-significant trend. In rural areas, the MMR was more than twice as high as in urban areas. The most common cause of maternal death was maternal hemorrhage (27%), followed by pre-eclampsia (15.7%) and infections (13.2%). Although the MMR gradually decreased, this decrease was not significant. Based on the higher MMR in rural areas, maternal and specialty post-partum care in rural areas should be improved and promoted. Hemorrhage is still the main cause of maternal mortality in Fars Province. Since high percentage of these cases are preventable, increased healthcare during pregnancy, reduction of cesarean sections, more well-equipped facilities, and hemorrhage-control teams in maternity hospitals would likely have a significantly positive impact on MMR.

The treatment of water contaminated by bacteria is becoming a necessity. The nanomaterials possessing both intrinsic antibacterial properties and photocatalytic activity are excellent candidates for water disinfection. The powdered form of nanomaterials can be aggregated while embedding the nanomaterials into the NFs can overcome the limitation and enhance the photocatalytic activity and transition from UV-light to visiblelight. Here, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized, grafted to chitosan, and decorated with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to produce Ag-decorated reduced GO-graft-Chitosan (AGC) NPs. The blends of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and AGC NPs were prepared in various concentrations of 0.5 wt%, 1.0 wt%, 5.0 wt%, and 10.0 wt% and used to fabricate the electrospun composite NFs. FTIR/ATR, UV-Vis, Raman, XRD, and SEM/EDAX analyses confirmed the successful preparation of the NPs and NFs. The cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity of the composite NFs were received in the order of composite NFs 10.0 wt%˃ 5.0 wt%˃ 1.0 wt%˃ 0.5 wt% in both conditions with/without light irradiation. Their cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity were more under light irradiation compared to the dark. The composite NFs (5.0 wt%) were distinguished as the optimum NFs with cell viability of 80% within 24 h and 60% within 48 h on L929 cells and inhibition zone diameter (IZD) of 12 mm for E. coli and 13 mm for S. aureus after 24 h under the light irradiation. The optimum composite NFs showed thermal stability up to 180 °C and tensile strength of 1.11 MPa with 21.71% elongation at break.

Overexpression of proteins/antigens and other gene-related sequences in the bodies could lead to significant mutations and refractory diseases. Detection and identification of assorted trace concentrations of such proteins/antigens and/or gene-related sequences remain challenging, affecting different pathogens and making viruses stronger. Correspondingly, coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) mutations/alterations and spread could lead to overexpression of ssDNA and the related antigens in the population and brisk activity in gene-editing technologies in the treatment/detection may lead to the presence of pCRISPR in the blood. Therefore, the detection and evaluation of their trace concentrations are of critical importance. CaZnO-based nanoghosts (NGs) were synthesized with the assistance of a high-gravity technique at a 1,800 MHz field, capitalizing on the use of Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract as the templating agent. A complete chemical, physical and biological investigation revealed that the synthesized NGs presented similar morphological features to the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), resulting in excellent biocompatibility, interaction with ssDNA- and/or pCRISPR-surface, through various chemical and physical mechanisms. This comprise the unprecedented synthesis of a fully inorganic nanostructure with behavior that is similar to MSCs. Furthermore, the endowed exceptional ability of inorganic NGs for detective sensing/folding of ssDNA and pCRISPR and recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen (RSCSA), along with in-situ hydrogen peroxide detection on the HEK-293 and HeLa cell lines, was discerned. On average, they displayed a high drug loading capacity of 55%, and the acceptable internalizations inside the HT-29 cell lines affirmed the anticipated MSCs-like behavior of these inorganic-NGs.

There have been numerous advancements in the early diagnosis, detection, and treatment of genetic diseases. In this regard, CRISPR technology is promising to treat some types of genetic issues. In this study, the relationship between calcium (due to its considerable physicochemical properties) and chitosan (as a natural linear polysaccharide) was investigated and optimized for pCRISPR delivery. To achieve this, different forms of calcium, such as calcium nanoparticles (CaNPs), calcium phosphate (CaP), a binary blend of calcium and chitosan including CaNPs/Chitosan and CaP/Chitosan, as well as their tertiary blend including CaNPs–CaP/Chitosan, were prepared via both routine and green procedures using Salvia hispanica to reduce toxicity and increase nanoparticle stability (with a yield of 85%). Such materials were also applied to the human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell line for pCRISPR delivery. The results were optimized using different characterization techniques demonstrating acceptable binding with DNA (for both CaNPs/Chitosan and CaNPs–CaP/Chitosan) significantly enhancing green fluorescent protein (EGFP) (about 25% for CaP/Chitosan and more than 14% for CaNPs–CaP/Chitosan). Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40097-021-00446-1.

Background: Lymphocele formation post-renal transplantation surgery can cause various complications such as pelvic pain, frequent urination, hydronephrosis, deep vein thrombosis, etc. It is, therefore, necessary to prevent and treat lymphocele. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of rinsing the surgical site with betadine (povidone-iodine 2%) on the prevention of lymphocele formation during kidney transplantation surgery. Methods: This case-control study was conducted at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2019. The study population consisted of 60 kidney transplant patients referred to Sina Hospital, located in Tehran, who were randomized into two groups of study and control by simple randomization using a computer-generated random list. The surgical site of one group (control group: 30 patients) was washed with povidone-iodine 2%, but this operation was not performed for the patients of the other group (control group: 30 patients). One month after the surgery, patients were monitored for lymphocele via ultrasound, and their sera’s creatinine level was measured to assess renal function. For all statistical interpretations, P < 0.05 value was accepted as being significant. Statistical analyses were performed with statistical software package SPSS version 23. Results: Results: The mean serum creatinine level of patients in the case group was 2.50 ± 1.78, and in the control group was 2.31 ± 1.89. Ultrasound performed one-month post-renal transplant showed the presence of lymphocele in 17 patients out of the total 30 in the study group, while the control group had only 12. Conclusions: It seems that the use of betadine during kidney transplant surgery does not prevent the formation of lymphocele after the surgery

BACKGROUND: A doctor–patient relationship built on the concept of empathy is so essential to attain the best clinical outcomes in medicine. Since empathy has a positive role in interpersonal relationships and medical outcomes, its assessment is highly crucial. The aim of this study was to assess the empathy in last-year medical students using the Persian version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) and correlate empathy scores with demographic features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, last-year medical students at Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz, Iran, were recruited for this study. In this research, we used the Persian version of JSPE. The validity and reliability of the Persian version of this tool were confirmed in the previous research. For the analysis of data, we employed descriptive statistics and the independent sample t-test. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-five final-year medical students were included in this study. The maximum score of the questionnaire was 140, and the total mean score of empathy was 98.15 ± 13.29. The females' total mean score (102.05 ± 11.89) was higher than the males' score (93.57 ± 13.46). The difference between the mean score of gender and empathy was significant (P value 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although physicians would gain the essential characteristics of empathy during their career, attending professors and other responsible policymakers in medical education should focus more on the factors related to physicians' empathy to train better and more professional physicians.

Decorating photocatalysts with noble metal nanoparticles (e.g., Pt) often increases the catalysts&rsquo, photocatalytic activity and biomedical properties. Here, a simple and inexpensive method has been developed to prepare a Pt-Ag3PO4/CdS/chitosan composite, which was characterized and used for the visible light-induced photocatalytic and antibacterial studies. This synthesized composite showed superior photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation as a hazardous pollutant (the maximum dye degradation was observed in 90 min of treatment) and killing of Gram positive bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) as well as Gram negative bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) under visible light irradiation. The antibacterial activity of CdS, CdS/Ag3PO4, and Pt-Ag3PO4/CdS/chitosan against E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus showed the zone of inhibition (mm) under visible light and under dark conditions at a concentration of 20 &micro, g mL&minus, 1. Furthermore, the cell viability of the CdS/chitosan, Ag3PO4, Ag3PO4/CdS/chitosan, and Pt-Ag3PO4/CdS/chitosan were investigated on the human embryonic kidney 293 cells (HEK-293), Henrietta Lacks (HeLa), human liver cancer cell line (HepG2), and pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell lines. In addition, the results indicated that the photodegradation rate for Pt-Ag3PO4/CdS/chitosan is 3.53 times higher than that of CdS and 1.73 times higher than that of the CdS/Ag3PO4 composite. Moreover, Pt-Ag3PO4/CdS/chitosan with an optimal amount of CdS killed large areas of different bacteria and different cells separately in a shorter time period under visible-light irradiation, which shows significantly higher efficiency than pure CdS and other CdS/Ag3PO4 composites. The superb performances of this composite are attributed to its privileged properties, such as retarded recombination of photoinduced electron/hole pairs and a large specific surface area, making Pt-Ag3PO4/CdS/chitosan a valuable composite that can be deployed for a range of important applications, such as visible light-induced photocatalysis and antibacterial activity.

Here, an unprecedented synthesis method for nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs) was facilitated using Salvia hispanica leaf extracts with the assistance of a high gravity rotating packed bed (RPB) system that enabled fast mass transfer and molecular mixing. The synthesized nanoparticles were anchored on the surface of biodegradable chitosan nanobeads and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue. Additionally, the potential biological activities of NiO-NPs in terms of antibacterial (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli for 24 hours), cytotoxicity (using the PC12 cell line for 24 and 72 hours), and antioxidant activities (based on the discoloration of the methanolic solution of DPPH) were assessed. This novel approach for NiO-NPs@Chitosan synthesis as mediated by a renewable plant extract and facilitated by a high-gravity method, led to the greener synthesis of nanoparticles with significant antibacterial and photocatalytic properties.

Among different forms of metallic nanoparticles (NPs), zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs with a very special bandgap of 3.37 eV and considerable binding energy of excitation (60 meV at room temperature), have been classified as high-tech nanoparticles. This study aimed to synthesize ZnO NPs using the extract from

AgNPs@Chitosan and Co

This study, for the first time, reports the synthesis of CuO- and Cu

This study investigated the synthesis of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) using a high-gravity technique mediated by Salvia hispanica leaf extracts. Biological assays confirmed their antibacterial activity against gram positive (S. aureus) and gram negative (E. coli) bacteria with significant antioxidant activity in comparison with the standards as well as low cellular toxicity on PC12 and HEK293 cell lines. To the best of our knowledge, this study can be considered as the first investigation of Pd-NPs synthesized by Salvia hispanica leaf extracts assisted by a high-gravity technique. In addition, the mentioned green synthesis procedure led to the formation of nanoparticles with considerable antibacterial properties independent of the morphology and texture of the green media of these nanoparticles. Considering the increasing rate of antimicrobial resistant bacteria deaths worldwide, this study introduces a novel green synthesis method and non-antibiotic nanoparticle which should be studied for a wide range of medical applications.

Green biomaterials play a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases as well as health-related problem-solving. Typically, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical strength are requirements centered on biomaterial engineering. However, in-hospital therapeutics require an elaborated synthesis of hybrid and complex nanomaterials capable of mimicking cellular behavior. Accumulation of hazardous cations like K+ in the inner and middle ear may permanently damage the ear system. We synthesized nanoplatforms based on Allium noeanum to take the first steps in developing biological porous nanomembranes for hazardous cation detection in biological media. The 1,1,1-tris[[(2′-benzyl-amino-formyl)phenoxy]methyl]ethane (A), 4-amino-benzo-hydrazide (B), and 4-(2-(4-(3-carboxy-propan-amido)benzoyl)hydrazineyl)-4-oxobutanoic acid (B1) were synthesized to obtain green ligands based on 4-X-N-(…(Y(hydrazine-1-carbonyl)phenyl)benzamide, with X denoting fluoro (B2), methoxy (B3), nitro (B4), and phenyl-sulfonyl (B5) substitutes. The chemical structure of ligand-decorated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules (S-ATP) was characterized by FTIR, XRD, AFM, FESEM, and TEM techniques. The cytotoxicity of the porous membrane was patterned by applying different cell lines, including HEK-293, PC12, MCF-7, HeLa, HepG2, and HT-29, to disclose their biological behavior. The morphology of cultured cells was monitored by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The sensitivity of S-ATP to different cations of Na+, Mg2+, K+, Ba2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ was evaluated by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) in terms of extraction efficiency (η). For pH of 5.5, the η of A-based S-ATP followed the order Na+ (63.3%) > Mg2+ (62.1%) > Ba2+ (7.6%) > Ca2+ (5.5%); while for pH of 7.4, Na+ (37.0%) > Ca2+ (33.1%) > K+ (25.7%). The heat map of MTT and dose-dependent evaluations unveiled acceptable cell viability of more than 90%. The proposed green porous nanomembranes would pave the way to use multifunctional green porous nanomembranes in biological membranes.

In the current work, an efficient method named solvent bar microextraction-high performance liquid chromatography-UV detection (HPLC-UV) was developed for preconcentration and determining the trace amount of vincristine (VCR) in biological samples such as plasma and urine. Briefly, VCR was extracted from an aqueous sample with pH 10.7 (donor phase) into 1-octanol as the supported liquid membrane (SLM) which is inserted into the pores of the hollow fiber and followed by back extraction into an aqueous receiving phase (pH=3.1). Studying the factors affecting the extraction performance in order to achieve a high extraction efficiency, requires the design of experiments (DOE) approach. In this regards, diverse factors' effects including the pH value of donor and acceptor phases, extraction time, extraction temperature, stirring rate and salt content of the donor phase were considered. The optimum experimental condition was as following: pH of the source phase, 10.7; pH of the receiving phase, 3.1; stirring rate, 1000rpm; extraction temperature, 51°C; extraction time, 60min and 11.3% w/v NaCl in the sample solution. Under the optimal; extraction condition, a favorable preconcentration factor equal to 98.5 was achieved. The linearity range was obtained in the domain of 0.05-5mgL-1. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.015 and 0.05mgL-1. Within-day and between-day RSDs of the proposed SBME method were 4.1% and 12.5%, respectively. Finally, the applicability of the implemented SBME method was evaluated by the extraction and quantification of VCR from biological samples such as urine and plasma and satisfactory results were obtained.

Two carboxamide ligands, H2bqbenzo {3,4-bis(2-quinolinecarboxamido)benzophenone} and H2bqb {N,N′-bis[(2-quinolinecarboxamide)-1,2-benzene]}, have been prepared using tetrabutylammonium bromide as an environmentally benign reaction medium. Two new Pd(II) complexes, [PdII(bqbenzo)] (1) and [PdII(bqb)] (2), have been synthesized, characterized, and their structures determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The di-anionic ligands, bqbenzo2− and bqb2−, are coordinated via two Namide atoms and the nitrogens of the two quinoline rings, with Pd−Namide quinoline bond lengths. The geometry around palladium(II) in both complexes is distorted square planar. The electrochemical behaviors of the ligands and their Pd(II) complexes have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry in DMF. An irreversible PdII/I reduction is observed at −1.06 V for 1 and at −1.177 V for 2, indicating the influence of the R substituent on the central phenyl ring of carboxamide ligands on the PdII/I reduction potential. The ligands and palladium complexes were also screened for in vitro antibacterial activity. The Pd(II) complexes show strong biological activity against S.typhi and E.coli as Gram −ve and B.cereus and S.aureus as Gram +ve bacteria comparable to the antibiotic penicillin. The antibacterial results also reveal that coordination of Pd(II) significantly improves the activity.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in women.Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence ofgGonorrheal and cChlamydial infections, and determination of related risk factors inmarried women complaining about vaginal discharge attending gynecological OPDin Zanjan in 2013-2014.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive/analytic study, 100 women aged 18-49years with vaginal discharge were evaluated for signs and symptoms of gonococcaland chlamydial infections through interviews. Then cervical discharge samples andblood samples were collected from each subject for the detection of Nisseriagonorrhea and Chlamydia trachomatis by bacterial culture and serological tests,respectively. The data from the questionnaires and experimental tests werestatistically analyzed.Results: The overall prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Nisseria gonorrhoeae were 16% and 4%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between the history of fertility and childbirth, contraception methods, previous history of vaginal infections, previous history of urinary tract infections, number of coitus per weekly and self-reported symptoms (itching, burning, abdominal pain) with incidence of Nisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis.Conclusion: According to results obtained through laboratory tests, the prevalence of gonococcal and chlamydial infections increased, which makes it necessary to put emphasis on education and further preventive and therapeutic programs.

Cobalt oxide nanoparticles, Co3O4 (1) and Co3O4 (2), have been synthesized by thermal decomposition of [CoII(bqbenzo)] and [CoII(bqb)], respectively. The morphology of these oxides is influenced by the difference in the structure of bqbenzo2− {3,4-bis(2-quinolinecarboxamido) benzophenone and, bqb2− {bis(2-quinolinecarboxamido)-1,2-benzen}, only differing in a benzoyl substituent. The products were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of the oxides was examined in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The Co3O4 oxides (1 and 2) exhibited higher catalytic activity compared to 10 wt% Pt/C in terms of obtained current density at 0.8 V; ∼23.3 versus 6.1 mA cm−2, respectively. However, the aging tests of the two oxides in OER revealed that Co3O4 (1) is more stable than Co3O4 (2). These results demonstrated that the Co3O4 (1) has a superior performance which can be employed in the alkaline water electrolyzer anode.

Background: Although infectious diseases are the most common cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO) in many countries, the spectrum of its etiology is changing over time. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical spectrum and the pattern of FUO in Shiraz. Methods: This study was undertaken from 2011 to 2015 in the main hospitals of Shiraz, southern Iran. The data of 60 patients fulfilling the modified criteria for FUO referring to the main hospitals in Shiraz were used for analysis. The data were extracted from the patients’ medical charts and probable etiologies responsible for FUO were assessed. The patients were followed up by further ambulatory and readmission assessment. Results: Of the identified etiologies, infections were the most common cause of FUO in 30% of the patients, followed by collagen vascular diseases with 15% and malignancies with 11.6%. However, 25 patients (41%) remained undiagnosed for their fever causes. Conclusions: The pattern of FUO in the region has changed in recent years and complicated cases are admitted to hospitals. With improving ambulatory tests and diagnostic modalities, most of the patients with FUO are being diagnosed in outpatient settings and it will cause some changes in the classic percentage of FUO etiologies among admitted patients in the future.