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PurposeTrachoma was suspected to be endemic in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We aimed to estimate prevalences of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF), trichiasis, and water and sanitation (WASH) indicators in suspected-endemic Health Zones.MethodsA population-based prevalence survey was undertaken in each of 46 Health Zones across nine provinces of DRC, using Global Trachoma Mapping Project methods. A two-stage cluster random sampling design was used in each Health Zone, whereby 25 villages (clusters) and 30 households per cluster were sampled. Consenting eligible participants (children aged 1-9 years and adults aged ≥15 years) were examined for trachoma by GTMP-certified graders; households were assessed for access to WASH.ResultsA total of 32,758 households were surveyed, and 141,853 participants (98.2% of those enumerated) were examined for trachoma. Health Zone-level TF prevalence in 1-9-year-olds ranged from 1.9-41.6%. Among people aged ≥15 years, trichiasis prevalences ranged from 0.02-5.1% (95% CI 3.3-6.8). TF prevalence in 1-9-year-olds was ≥5% in 30 Health Zones, while trichiasis prevalence was ≥0.2% in 37 Health Zones.ConclusionTrachoma is a public health problem in 39 of 46 Health Zones surveyed. To meet elimination targets, 37 Health Zones require expanded trichiasis surgery services while 30 health zones require antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement interventions. Survey data suggest that trachoma is widespread: further surveys are warranted.

The most important part of the second law of thermodynamics is described as determining the value and source of wasted exergy in processes, and suggests concepts for reducing those losses in order to enhance effciency. So, the main purpose of this paper is to study the effect of alcoholic additives, load and engine speed on combustion irreversibilities and second law effciency. The mentioned alcoholic fuel is ethanol, which is combined with gasoline in different percentages of 5, 10 and 15%. The experiments have been done for 2500, 3000, 3500 and 4500 rpm, and 25%, 50% and 75% full load. The results show that, mostly, when alcoholic fuel is used, the combustion internal irreversibility increases and second law effciency decreases, which is due to the increase in temperature difference between burned combustion products and unburned mixtures, but, an increase in load and engine speeds increases second law effciency. Another important outcome of the present study is in demonstrating brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc) reduction, due to using recovered exergy from water, whose average value is 14.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydrolyzed protein is a blend of peptides and amino acids which is the result of hydrolysis by enzymes, acids or alkalis. The Bioactive Peptides (BPs) show important biological roles including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-hypertensive effects, as well as positive effects on the immune, nervous, and digestive systems. Despite the benefits of BPs, challenges such as undesired organoleptic properties, solubility profile, chemical instability, and low bioavailability limit their use in functional food formulations and dietary supplements. Nanocarriers have emerged as a promising solution for overcoming these challenges by improving the stability, solubility, resistance to gastric digestion, and bioavailability, allowing for the targeted and controlled delivery, and reduction or masking of the undesirable flavor of BPs. This study reviews the recent scientific accomplishments concerning the loading of BPs into various nanocarriers including lipid, carbohydrate and protein based-nanocarriers. A special emphasis is given to their application in food formulations in accordance to the challenges associated with their use., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The development of highly bioactive engineered scaffolds is required to promote bone regeneration and the success of bone tissue engineering treatment approaches. This study attempts to fabricate a biofunctional magnetic scaffold based on new phosphorylated polycaprolactone combined with gelatin (MNPs-PCL-P/gelatin). Phosphorylated polymer and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized and characterized by NMR, FT-IR, TEM, and DLS instruments. The synthetic polymer, MNPs, and biopolymer were mixed then freeze-dried to prepare a porous scaffold. Physiochemical assessments showed that a scaffold with well-developed porous morphology, and stable structure was obtained. MNPs-PCL-P/gelatin scaffold had no toxicity on human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). The use of phosphorous-containing polymer resulted in improvement of the scaffold's osteoconductivity to support proper cell attachment and promote cell proliferation. Phosphate group by mimicking function of bone phosphate groups stimulate bone mineralization that reflected by alizarin red S staining assay. The presence of MNPs resulted in higher ALP activity and increased expression level of RUNX2, BMP2 osteogenic biomarkers. Also, phosphorylation enhanced osteoinductivity of scaffold and upregulate RUNX2, BMP2, COL1A1, and OCN genes in phosphors-containing scaffold test groups. It seems that biocompatible MNPs-PCL-P/gelatin scaffold possesses the potential of applications in bone tissue engineering., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Reconstruction of the damaged bone is a striking challenge in the medical field. The bone grafts as a current treatment is associated with inherent limitations; hence, the bone tissue engineering as an alternative therapeutic approach has been considered in the recent decades. Bone tissue engineering aims at replacing the lost tissue and restoring its function by recapitulating the natural regeneration process. Concerted participation and combination of the biocompatible materials, osteoprogenitor/ stem cells and bioactive factors closely mimic the bone microenvironment. The bioactive factors regulate the cell behavior and they induce the stem cells to osteogenic differentiation by activating specific signaling cascades. Growth factors (GFs) are the most important bioactive molecules and mediators of the natural bone repair process. Although these soluble factors have approved applications in the bone regeneration, however, there are several limitations such as the instability, high dose requirements, and serious side effects which could restrict their clinical usage. Alternatively, a new generation of bioactive molecules with the osteogenic properties are used. The non-peptide organic or inorganic molecules are physiologically stable and non-immunogenic due to their small size. Many of them are obtained from the natural resources and some are synthesized through the chemical methods. As a result, these molecules have been introduced as the cost-effective osteogenic agents in the bone tissue regeneration. In this paper, three groups of these bioactive agents including the organic small molecules, minerals and metallic nanoparticles have been investigated, considering their function in accelerating the bone regeneration. We review the recent in vitro and in vivo studies that utilized the osteogenic molecules to promote the bone formation in the scaffold-based bone tissue engineering systems., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Hyperbilirubinemia is one of the most common problems in newborns, and it is reported in about 60% of infants. Phototherapy is used extensively to treat these patients, and hypocalcemia is one important side effect of the phototherapy. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypocalcemia after phototherapy in full-term newborns that underwent phototherapy in Koodakan Hospital in Bandar Abbas in 2013., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 neonates admitted to Koodakan Hospital in Bandar Abbas. All of the newborns were full-term, healthy, weighed more than 2,500 g, and were candidates for phototherapy. The newborns were divided into two groups, i.e., 1) those who were more than three days old and 2) those who were less than three days old. Serum bilirubin and calcium levels were measured for each newborn before phototherapy and 48 hours after phototherapy, and the before and after levels were compared. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 21.0 statistical software. The Fisher Exact test, the independent samples t-test, and the paired t-test were used to test the research hypothesis., Results: Among the 100 newborns studied, 54% had decreased calcium levels after phototherapy. The prevalence of hypocalcemia was 9% in this study, and the prevalence was not significantly different in the two age groups (P = 0.217)., Conclusion: Phototherapy does not increase the risk of hypocalcemia in healthy, full-term neonates. Therefore, prophylactic calcium is not recommended for healthy, full-term neonates who have undergone phototherapy.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee joint has often been regarded as a noninvasive alternative to diagnostic arthroscopy. In day-to-day clinical practice, the MRI scan is routinely used to support the diagnosis for meniscus or ligamentous injuries prior to recommending arthroscopic examination and surgery. On the other hand, rapidly progressing medical technology sometimes obscures the importance of history and physical examination. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of physical examination and MRI scanning in the diagnosis of knee injury, including meniscus tears and cruciate ligament ruptures., Methods: In a cross-sectional, descriptive analytical study, 120 patients with knee injury who were candidates for arthroscopy were referred to Tabriz Shohada Hospital during a one-year period. Prior history of arthroscopy or knee surgery was considered as exclusion criteria. Before ordering an MRI and arthroscopy, a thorough physical examination of the affected knee was performed and a preliminary diagnosis made. The results of arthroscopy were considered as the definitive diagnosis, therefore the results of the physical examination and MRI were judged accordingly., Results: Of the 120 evaluated patients with knee injuries, there were 108 males and 12 females with a mean age of 29.13 ± 7.37 (16-54) years. For medial meniscus injuries, clinical examination had an accuracy of 85%, sensitivity of 94.8%, and specificity of 75.8%. Lateral meniscus injuries had the following results: accuracy (85%), sensitivity (70.8%) and specificity (88.5%). Clinical examination of anterior cruciate injuries had an accuracy of 95.8%, sensitivity of 98.6% and specificity of 91.7%. According to MRI results, for medial meniscus injuries there was an accuracy of 77.5%, sensitivity of 84.2%, and specificity of 71.4%. In lateral meniscus injuries, MRI had an accuracy of 85.8%, sensitivity of 56.5% and 92.8% specificity. MRI evaluation of anterior cruciate injuries was 92.5% for accuracy, 98.6% for sensitivity, and 83.3% for specificity. Both clinical examination and MRI were 100% for posterior cruciate injuries. Overall, in isolated injuries, the accuracy of clinical examination was relatively better than with complicated cases. The opposite results were seen for MRI findings in this regard., Conclusion: According to our results, both physical examination and MRI scans are very sensitive and accurate in the diagnosis of knee injuries, with a mild preference for physical examination. MRI should be reserved for doubtful cases or complicated injuries.