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Background & Aim: The major aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of the essential oils from five medicinal plants. Experimental: The hydro-distillation essential oils from five plant species, including Satureja bachtiarica, Zataria multiflora, Thymus daenensis, Thymus carmanicus, and Ziziphora tenuior (Lamiaceae) which are endemic in Iran. In-vitro antibacterial test was done by agar disc diffusion and serial dilution assays. Results & Discussion: Most of the essential oils indicated relatively antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria with the diameter of inhibition zone ranging between 7 and 33 mm. Recommended applications/industries: The essential oils from Iranian herbs could be used as natural antimicrobial agents in food preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Since human resources are the most important element in any organization and success or failure of any organization is dependent on having efficient human resources, all organizations must continually seek ways to develop their own manpower. Awareness of the current human resources situation through the process of diagnosis is the first step in this endeavour. Objective: This study aims to identify the main human resources problems through a diagnostic survey at staff departments of Kerman University of medical sciences. Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was carried out cross sectionally. The research population consisted of all employees working in staff departments of Kerman medical university deputies, of whom 159 participated in this study. Data was collected by a questionnaire. Data analysis was done through SPSS software using Friedman test, Chi-square and T-test. Results: Behavioral (mean = 2.33) and contextual factors (mean= 3.24) had respectively the highest and the lowest impact on human resources malfunction in Kerman University of medical sciences. Among subsets of behavioral factors, motivation and job satisfaction (mean = 2.27) and customer-orientation (mean= 1.77) had the highest and the lowest impact on human resources malfunction in all three dimensions respectively. Conclusion: Dissatisfaction with the salary system, performance evaluation and promotion and appointment system are the biggest problems of human resources in Kerman University of Medical Sciences. These problems are not confined to Kerman University of Medical Sciences and in regard to the fact that they are structural factors, solving these problems are beyond the authorities of executives. Therefore, the Presidential deputy of human capital should provide fundamental changes in public organizations payment systems and performance evaluation to increase employees' motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : The sorting of neural spike data recorded by multichannel and high channel neural probes such as Neuropixels, especially in real-time, remains a significant technical challenge. Most neural spike sorting algorithms focus on sorting neural spikes post-hoc for high sorting accuracy-but reducing the processing delay for fast sorting, potentially even live sorting, is generally not possible with these algorithms. Approach : Here we report our Graph nEtwork Multichannel sorting (GEMsort) algorithm, which is largely based on graph network, to allow rapid neural spike sorting for multiple neural recording channels. This was accomplished by two innovations: In GEMsort, duplicated neural spikes recorded from multiple channels were eliminated from duplicate channels by only selecting the highest amplitude neural spike in any channel for subsequent processing. In addition, the channel from which the representative neural spike was recorded was used as an additional feature to differentiate between neural spikes recorded from different neurons having similar temporal features. Main results : Synthetic and experimentally recorded multichannel neural recordings were used to evaluate the sorting performance of GEMsort. The sorting results of GEMsort were also compared with two other state-of-the-art sorting algorithms (Kilosort and Mountainsort) in sorting time and sorting agreements. Significance : GEMsort allows rapidly sort neural spikes and is highly suitable to be implemented with digital circuitry for high processing speed and channel scalability., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Background: CD4 + T cell responses in HCV infection have a crucial role in the immunopathology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Our aim was to investigate the frequency of Th1, Th17, and Th22 cells in HCV-infected patients and elucidate their role in the progression of the disease., Methods: Twenty-six HCV-infected patients and 26 healthy individuals were recruited. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were stained to separate CD4, IFN-γ, IL-17, and IL-22 producing cells using flow cytometry., Results: Results showed that the mean expression of IL-22 in CD4 + T cells was significantly lower in HCV-infected patients compared to healthy controls. About correlation with clinical factor and T subsets, a negative correlation between the frequency of CD4 + IFN-γ + cells and Thyroxine level (T4) was observed in the patients. The data showed a positive link between thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), cholesterol levels, and the frequency of Th17 cells. In addition, a positive correlation was seen between serum creatinine level with both Th1 and Th17. Ultimately, it was found that there was a positive link between viral burden and IL-17 + IL-22 + cells and a negative correlation between viral load and pure Th22., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that Th22 cells may play a part in the immunopathology of HCV and show the associations between Thelper subsets and the clinical signs of the disease., Competing Interests: None., (AJCEI Copyright © 2024.)

Background: Educational posters play a crucial role in education, information dissemination, and awareness. Their visual appeal efficiently communicates condensed yet vital information on significant topics, making them valuable for teaching sequential concepts. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of educational posters in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department for student education., Methods: The study was carried out during the fall semester of 2022 at Mashhad Dental School, Mashhad, Iran utilizing a questionnaire-based approach. The questionnaire gathered demographic information and assessed students' perspectives on educational posters. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23 with a significance level set at 0.05., Results: This study was conducted on 70 students (35 females and 35 males). Gender-based analysis demonstrated significant differences in beauty, adaptability, and learning, with male students scoring lower than females ( P values = 0.036 and 0.031, respectively). Further analysis by academic year unveiled higher beauty and adaptability scores among third-year students compared to second-year students, showing statistical significance ( P value = 0.035). A two-by-two comparison highlighted that the average beauty score of third and fifth-year students surpassed that of second-year students ( P values = 0.041 and 0.038, respectively). In summary, higher academic years correlated with superior performance, emphasizing the potential impact of educational posters on academic outcomes., Conclusion: Posters in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department received commendable ratings in various areas, positively impacting the teaching and learning process., Competing Interests: None.

Background: Maxillofacial fractures are a common type of injury that can result in significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to systematically review the literature on the prevalence and causes of maxillofacial fractures in Iran to estimate the overall prevalence of maxillofacial fractures and the most common causes., Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science (WS) and Google Scholar (GS) electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant articles published up to January 2023. Studies reporting the prevalence and causes of maxillofacial fractures in Iran were included in the analysis. MOOSE guidelines were adopted for the current systematic review. No data or language restriction were applied. Risk of bias across the articles was assessed., Results: A total of 32 studies comprising 35,720 patients were included in the analysis. The most common cause of maxillofacial fractures was road traffic accidents (RTAs), accounting for 68.97% of all cases, followed by falls (12.62%) and interpersonal violence (9.03%). The prevalence of maxillofacial fractures was higher in males (81.04%) and in the age group of 21-30 years (43.23%). Risk of bias across studies was considered low., Conclusion: Maxillofacial fractures are a significant public health problem in Iran, with a high prevalence and RTAs being the leading cause. These results highlight the need for increased efforts to prevent maxillofacial fractures in Iran, especially through measures to reduce the incidence of RTAs., Competing Interests: Authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Background: Chronic diseases endanger not only physical health but also psychological and social health of patient. Thus, evaluation of such patients for psychological treatment decisions is very important., Method: This is a descriptive study that was performed with 50 chronic patients (ischemic heart disease) selected from Valiasr and Mousavi at cardiac wards in Zanjan Province. They were given three types of questionnaire: demographic, WHOQOL, and Zung depression and anxiety index. The information was statically analyzed by frequency chart, central indexes, dispersion, Chi-Square and t tests, Pearson's correlation index (P < 0.05)., Results: The average of quality of life in all patients were calculated as was respectively 12.19, 11.98, 12.08, and 12.4 in physical, psychological, social and environmental domains respectively, 68 percent of total number of the patients had various degrees of anxiety and 78 percent of them had various degrees of depression. There was a significant relationship between the life quality average in all domains and anxiety intensity and depression intensity (P < 0.05) and there was a significant relationship between life quality average in all domains and income (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: As the level of depression and anxiety goes up, quality of life decreases pointing out that they have a reverse relationship. Depression and anxiety are one of the most significant factors of quality of life among other variables. Regarding specific conditions of the treatment, it is necessary to pay special attention to psychological aspects.