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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and gradual tissue destruction. New research has shown how important noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are for changing immune and inflammatory pathways, such as the WNT signaling pathway, which is important for activating synovial fibroblasts and osteoblasts to work. This article examines the current understanding of several ncRNAs, such as miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, that influence NF-κB signaling in the pathogenesis of RA. We investigate how these ncRNAs impact NF-κB signaling components, altering cell proliferation, differentiation, and death in joint tissues. The paper also looks at how ncRNAs can be used as potential early detection markers and therapeutic targets in RA because they can change important pathogenic pathways. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting ncRNAs in RA therapy techniques, with the goal of reducing inflammation and stopping disease progression. This thorough analysis opens up new possibilities for understanding the molecular foundations of RA and designing novel ncRNA-based treatments., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Seyedi, Espandar, Hojatizadeh, Mohammadi, Sadri and Rezaei.)

Exosomes are one type of nanosized membrane vesicles with an endocytic origin. They are secreted by almost all cell types and play diverse functional roles. It is essential for research purposes to differentiate exosomes from microvesicles and isolate them from other components in a fluid sample or cell culture medium. Exosomes are important mediators in cell-cell communication. They deliver their cargos, such as mRNA transcripts, microRNA, lipids, cytosolic and membrane proteins and enzymes, to target cells with or without physical connections between cells. They are highly heterogeneous in size, and their biological functions can vary depending on the cell type, their ability to interact with recipient cells and transport their contents, and the environment in which they are produced. This review summarized the recent progress in exosome isolation and characterization techniques. Moreover, we review the therapeutic approaches, biological functions of exosomes in disease progression, tumour metastasis regulation, immune regulation and some ongoing clinical trials., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The gastrointestinal tract is chronically inflamed in ulcerative colitis (UC), which has a complicated etiology involving immunological, environmental, and genetic factors. The inflammatory response that is typical of UC is significantly regulated via the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Latest research has displayed that NF-κB signaling is controlled by three main types of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs): circular RNAs (circRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs). These ncRNAs can change the expression of key genes within the NF-κB pathway by acting as molecular sponges, transcriptional regulators, and epigenetic modifiers. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the functions by which ncRNAs modulate NF-κB signaling in UC, discusses their potential as biomarkers for disease prognosis and diagnosis, and explores their therapeutic potential. Understanding the intricate interactions between ncRNAs and NF-κB signaling may provide novel insights into UC pathogenesis and targeted therapeutic strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests, (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

The negative impact of hopelessness on mental health makes multiple sclerosis (MS) disease unmanageable. This study aimed to determine the effect of spiritual care on hope in MS patients. In the present randomized controlled trial study, 70 MS patients were selected from the MS Association of Hamadan, Iran, and randomly allocated to intervention and control groups (35 patients per group). A demographic characteristic form and Snyder's Adult Hope Scale were completed before and after the intervention. Spiritual care was provided in weekly group sessions held for four weeks (45-60 min each). The data were analyzed using SPSS-16. Before the intervention, there were no significant between-group difference (P = 0.323). After the intervention, a significant between-group difference was observed (p < 0.001). There was also a significant increase in the mean of hope scores in the intervention group from baseline to follow-up (within-group difference) (p < 0.001), while there was no significant difference between baseline and follow-up in the control group (p = 0.38), confirming the effectiveness of spiritual care in improving hope. Given the impact of spiritual care on increasing patients' hope and improving their psychological state, nurses are advised to devote adequate time to their patients' spiritual needs., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Emerging as a promising drug target for Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) has garnered attention. This study sought to rigorously scrutinize a compendium of natural compounds retrieved from the ZINC database through pharmacodynamic experiments, employing a 1 H-indazole-3-carboxamide (INDZ) scaffold, to identify compounds capable of inhibiting the GSK-3β protein. Utilizing a multi-step approach, the study involved pharmacophore analysis, followed by molecular docking to select five promising ligands for further investigation. Subsequently, ESMACS simulations were employed to assess the stability of the ligand-protein interactions. Evaluation of the binding modes and free energy of the ligands revealed that five compounds (2a-6a) exhibited crucial interactions with the active site residues. Furthermore, various methodologies, including hydrogen bond and clustering analyses, were utilized to ascertain their inhibitory potential and elucidate the factors contributing to ligand binding in the protein's active site. The findings from MMPBSA/GBSA analysis indicated that these five selected small molecules closely approached the IC50 value of the reference ligand (OH8), yielding energy values of -34.85, -32.58, -31.71, and -30.39 kcal/mol, respectively. Additionally, an assessment of the interactions using hydrogen bond and dynamic analyses delineated the effective binding of the ligands with the binding pockets in the protein. Through computational analysis, we obtained valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of GSK-3β, aiding in the development of more potent inhibitors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Birth cohort screening has been implemented in some countries to identify the potentially 'missed population' of undiagnosed chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in people who may not be found through targeted approaches., Aim: To determine uptake of HCV antibody testing using an oral swab screening method, overall yield, whether those testing positive had risk markers in their primary care record, and cost per case detected., Design and Setting: Pilot screening study set in general practices in the Southwest, South London and Yorkshire and Humber., Method: Participants consenting were sent an oral swab kit in the post and saliva samples were tested for antibody to HCV., Results: 16,436/98,396 (16.7%) patients consented and were sent an oral swab kit. 12,216 (12.4%) returned a kit, with 31 participants (yield 0.03%) testing positive for HCV antibody. 45% of those positive had a risk marker for HCV on their primary care record. Two (yield 0.002%) were confirmed RNA positive and referred for treatment, both had HCV risk markers. Cost per case detected was £16,000 per HCV antibody and £247,997 per chronic HCV., Conclusions: Wide-scale screening could be delivered and identified people infected with HCV, however most of these individuals could have been detected through lower-cost targeted screening. Yield and cost per case found were substantially worse than model estimates and targeted screening studies. Birth cohort screening should not be rolled out in primary care in England., (Copyright © 2024, The Authors.)

Background: The association between red meat, fish, and processed meat consumption and the risk of developing gastrointestinal (GI) cancers remains inconclusive despite several investigations. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to update the existing scientific evidence., Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases until May 20, 2023. We analyzed observational studies that examined the associations between red and processed meat and fish consumption and GI cancers. We assessed between-study heterogeneity using the χ2 and τ2 tests, as well as I2 statistics. We explored the likelihood of publication bias using Begg's and Egger's tests and trim-and-fill analysis. We reported the overall effect sizes as odds ratios (ORs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) using a random-effects model., Results: Of the 21,004 studies identified, 95 studies involving 5,794,219 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The consumption of high levels of red meat, as compared to low levels, was found to significantly increase the risk of developing esophageal, pancreatic, liver, colon, rectal, and colorectal cancers. Similarly, the consumption of high levels of processed meat, as compared to low levels, significantly increased the risk of pancreatic, colon, rectal, and colorectal cancers. In contrast, the consumption of high levels of fish, as compared to low levels, significantly reduced the risk of colon, rectal, and colorectal cancers., Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides updated evidence on the association between red meat, processed meat, and fish consumption and the risk of developing five major types of GI cancers., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.)

Background: Group cognitive-behavioral therapy has demonstrated its effectiveness in treating various psychological disorders. Nevertheless, there is insufficient evidence supporting its application in enhancing both the quality of life and depression among Parkinson's patients. Consequently, this study was undertaken to examine the efficacy of group cognitive-behavioral therapy in ameliorating depression symptoms and enhancing the quality of life in individuals afflicted with Parkinson's disease., Materials and Methods: A randomized clinical trial with pre-test and post-test measurements, including a control group, was conducted. The sample consisted of individuals referred to Roozbeh Hospital in Tehran with Parkinson's disease in 2023. Ninety participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group, with 45 participants in each. The experimental group received a three-month cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention consisting of 12 sessions of 90 min. Pre-test and post-test measures included the Beck Depression Questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS-25., Results: The results revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of depression and quality of life. The cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention significantly reduced depression and significantly improved the quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease ( P ≤0.01)., Conclusion: Group cognitive-behavioral therapy can be an effective approach for reducing depression and improving the quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease. Therefore, therapists and healthcare providers can utilize cognitive-behavioral therapy to enhance the well-being of individuals with Parkinson's disease., Competing Interests: The author declares no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objectives: Migraine is one of the common diseases of children, which can disrupt their quality of life. Some studies have shown the effect of melatonin in reducing migraine headaches. This study aims to investigate the effect of melatonin administration in reducing headaches in children with migraine without sleep disorders., Materials & Methods: In this clinical trial study, fifty-five children aged five to 15 years with migraines who had no sleep disorder were enrolled. The control group (twenty-seven patients) was treated with propranolol tablets, and the intervention group (thirty patients) was treated with propranolol tablets plus melatonin tablets for three months. Patients were visited before, one month, and three months after the start of treatment, and their data was collected and recorded., Results: The number of headache attacks decreased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group three months after the treatment (P=0.006). The number of patients with a good response to treatment in the intervention group was significantly more than the control group (p=0.023). Parents' satisfaction with the treatment in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group (P=0.026). There was no significant difference in the intensity of disability caused by headaches after treatment in the two groups. No significant drug side effects were seen in any of the two groups., Conclusion: Adding melatonin to the treatment of children with migraine without sleep disorders significantly reduces the frequency of headache attacks and increases satisfaction with the treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exist., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: With the progress and prevalence of COVID-19, concerns have arisen regarding its impact on men's sexual health. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of examining the effects of COVID-19 on serum levels of sex hormones and semen., Methods: Sixty participants who met the study inclusion criteria enrolled in this study between January and April 2022. The individuals were divided into three groups (n = 20): healthy, COVID-19 positive, and recovered from COVID-19. Blood and semen samples were collected from the participants. Serum levels of sex hormones and semen were evaluated both macroscopically and microscopically., Results: Our study results showed that the most common symptoms observed in the COVID-19 group were cough (100 %), fever (100 %), fatigue (95 %), and runny nose (90 %). Serum levels of sex hormones (testosterone, FSH, and prolactin) in the COVID-19 group were significantly decreased compared to the healthy group. Microscopic examination of semen revealed significant differences in vitality, progressive, and motile parameters among the three groups, with a decrease observed in the COVID-19 group., Conclusion: These results indicate that COVID-19 may have a negative impact on men's sexual health, potentially affecting hormone production and sperm quality. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of COVID-19 on male fertility and to explore potential treatment options., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Objectives: Background noise and linguistic violations have been shown to increase the listening effort. The present study aims to examine the effects of the interaction between background noise and linguistic violations on subjective listening effort and frontal theta oscillations during effortful listening., Design: Thirty-two normal-hearing listeners participated in this study. The linguistic violation was operationalized as sentences versus random words (strings). Behavioral and electroencephalography data were collected while participants listened to sentences and strings in background noise at different signal to noise ratios (SNRs) (-9, -6, -3, 0 dB), maintained them in memory for about 3 sec in the presence of background noise, and then chose the correct sequence of words from a base matrix of words., Results: Results showed the interaction effects of SNR and speech type on effort ratings. Although strings were inherently more effortful than sentences, decreasing SNR from 0 to -9 dB (in 3 dB steps), increased effort rating more for sentences than strings in each step, suggesting the more pronounced effect of noise on sentence processing that strings in low SNRs. Results also showed a significant interaction between SNR and speech type on frontal theta event-related synchronization during the retention interval. This interaction indicated that strings exhibited higher frontal theta event-related synchronization than sentences at SNR of 0 dB, suggesting increased verbal working memory demand for strings under challenging listening conditions., Conclusions: The study demonstrated that the interplay between linguistic violation and background noise shapes perceived effort and cognitive load during speech comprehension under challenging listening conditions. The differential impact of noise on processing sentences versus strings highlights the influential role of context and cognitive resource allocation in the processing of speech., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In this umbrella review, we systematically evaluated the evidence from meta-analyses and systematic reviews of maternal factors associated with low birth weight., Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched to identify all relevant published studies up to August 2023. We included all meta-analysis studies (based on cohort, case-control, cross-sectional studies) that examined the association between maternal factors (15 risk factors) and risk of LBW, regardless of publication date. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the summary effect size along with the 95% confidence interval (CI), 95% prediction interval, and heterogeneity (I 2 ) in all meta-analyses. Hedges' g was used as the effect size metric. The effects of small studies and excess significance biases were assessed using funnel plots and the Egger's test, respectively. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the AMSTAR 2 tool., Results: We included 13 systematic Review with 15 meta-analysis studies in our study based on the inclusion criteria. The following 13 maternal factors were identified as risk factors for low birth weight: crack/cocaine (odds ratio [OR] 2.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.26-3.52), infertility (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.2-1.48), smoking (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.76-2.28), periodontal disease (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.67-3.47), depression (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.34-2.53), anemia (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.13-1.55), caffeine/coffee (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.14-1.57), heavy physical workload (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.00-3.47), lifting ≥ 11 kg (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.02-2.48), underweight (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.20-2.67), alcohol (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.04-1.46), hypertension (OR 3.90, 95% CI 2.73-5.58), and hypothyroidism (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.01-1.94). A significant negative association was also reported between antenatal care and low birth weight., Conclusions: This umbrella review identified drug use (such as crack/cocaine), infertility, smoking, periodontal disease, depression, caffeine and anemia as risk factors for low birth weight in pregnant women. These findings suggest that pregnant women can reduce the risk of low birth weight by maintaining good oral health, eating a healthy diet, managing stress and mental health, and avoiding smoking and drug use., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study aimed to explore the neuro-cognitive paradigm in anxiety diseases by integrating neurobiological and cognitive perspectives. The ideal was to enhance our understanding of the complex interplay between neural and cognitive processes in anxiety and its counteraccusations for treatment. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted, examining studies that delved into the neurobiological supplements and cognitive impulses in anxiety. The findings revealed the involvement of brain regions similar to the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus in anxiety diseases, along with dysregulation in neurotransmitter systems. Cognitive impulses, including attentional bias towards trouble, interpretation bias, and memory impulses, were constantly observed in individuals with anxiety. The results stressed the bidirectional relationship between neurobiology and cognition, demonstrating that neurobiological factors impact cognitive processes, and cognitive factors modulate neural exertion. Integrated interventions targeting both neurobiological and cognitive factors showed a pledge in treating anxiety diseases. The study linked gaps in the literature and emphasized the significance of considering artistic factors and developing individualized treatment approaches. Overall, this study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of anxiety diseases and informs unborn exploration and clinical practice., Competing Interests: The author declares no conflict of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objectives: Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is highly prevalent and annoyingly in patients with diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) compared to pregabalin in PDN., Methods: One hundred two eligible patients with type 2 diabetes and PDN were randomly recievied pregabalin (150 mg/day) or N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) (600 mg/ twice a day) for 8 weeks. Mean pain score, Sleep interference score (SIS), Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC), and also, serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total thiol groups (TTG), catalase activity (CAT), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assessed at baseline and at the end of the study., Results: NAC was well tolerated in all patients. The decrease in mean pain scores and increase in SIS was similar between two groups. More improvement in PGIC and CGIC from the baseline was reported in NAC group. NAC, significantly, decreased serum levels of MDA, and NO, but increased TAC, TTG, and CAT. Pregabalin, significantly, decreased serum levels of MDA, and NO and increased TAC., Discussion: NAC is efficacious in alleviate symptoms of PDN which is probably related to its antioxidant effects., Trial Registration: The research protocol received approval from the Ethics Committee of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences (IR.UMSHA.REC.1397.137). The trial registry URL and number in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT): https://www.irct.ir/trial/33313 , IRCT20180814040795N2 (Registration date: 2019-01-21, Retrospectively registered)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction and Importance: This research was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of neurofeedback on the symptoms of hyperactivity and attention deficit in primary school students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) disorder., Case Presentation: The present study utilized a randomized clinical trial with pre-test and post-test measurements and included a control group. The research population included all primary school students with ADHD in 2023; 50 of these children were selected as the experimental group based on the accessible sampling method, and 50 were also included in the control group. Neurofeedback treatment sessions for the experimental group were 30 sessions. Research data were collected in three stages: pre-test and post-test, using a questionnaire based on the Conners rating scale from parents. SPSS-25 analyzed the data., Clinical Discussion: The results showed that neurofeedback is associated with significant effectiveness in the symptoms of attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity of students ( P <0.05)., Conclusion: Based on the findings of this research, it can be said that neurofeedback treatment is effective in reducing attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms of students with ADHD disorder. It is suggested to widely use neurofeedback to reduce the symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder., Competing Interests: The author declares no conflicts of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Potato is one of the essential food products whose health quality is greatly influenced by soil contamination and properties. In the current study, we have investigated the physicochemical characteristics of agricultural areas and the accumulation of nitrite/nitrate and metals in potato products in Hamedan, Iran. After determining the physicochemical characteristics of soil samples from four agricultural regions of Hamedan, 48 potato samples were collected from these regions. The heavy metals and nitrate/nitrite content were determined by ICP-OES and calorimetric methods, respectively. A negative correlation was observed between soil pH changes with nitrite/nitrate content and the accumulation of some heavy elements in potatoes. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between soil phosphorus content and lead accumulation in potato. In present study, the amounts of lead, nitrate, and nitrite in 83.3%, 56%, and 12% of the collected samples were higher than the permissible limit reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), respectively. The EDI range for nitrate and nitrite was determined to be 130-260 and 1.4-2.7 µg/kg/day, respectively, which is much lower than the RfD set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for nitrite and nitrate. Among metal pollutants, the toxic risk caused by lead in potato consumers was higher than the threshold limit. In conclusion, our findings showed that the physicochemical characteristics of the soil could effectively increase the availability of metal pollutants and nitrite/nitrate to the potato product and significantly reduce its health quality. Therefore, monitoring these pollutants in the soil-potato system, preventing the entry of industrial wastewater, and managing the use of agricultural fertilizers can effectively improve the health of this product for consumers., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background . Depression disorder has been associated with altered oscillatory brain activity. The common methods to quantify oscillatory activity are Fourier and wavelet transforms. Both methods have difficulties distinguishing synchronized oscillatory activity from nonrhythmic and large-amplitude artifacts. Here we proposed a method called self-synchronization index (SSI) to quantify synchronized oscillatory activities in neural data. The method considers temporal characteristics of neural oscillations, amplitude, and cycles, to estimate the synchronization value for a specific frequency band. Method . The recorded electroencephalography (EEG) data of 45 depressed and 55 healthy individuals were used. The SSI method was applied to each EEG electrode filtered in the alpha frequency band (8-13 Hz). The multiple linear regression model was used to predict depression severity (Beck Depression Inventory-II scores) using alpha SSI values. Results. Patients with severe depression showed a lower alpha SSI than those with moderate depression and healthy controls in all brain regions. Moreover, the alpha SSI values negatively correlated with depression severity in all brain regions. The regression model showed a significant performance of depression severity prediction using alpha SSI. Conclusion. The findings support the SSI measure as a powerful tool for quantifying synchronous oscillatory activity. The data examined in this article support the idea that there is a strong link between the synchronization of alpha oscillatory neural activities and the level of depression. These findings yielded an objective and quantitative depression severity prediction., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: Migraine is a chronic and joint disease in children. The results of previous studies on the effectiveness of probiotics in preventing migraine attacks in children have been controversial. This study aims to investigate the effect of probiotics on migraine prophylaxis in children., Materials & Methods: In this clinical trial study, 41 children aged 5 to 15 with migraine enrolled the study in two control and intervention groups. Children in the intervention group (18 children) received propranolol at a dose of 1 mg per kilogram of body weight daily in two divided doses along with a 250 mg Yomogi capsule daily for three months, and children in the control group (23 children), received propranolol along with placebo for three months. The study compared the frequency and duration of headache days, PedMIDAS criteria, and parental satisfaction between the two groups before treatment, as well as one month and three months post-treatment., Results: The number of headache days in both groups decreased over time, but in the intervention group, this decrease was more than the control group was statistically significant (P=0.045). The average PedMIDAS scale after treatment in the intervention group was 3.9 ± 3.8; in the control group, it was 8.4 ± 8.2, which was statistically significant (P=0.047). Parents' satisfaction with the treatment was statistically significantly higher in the intervention group (94.4%) than in the control group (54.5%) (P=0.011). No significant drug complications were seen in any of the two groups., Conclusion: In children with migraine, adding probiotics to migraine treatment reduces the intensity and number of days of children's headaches and increases the Parents' satisfaction with the treatment., Competing Interests: The results of this study are not in conflict with the authors’ interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Objective: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the best treatment for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Evidence is in favor of ticagrelor over clopidegrel in STEMI patients regarding the reduction of stent thrombosis risk during and after PCI. We compared initial thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow in STEMI patients on ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel., Methods: This prospective cohort recruited 160 patients with acute STEMI, referred to the emergency department of Farshchian Heart Center, during March 2018-2019. Before angiography, the patients received clopidogrel (600 mg) or ticagrelor (180 mg) on top of aspirin. Initial TIMI flow was compared between the two groups as the primary outcome. A logistic regression was performed to calculate the predictors of initial TIMI flow. Analyses were performed using R, version 4.2.1., Results: In ticagrelor and clopidogrel groups, the mean ± standard deviation age of the patients was 59.46 ± 13.11 and 61.34 ± 11.08 years ( p value = 0.33), respectively. In the ticagrelor and clopidogrel groups, initial TIMI flow grades were as follows: 0 : 50% and 71.2%, I: 26.2% and 16.2%, II: 12.5% and 10%, and III: 12.9% and 2.5%, respectively ( p value = 0.005). Final TIMI flow grades were as follows: I: 26.2% and 16.2%, II: 7.5% and 13.8%, and III: 66.3% and 70%, respectively ( p value = 0.41). Ticagrelor was associated with significantly higher initial TIMI flow grade compared to the clopidogrel group (adjusted odds ratio: 2.90 (95% CI: 1.51-5.72))., Conclusion: In STEMI patients who were candidates for primary PCI, ticagrelor administration led to a better initial TIMI flow grade compared to clopidogrel., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Amin Elahifar et al.)

Due to high antimicrobial resistance and biofilm-forming ability, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the seriously life-threatening agents causing chronic and nosocomial infections. This study was performed to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern, biofilm formation, and frequency of biofilm-related genes in P. aeruginosa strains. In total, 123 P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from different clinical sources. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed to detect multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa (MDRPA) isolates. To evaluate the biofilm-forming isolates, the microtiter plate (MTP) method was carried out. Also, the prevalence of biofilm genotype patterns, including pslA, pslD, pelA, pelF, and algD genes, was detected by polymerases chain reaction (PCR). According to our findings, the highest resistance and susceptibility rates were found in ceftazidime with 74.7% (n = 92) and ciprofloxacin with 42.2% (n = 52), respectively. In our study, the highest level of antibiotic resistance belonged to wound isolates which meropenem had the most antibacterial activity against them. In total, 86.1% (n = 106) P. aeruginosa isolates were determined as MDRPA, of which 61.3% (n = 65) were able to form strong biofilm. The highest and lowest frequency of biofilm-related genes among biofilm producer isolates belonged to pelF with 82.1% (n = 101) and algD with 55.2% (n = 68), respectively. The findings of the conducted study indicate a significant relationship between MDRPA and biofilm genotypic/phenotypic patterns, suggesting the necessity of a careful surveillance program in hospital settings., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Institute of Plant Genetics Polish Academy of Sciences.)

Background: Biomarkers that can predict outcome will improve the efficacy of treatment for HNSCC patients. In this regard, we retrospectively evaluated the prognostic effect of PD1, PD-L1, and CD45RO in tongue and larynx squamous cell carcinomas., Methods: FFPE tissue blocks of 63 larynx and 40 tongue squamous cell carcinoma samples were selected, cut into 3 µm sections, and immunohistochemically stained for PD1, PD-L1, and CD45RO. The slides were evaluated by an expert pathologist, and results were analysed using Chi-square, univariate, and multivariable Cox regression methods., Results: TC-PD-L1 expression (P = 0.001) and its expression intensity (P = 0.002) were significantly correlated with a higher percentage of PD-1 + tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. In univariate survival analysis, TC-PD-L1 and its expression intensity had a significant impact on both DFS (HR: 0.203; P = 0.003 and HR: 0.320; P = 0.005) and OS (HR: 0.147; P = 0.002 and HR: 0.322; P = 0.005). Based on the multivariate analysis, PD1 (DFS: HR: 3.202; P = 0.011, OS: HR: 2.671; P = 0.027) and TC-PD-L1 (DFS: HR: 0.174; P = 0.006, OS: HR: 0.189; P = 0.009) were found to be independent prognostic markers. In the second part, scoring systems were defined based on the expression status of PD1 and PD-L1. Patients with higher scores were expected to have longer DFS and OS. In multivariate analysis, the PD1/TC-PD-L1 (DFS: P = 0.001, OS: P = 0.003) scoring systems showed superior prognostic effects. Interestingly, at the highest levels of this score, none of the patients experienced recurrence or cancer-caused death., Conclusion: Collectively, this study suggests negative prognostic behaviour for TC-PD-L1 protein and introduces the PD-1/TC-PD-L1 scoring system as a strong prognostic marker in OS and DFS prediction of tongue and larynx HNSCC patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Most research on the impact of medication reconciliation on patient safety focused on the retroactive model, with limited attention given to the proactive model., Objective: This study was conducted to compare the proactive and retroactive models in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure., Methods: This prospective, quasi-experimental study was conducted over six months, from June to November 2022, at the cardiology unit of an academic hospital in Iran. Eligible patients were those hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure using a minimum of five regular medications before admission. Medication reconciliation was performed in 81 cases using the proactive model and in 81 using the retroactive model., Results: 556 medications were reconciled using the retroactive model, and 581 were reconciled using the proactive model. In the retroactive cases, 341 discrepancies (both intentional and unintentional) were identified, compared to 231 in the proactive cases. The proportion of patients with at least one unintentional discrepancy was significantly lower in the proactive cases than in the retroactive cases (23.80% versus 74.03%). Moreover, the number of unintentional discrepancies was significantly lower in the proactive cases compared to the retroactive cases (22 out of 231 discrepancies versus 150 out of 341 discrepancies). In the retroactive cases, medication omission was the most frequent type of unintentional discrepancy (44.00). About, 42.70% of reconciliation errors detected in the retroactive cases were judged to have the potential to cause moderate to severe harm. While the average time spent obtaining medication history was similar in both models (00:27 [h: min] versus 00:30), the average time needed to complete the entire process was significantly shorter in the proactive model compared to the retroactive model (00:41 min versus 00:51)., Conclusion: This study highlighted that the proactive model is a timely and effective method of medication reconciliation, particularly in improving medication safety for high-risk patients.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that impacts memory, thinking, and behavior, and currently, there is no effective cure available for its treatment. This study explored a one-pot strategy for synthesizing spiroindolinone-pyrazole derivatives through a sequential four-component condensation reaction. These derivatives were further investigated for their potential as anti-Alzheimer's disease agents. The developed synthetic procedure provides remarkable advantages, including a clean reaction profile, abundant starting materials, operational simplicity, and easy purification without traditional methods with good to excellent yields (84-96%). Next, the biological potencies of the newly synthesized spiroindolinone-pyrazole derivatives against AChE and BChE as Alzheimer's disease-related targets were determined. Also, the kinetic study and cytotoxicity of the most potent derivative were investigated. Furthermore, molecular docking and molecular dynamics evaluations were performed employing in silico tools to investigate the interaction, orientation, and conformation of the potent analog over the active site of the enzyme., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Listening effort can be defined as a measure of cognitive resources used by listeners to perform a listening task. Various methods have been proposed to measure this effort, yet their reliability remains unestablished, a crucial step before their application in research or clinical settings. This study encompassed 32 participants undertaking speech-in-noise tasks across two sessions, approximately a week apart. They listened to sentences and word lists at varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) (-9, -6, -3 and 0 dB), then retaining them for roughly 3 s. We evaluated the test-retest reliability of self-reported effort ratings, theta (4-7 Hz) and alpha (8-13 Hz) oscillatory power, suggested previously as neural markers of listening effort. Additionally, we examined the reliability of correct word percentages. Both relative and absolute reliability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. We also computed the standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC). Our findings indicated heightened frontal midline theta power for word lists compared to sentences during the retention phase under high SNRs (0 dB, -3 dB), likely indicating a greater memory load for word lists. We observed SNR's impact on alpha power in the right central region during the listening phase and frontal theta power during the retention phase in sentences. Overall, the reliability analysis demonstrated satisfactory between-session variability for correct words and effort ratings. However, neural measures (frontal midline theta power and right central alpha power) displayed substantial variability, even though group-level outcomes appeared consistent across sessions., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience published by Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The expansion of marine aquaculture requires the shipment of early life stages from hatcheries to breeding centers. Thus, maintaining water quality parameters during transportation is crucial. This experiment investigated the effects of a commercial probiotic mixture (PM) (consisting of Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus subtilis, Pediococcus acidilactici, and Lactobacillus acidophilus with a total count of 10 7  CFU/g) on water quality, bacterial population, and the survival of larvae of Yellowfin Seabream Acanthopagrus latus during a 24-h simulated transportation experiment., Methods: To simulate transportation, purified seawater was used as a control and purified seawater supplemented with 3 g of PM was used as the PM48 treatment. For the PM48 treatment, 3 g of PM was added to 1 L of purified seawater and mixed with 200 L of purified seawater 48 h prior to the main experiment., Result: The use of probiotics resulted in an increase in larval survival up to 93.3% compared with 89.85% in the control group. Initial sampling showed a statistically significant difference in NO 2 - levels between the control and PM48 treatments. After transportation, the pH of the control treatment showed a significant decrease. The total number of bacteria and the total number of Vibrio spp. in water and fish larvae showed that within 48 h, the probiotics became the dominant population in the PM48 treatment. After 24 h, water samples and larvae from the control treatment showed a significant increase in bacterial load., Conclusion: The results showed that probiotics can play a significant role in maintaining biotic and abiotic water quality parameters, leading to a better survival rate of larvae during transportation. These findings represent an important step in improving long-distance transport protocols., (© 2023 American Fisheries Society.)

Introduction and Importance: Autism spectrum disorder significantly impacts the life and psychosocial health of the family, resulting in high levels of anxiety, stress, isolation, and indecisiveness among parents. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on mindfulness in increasing the tolerance of mothers of children with autism., Case Presentation: The study used a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The study population comprised mothers referred to autism centers in Tehran. Eighty mothers were randomly divided into two groups, with 40 in each group. The Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale was used to measure the level of tolerance in both groups in the pre-test and post-test stages. The experimental group underwent cognitive therapy group therapy based on mindfulness, comprising eight sessions of 120 min. On the other hand, the control group did not receive any intervention., Clinical Discussion: The results of the study showed that the tolerance scores of the experimental group significantly increased after the intervention, in both the post-test and follow-up stages., Conclusion: Therefore, the results of this research emphasize the importance of using this intervention in increasing the tolerance of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder and creating new horizons in the clinical interventions of these people., Competing Interests: The author declares no conflicts of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Aims: Salivary gland tumors (SGTs) are a rare and diverse group of tumors that account for 3 to 10% of all head and neck malignancies. We aimed to conduct a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of SGTs in the south of Iran and compare the findings with previous reports from Iran and other parts of the world., Methods: Using a retrospective study, 405 patients diagnosed with SGTs were observed over an eight-year period between April 2013 and October 2021 in Shiraz, Iran. Patients' demographic and clinicopathological features were obtained from patients' records. Quantitative and descriptive data analysis was performed using SPSS software., Results: There were 302 benign (74.5%) and 103 (25.4%) malignant SGTs. Pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin's tumors were the most common benign SGTs (70.5% and 21.5%, respectively). The most common malignant SGTs were mucoepidermoid carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma (26.2% and 22.3%, respectively). There was a statistically significant association between tumor origin and its malignancy status ( p < 0.001). In addition, the results indicated that benign tumors were most commonly detected in the parotid gland ( p < 0.05). The benign tumors were more frequently observed among the younger population ( p = 0.006)., Conclusion: In summary, the findings of the current study were mainly consistent with the previous reports from Iran and the rest of the world. Benign tumors were the most prevalent type of SGTs, and the parotid gland was the most common site. While the majority of cases that developed from the major salivary glands were benign, all the minor SGTs were malignant. Older patients were more likely to develop malignant tumors compared to younger ones. This study provides insights into the prevalence, age-related incidence, gender distribution, and geographic variation of salivary gland tumors. This can be instrumental to develop a guideline for screening, diagnosis, and determining an optimal treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hamid Ghaderi et al.)

Carbapanem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is a globally healthcare crisis. The distribution of plasmids carrying carbapenemase genes among K. pneumoniae poses a serious threat in clinical settings. Here, we characterized the genetic structure of plasmids harboring major carbapenemases (e.g. blaKPC, blaNDM, blaOXA-48-like, and blaGES) from K. pneumoniae using bioinformatics tools. The plasmids carrying at least one major carbapenemase gene were retrieved from the GenBank database. The DNA length, Inc type, and conjugal apparatus of these plasmids were detected. Additionally, allele types, co-existence, co-occurrence of carbapenemase genes, gene repetition, and sequence types of isolates, were characterized. There were 2254 plasmids harboring carbapenemase genes in the database. This study revealed that blaKPC-2, blaNDM-1, blaOXA-48, and blaGES-5 were the most prevalent allele types. Out of 1140 (50%) plasmids were potentially conjugative. IncFII, IncR, IncX3, and IncL replicon types were predominant. The co-existence analysis revealed that the most prevalent of other resistance genes were blaTEM-1 (related to blaKPC), blaOXA-232 (related to blaOXA-48), bleMBL (related to blaNDM), and aac (6')-Ib4 (related to blaGES). The co-occurrence of carbapenemases was detected in 42 plasmids while 15 plasmids contained carbapenemase gene repetitions. Sequence alignments highlighted that plasmids carrying blaKPC and blaOXA-48-like were more homogeneous whereas the plasmids carrying blaNDM were divergent. It seems that K. pneumoniae utilizes diversity of genetic flexibility and recombination for resistance against carbapenems. The genetic structure of the plasmids showed that class I and III, Tn3 family, Tn5403 family derivatives, and Tn7-like elements were strongly associated with carbapenemases. The mobilizable plasmids carrying carbapenemases play an important role in the spread of these genes. In addition, gene repetition maybe is related to carbapenem heteroresistance. According to MST (minimum spanning tree) results, the majority of plasmids belonged to sequence type (ST) 11, ST14, and ST12. These international clones have a high capacity to acquire the carbapenemase-containing plasmids., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Aghamohammad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: This study aims to synthesize and characterize hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nano-HA) and evaluate their effects on the remineralization of demineralized enamel in the presence to Er,CR: YSGG laser irradiation., Materials and Methods: Enamel specimens from 44 human molars were divided into four groups: control, demineralized enamel, demineralized enamel treated with nano-HA, and demineralized enamel treated with nano-HA followed by Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation (0.5, 20 Hz, 60 µs, 20 s). Vickers microhardness test was used to evaluate the enamel surface hardness. The morphology and chemistry of enamel surfaces were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy, respectively., Result: The result of this study showed that the application of Er,CR: YSGG laser irradiation to demineralized enamel treated with nano-HA had the highest impact on its microhardness., Conclusion: ER,CR: YSGG laser irradiation promotes enamel remineralization after treatment with nano HA., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: Research findings on the relationship between vitamin D and suicide are not consistent; therefore, the objective of the present paper is to assess the relationship between vitamin D and suicide behaviors using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Method : A search strategy was developed using keywords including "Vitamin D", "Vitamin D deficiency", "suicide" "attempted suicide", "completed suicide", "Suicide, Attempted", "Suicidal Ideation." We searched databases including Scopus, Medline, Web of Science, and Google Scholar by July 7, 2022. We examined the titles, abstracts, and full texts of the articles to select eligible ones. To pool the results of the selected studies, we used the random-effect method and mean difference as the effect size. The quality of the articles was evaluated by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Moreover, heterogeneity and bias of reporting were evaluated by the I 2 statistic and Egger's and Begg's tests, respectively. Results: Out of 149 studies retrieved in the databases, 11 studies were included in the final phase. Among these, the pooled findings of seven studies included in the meta-analysis phase showed that low levels of vitamin D are related to increased probability for suicide behaviors (P < 0.05). Moreover, subgroup analysis showed a significant relationship between vitamin D and suicide ideation and suicide attempt (P < 0.05). In addition, the I 2 statistic indicated moderate heterogeneity (58%) and Egger's and Begg's tests did not show any evidence of publication bias (P > 0.05). Conclusion: This study provides evidence in favor of the relationship between vitamin D and suicide behaviors. It suggests that insufficient levels of vitamin D play a role in suicidal behaviors. However, it should be noted that further and stronger evidence is needed to establish this role. Finally, incorporating vitamin D-rich foods into the diet or taking vitamin D supplements is recommended to reduce the risk of suicide., Competing Interests: None., (Copyright © 2023 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Objective: Suicide is a significant public health concern worldwide, and efforts to prevent it are crucial. This study aims to assess suicide ideation among transgender individuals in Iran. A cross-sectional design was used, with 235 transgender participants recruited through snowball sampling across Iran. The data collection included a questionnaire containing demographic inquiries, while the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation was employed to gather data. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed using SPSS software., Results: The findings indicate that the prevalence of suicidal ideation among the transgender individuals in the study was 83%, with a mean score of 12.8 ± 8.8 on the suicide ideation scale. Individuals with lower levels of education, younger age, unemployment, and being divorced or single demonstrated significantly higher scores compared to others (p < 0.05). This study highlights the high prevalence of suicidal ideation among Iranian transgender individuals, particularly among those with lower age and education levels, as well as those who have not undergone gender reassignment surgery., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Aims: To identify informational and practical deficits of mothers of hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis and to determine the effect of intervention on enhancing mothers' participation in providing care., Design: This study was a two-group pre- and post-test quasi-experimental study., Methods: Sample size was eighty mothers of hospitalized children younger than 5 years with acute gastroenteritis in each group using consecutive sampling method. Based on the needs assessment, the training and practical demonstration were performed individually in the intervention group. The control group received usual and standard care. The care practice of mothers were observed before and three times after the intervention at a 1-day interval. The confidence level was 0.95., Results: After intervention, there was a significant increase in the mothers' care practice in the intervention group and a significant difference between the two groups. The participatory care approach could enhance mothers' practice in providing care to the hospitalized children with AGE., (© 2023 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background and Aims: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a severe parasitic disease affecting people, mostly in underdeveloped nations. As a zoonotic infection yearly incidence of CL depends on several parameters such as demographic, epidemiological, and environmental factors as well as prevention and control measures. The sudden outbreak of pandemics such as SARS-Corona-Virus-2 pandemic, can probably affect the incidence or reporting of other diseases, especially infectious diseases, in various ways such as pressure on health systems, providing sanitary services and its components, lockdowns and changes in people's living habits., Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the COVID-19 impact on the incidence and other epidemiological aspects as well as control measures of CL in Ilam Province-Iran., Methods: Required data was extracted from the CL registration system in Ilam from 2014 to 2021 to demonstrate the trend of CL incidence before and after COVID-19 pandemic., Results: Based on our results, a declining pattern of CL incidence was observed, accompanied by the advent and intensification of the viral pandemic in Iran and Ilam province. Although, this decreasing pattern was not integral in all areas, and even increase in CL detection was emphasized in some regions., Conclusion: It may be inferred that the COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt treatment programs of CL cases, rodent nest destruction, and fighting vector insects., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The envelope of a speech signal is tracked by neural activity in the cerebral cortex. The cortical tracking occurs mainly in two frequency bands, theta (4-8 Hz) and delta (1-4 Hz). Tracking in the faster theta band has been mostly associated with lower-level acoustic processing, such as the parsing of syllables, whereas the slower tracking in the delta band relates to higher-level linguistic information of words and word sequences. However, much regarding the more specific association between cortical tracking and acoustic as well as linguistic processing remains to be uncovered. Here, we recorded EEG responses to both meaningful sentences and random word lists in different levels of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) that lead to different levels of speech comprehension as well as listening effort. We then related the neural signals to the acoustic stimuli by computing the phase-locking value (PLV) between the EEG recordings and the speech envelope. We found that the PLV in the delta band increases with increasing SNR for sentences but not for the random word lists, showing that the PLV in this frequency band reflects linguistic information. When attempting to disentangle the effects of SNR, speech comprehension, and listening effort, we observed a trend that the PLV in the delta band might reflect listening effort rather than the other two variables, although the effect was not statistically significant. In summary, our study shows that the PLV in the delta band reflects linguistic information and might be related to listening effort., (© 2023 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.)

Objective: This study aimed to determine the impact of training based on the Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM) on blood pressure and self-management of patients with hypertension., Methods: This randomized controlled trial study was conducted. Seventy-two hypertensive patients were referred to the Farshchian Hospital clinic in Hamadan from April 2021 to March 2022. Samples were selected and randomly assigned to the intervention group ( n  = 36) and control group ( n  = 36). The intervention group participated in a training program based on the CSM in five sessions of 30-45 min for one month. Phone follow-up was also done once every three days. The control group only received routine clinic education. The clinic's nurse measured the patients' blood pressure, and the participants completed the self-management questionnaire before and three months after the start of the study., Results: A total of 68 participants completed the study. Results showed that before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in the mean scores of self-management and its dimensions, systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure between intervention and control groups ( P  > 0.05). However, after the intervention, the mean of systolic blood pressure (116.21 ± 14.52 vs. 128.62 ± 16.88) mmHg, mean arterial pressure (88.03 ± 8.47 vs. 98.11 ± 11.69) mmHg and the scores of self-management and its dimensions among patients in the intervention group were decreased comparison with control group ( P  < 0.05)., Conclusions: Education based on the CSM improved self-management and blood pressure reduction in hypertensive patients, so nurses should use it as an effective educational model., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to investigate the correlation between chronological age and dental pulp volume in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)., Materials and Methods: The literature was searched in 4 databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar). Within each study, the outcome of interest was the correlation (r) between chronological age and pulp volume. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted. Subgroup analysis was carried out according to sex and tooth type., Results: Of 5693 identified studies, 27 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were selected for meta-analysis. These articles focused on single-rooted teeth (n=21), multi-rooted teeth (n=6), maxillary teeth (n=14), mandibular teeth (n=6), and maxillary and mandibular teeth (n=12). The relationship between chronological age and dental pulp volume was examined in the entire population (r=-0.67), men (r=-0.75), and women (r=-0.77) in single- and multi-rooted teeth. The results of the total population analysis showed a relatively strong negative relationship between age and pulp volume., Conclusion: This study suggested that CBCT is a reliable and repeatable tool for dental age estimation. A strong inverse relationship was observed between pulp chamber volume and age. Further studies on the correlation between chronological age and pulp volume of multi-rooted teeth may be beneficial., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None, (Copyright © 2023 by Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.)

Objectives: Heart failure affects the physical, physiological, social, and activities of individuals. The study aimed to teach preventive behavior with Haddon strategy on self-care behavior and the consequences of heart failure., Methods: In this clinical trial, 96 patients with heart failure were randomly assigned to two groups. The Haddon group was educated with Haddon prevention strategies three times a week, for 60 minutes. A demographic questionnaire, self-care index, and consequences checklist were filled in both groups at the start of the study, discharge time, and one month after the last training session. Statistical analysis was done using independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square, Fisher and analysis of covariance, Friedman, and Cochran Q in SPSS with version 23., Results: Self-care behavior in the Haddon group after training significantly increased (p < 0.001). Disease consequences were significantly reduced in the Haddon group after training (p < 0.05). The consequences of the disease in Haddon group decreased during 4 weeks of monitoring and the changes were significant (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: It is suggested that this educational method could be used to increase self-care behavior, prevent hospitalizations, decrease symptoms, and improve quality of life for patients with heart failure., Practice Implications: Nurses can identify and manage risk factors for heart disease using the Haddon strategy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There is no conflict of interest between the authors., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Human polyomavirus type 1, or BK virus (BKV), is a ubiquitous pathogen belonging to the polyomaviridae family mostly known for causing BKV-associated nephropathy (BKVN) and allograft rejection in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) following the immunosuppression regimens recommended in these patients. Reduction of the immunosuppression level and anti-viral agents are the usual approaches for BKV clearance, which have not met a desired outcome yet. There are also debating matters such as the effect of this pathogen on emerging various comorbidities and the related malignancies in the human population. In this study, a reverse vaccinology approach was implemented to design a mRNA vaccine against BKV by identifying the most antigenic proteins of this pathogen. Potential immunogenic T and B lymphocyte epitopes were predicted through various immunoinformatic tools. The final epitopes were selected according to antigenicity, toxicity, allergenicity, and cytokine inducibility scores. According to the obtained results, the designed vaccine was antigenic, neutral at the physiological pH, non-toxic, and non-allergenic with a world population coverage of 93.77%. Since the mRNA codon optimization ensures the efficient expression of the vaccine in a host cell, evaluation of different parameters showed our designed mRNA vaccine has a stable structure. Moreover, it had strong interactions with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) according to the molecular dynamic simulation studies. The in silico immune simulation analyses revealed an overall increase in the immune responses following repeated exposure to the designed vaccine. Based on our findings, the vaccine candidate is ready to be tested as a promising novel mRNA therapeutic vaccine against BKV., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The keratin-degrading bacterium Bacillus licheniformis secretes a keratinase with potential industrial interest. Here, the Keratinase gene was intracellularly expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) using pET-21b (+) vector. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that KRLr1 is closely related to Bacillus licheniformis keratinase that belongs to the serine peptidase/subtilisin-like S8 family. Recombinant keratinase appeared on the SDS-PAGE gel with a band of about 38 kDa and was confirmed by western blotting. Expressed KRLr1 was purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography with a yield of 85.96% and then refolded. It was found that this enzyme has optimum activity at pH 6 and 37°C. PMSF inhibited the KRLr1 activity and Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ increased the KRLr1 activity. Using keratin 1% as the substrate, the thermodynamic values were determined as K m 14.54 mM, k cat 912.7 × 10 -3 (S -1 ), and k cat /K m 62.77 (M -1 S -1 ). Feather digestion by recombinant enzyme using HPLC method, showed that the amino acids cysteine, phenylalanine, tyrosine and lysine had the highest amount compared to other amino acids obtained from digestion. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of HADDOCK docking results exhibited that KRLr1 enzyme was able to interact strongly with chicken feather keratine 4 (FK4) compared to chicken feather keratine 12 (FK12). These properties make keratinase KRLr1 a potential candidate for various biotechnological applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Rahimnahal, Meimandipour, Fayazi, Asghar Karkhane, Shamsara, Beigi Nassiri, Mirzaei, Hamblin, Tarrahimofrad, Bakherad, Zamani and Mohammadi.)

The present study aimed to study the impact of neurofeedback on the academic performance of nursing students with academic failure., Methods: This study was an experimental one with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of this research was the nursing students of the Faculty of Nursing, Tehran University of Medical Sciences University of Medical Sciences. The sample of this study consisted of 60 individuals chosen by a simple random sampling method and two experiment groups ( N =30) and a control group ( N =30) were replaced by accident. Neurofeedback was an advanced Raven test and a researcher-made questionnaire for data collection. Thereafter, the experimental group was treated with neurofeedback for 7-10 weeks and 20 50-min therapeutic sessions as the experimental condition. In the first 130 s, the baseline was determined for the individual, and during the session, the baseline was practiced. Each session consisted of six exercises, each lasting 7 min., Results: The results of the covariance analysis showed that students who had an educational drop and were trained in neurofeedback sessions showed a significant increase in the next half ( P <0.05) compared to the control group., Conclusion: The results of this study showed that neurofeedback is an effective method for managing the academic performance of nursing students with academic failure., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is defined as a stable pattern of attention deficits or impulsive hyperactivity that can interfere with the functioning, growth, and development of individuals. It is believed that both the type of asthma and the medications used to treat it exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD., Methods and Materials: The present study was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted to investigate the incidence of asthma in ADHD patients aged 4-12 years who were referred to Urmia University of Medical Sciences clinics and hospitals. In this study, ADHD patients were diagnosed through a psychiatric interview and based on a paediatric asthma questionnaire (approved by asthma and allergy organizations and scientific institutions), and individuals with suspected asthma were selected. All 101 ADHD patients referred to these clinics during the specified period were examined. Five patients were excluded from the study because of lack of cooperation or incomplete information. Then, the selected subjects were divided into two age groups of less than 5 years and between 5 and 12 years. The final diagnosis of asthma was made by clinical findings and demographic questionnaire in subjects younger than 5 years, while it was made by spirometry in subjects between 5 and 12 years. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software., Results: The mean age of the 96 samples included in the study was 7.67 years with a standard deviation of 7.214. Sixteen of them (16.7%) were under 5 years of age and eighty of them (83.3%) were between 5 and 12 years of age. Asthma was diagnosed in 7 children under 5 years of age (7.3%) and in 14 children (14.6%) between 5 and 12 years of age. A total of 21 (21.9%) were diagnosed as having asthma after screening. On the basis of these results, the frequency of asthma according to classified age was significant ( P =0.020). The frequency of asthma based on sex and birth rank was also examined, and none of these factors showed a significant association with asthma. Medications taken by the ADHD patients were also examined in this study. The most commonly used medications in both groups of patients with asthma and no asthmatic patients were a combination of risperidone and atomoxetine or risperidone alone. The prevalence of asthma in the target population was also assessed in terms of parental smoking., Conclusions: According to the results of this study, the incidence of asthma in ADHD patients aged 4-12 years is high, and this case is more frequent in subjects younger than 5 years than in subjects aged 5-12 years. It should be noted that according to the results of the present study, there was no significant association between birth rank, parental smoking, ADHD medication, and the frequency of asthma., Competing Interests: NA., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Aging is a biological process determined through time-related cellular and functional impairments, leading to a decreased standard of living for the organism. Recently, there has been an unprecedented advance in the aging investigation, especially the detection that the rate of senescence is at least somewhat regulated via evolutionarily preserved genetic pathways and biological processes. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) maintain blood generation over the whole lifetime of an organism. The senescence process influences many of the natural features of HSC, leading to a decline in their capabilities, independently of their microenvironment. New studies show that HSCs are sensitive to age-dependent stress and gradually lose their self-renewal and regeneration potential with senescence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally inhibit translation or stimulate target mRNA cleavage of target transcripts via the sequence-particular connection. MiRNAs control various biological pathways and processes, such as senescence. Several miRNAs are differentially expressed in senescence, producing concern about their use as moderators of the senescence process. MiRNAs play an important role in the control of HSCs and can also modulate processes associated with tissue senescence in specific cell types. In this review, we display the contribution of age-dependent alterations, including DNA damage, epigenetic landscape, metabolism, and extrinsic factors, which affect HSCs function during aging. In addition, we investigate the particular miRNAs regulating HSCs senescence and age-associated diseases. Video Abstract., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of saffron, crocin, and safranal on serum levels of oxidants and antioxidants in diabetic rats. The authors searched the databases with standard keywords until June 8, 2021. The random-effects model was used to pool standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals to assess the effects of saffron and its active component. To investigate heterogeneity, subgroup analysis and meta-regression were utilized. Begg and Egger's tests were used to measure publication bias. Our results showed that saffron, crocin, and safranal were able to significantly reduce the serum levels of oxidants with strong efficacy so that saffron had the highest effectiveness on serum malondialdehyde (SMD, -2.84 (μmol/L) [95% confidence interval (CI), -4.32 to -1.36]; p  < .001, I 2  = 83.5%). In addition, saffron and its effective compounds were highly effective by increasing the serum level of antioxidants. In addition, saffron and its effective compounds were able to significantly increase the serum level of antioxidants with strong efficacy, while saffron had the highest effect on the serum level of total antioxidant capacity (SMD, 3.90 (μmol/L) [95% CI, 0.78-7.03]; p  = .014, I 2  = 86.9%). The findings of this study show that treatment with saffron, crocin, and safranal by strengthening the antioxidant defense system and modulating oxidative stress shows antidiabetic effects in the diabetic model of rats, also these findings support the potential effect of saffron and its effective compounds for the management of diabetes and its complications. However, more human studies are needed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Genetic analysis of non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) has been challenged due to marked clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Today, advanced next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, such as exome sequencing (ES), have drastically increased the efficacy of gene identification in heterogeneous Mendelian disorders. Here, we present the utility of ES and re-evaluate the phenotypic data for identifying candidate causal variants for previously unexplained progressive moderate to severe NSHL in an extended Iranian family. Using this method, we identified a known heterozygous nonsense variant in exon 26 of the DIAPH1 gene (MIM: 602121), which led to "Deafness, autosomal dominant 1, with or without thrombocytopenia; DFNA1" (MIM: 124900) in this large family in the absence of GJB2 disease-causing variants and also OtoSCOPE-negative results. To the best of our knowledge, this nonsense variant (NM&#95;001079812.3):c.3610C>T (p.Arg1204Ter) is the first report of the DIAPH1 gene variant for autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss (ADNSHL) in Iran., (© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

The aim of this research was to conduct a risk assessment and management of psychological, structural, social and economic determinants (PSSED) in a suicide attempt. The sample consisted of 353 individuals who had a recorded history of suicidal attempt; and 20 professional individuals by purposive sampling method within a descriptive cross-sectional design. Worksheets for RAM and AHP were used for data collection in this study. The rate of suicide attempt was 7.21 per 100,000 population in this study. Analysis showed that depression and mental disorders; personality disorders; family problems; socio-cultural and economic problems; lack of awareness; and low level of education have a high level of risk for suicide attempts. Psychiatric and psychological services; awareness and knowledge of life skills; medical services to dysfunctional families; development of community-based planning for PSSED of suicide; and employment and entrepreneurship services may lower suicide attempt risk.

Objective: Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most common microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus that finally leads to complete loss of kidney function. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of crocin and losartan on TGF-β gene expression and histopathology of kidney tissue in a rat model of diabetic nephropathy., Materials and Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=8): Untreated control, Diabetic (D), D + crocin, D + losartan, and D + losartan + crocin. Induction of diabetes was performed using streptozotocin (50 mg/kg/ Intraperitoneal injection). At the end of the eight-week period, the rats were sacrificed. Spectrophotometry measured serum glucose, urea, creatinine, and uric acid levels. Microalbumin and creatinine levels were measured in 24-hour urine. Real-time PCR was used to determine the relative expression of the TGF-β gene in kidney tissue. Renal tissue histopathology was also examined., Results: The results showed that hyperglycemia increased biochemical factors associated with diabetes, TGF-β gene expression, and kidney damage. Separate treatment with crocin and losartan led to a decrease in renal function factors and TGF-β gene expression and improved kidney damage., Conclusion: Our results showed that crocin could improve kidney function in diabetic conditions. In addition, we showed that crocin increases the effectiveness of losartan. Consequently, we suggest that crocin in combination with chemical drugs can be a potential therapeutic agent for diabetes and its complications. Nonetheless, human studies are needed to make firm findings., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that there is no conflict of interest.

Objective: One of the systemic infections is Brucellosis which is caused by facultative intracellular bacteria of the genus Brucella. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble prohormone, that metabolizes enzymes and its intracellular receptor creates the active hormone and also mediate in responses of immune system., Methods: Current research consists of 102 patients with brucellosis who were selected based on culture, PCR results serology, and clinical symptoms. The control group composed of 102 healthy people. The polymorphism of genes (Bsm I, Fok I, Taq I, Apa I) encoding Vitamin D receptor (VDR) were assessed by the PCR-RFLP method., Results: The results showed that ff, tt, aa, and bb genotypes in Fok I, ApaI, TaqI, and BsmI were significant in case/control groups (P-value ≤ 0.0001). The genotype frequency AA in the control group is higher than that of the study group, while genotype frequency aa in the study group is more than the control. The odds ratio for brucellosis in individuals with ff genotype is 37 times higher than that of Ff genotype. Also, the odds ratio of brucellosis in individuals with genotype tt, aa, and bb was 12, 53, and 6 times higher than those of the Aa, Bb, and Tt genotypes., Conclusion: The genotypes aa and ff in the positions of the ApaI and FokI are of higher importance. The brucellosis risk in individuals accompanied aa genotype at Apa I is 53 times higher than that of the genotype AA, in other words, AA and BB, TT and FF genotypes are protective against the disease., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background: Diabetes is a multifactorial and growing disease, one of the severe complications of which is diabetic nephropathy (DN), which is the most common cause of chronic renal failure. FERM domain containing 3 (FRMD3) is responsible for maintaining the shape and integrity of nephron cells, and bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) helps maintain function and reduce kidney damage. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of crocin and losartan on biochemical parameters and the expression of FRMD3 and BMP7 genes in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats., Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five experimental groups as healthy, diabetic control (D), crocin, losartan, and diabetic rats treated with losartan-crocin (n = 8). A single dose of STZ (50 mg/kg intraperitoneally injection) was used to induce diabetes. Four weeks after induction of diabetes, rats received crocin (50 mg/kg) and losartan (25 mg/kg) daily for four weeks orally. Rats were sacrificed at the end of the intervention, and blood samples were taken to determine serum levels of glucose, urea, creatinine (Cr), malondialdehyde (MDA), and thiol. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to assess the expression of the FRMD3 and BMP7 genes in the kidney samples., Results: Diabetes induction increased serum levels of glucose, Cr, urea, MDA, and thiol, but decreased BMP7 and FRMD3 genes expression. Treatment with crocin and losartan decreased these biochemical parameters and increased the expression of the BMP7 and FRMD3 genes., Discussion: Crocin may be a promising therapeutic agent for preventing and improving diabetes-related kidney disease due to its antidiabetic and antioxidant properties.

Multiples of the normal median (MoM) of free βHCG is a valuable parameter in evaluation of risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. In the current retrospective study, we assessed the maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant women having free βHCG MoM levels < 0.2 or > 5 in their first trimester screening (FTS). Relative risk of trisomy 21 was significantly higher in patients having free βHCG MoM > 5. On the other hand, relative risk of trisomies 13 and 18 and Turner syndrome were higher in those having free βHCG MoM < 0.2. Other chromosomal abnormalities were nearly equally detected between those having free βHCG MoM < 0.2 or > 5. Relative risk of hydrocephaly and hydrops fetalis was higher when free βHCG MoM was below 0.2. On the other hand, relative risk of low birth weight was higher when free βHCG MoM was above 5. Moreover, frequency of gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, preterm delivery and vaginal bleeding increased with levels of free βHCG MoM. However, polyhydramnios had the opposite trend. Frequencies of premature rupture of membranes and pregnancy induced hypertension were highest among pregnant women having levels of free βHCG MoM < 0.2. The current study indicates importance of free βHCG MoM in identification of at-risk pregnancies in terms of both fetal and maternal outcomes. In fact, βHCG MoM < 0.2 or > 5 can be regarded as risk factors for adverse maternal or fetal outcomes irrespective of the presence of other abnormalities in the FTS results., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Brucellosis is a zoonotic caused by the Brucella which is a well-known infectious disease agent in domestic animals and if transmitted, it can cause infection in humans. Because brucellosis is contagious, its control depends on the eradication of the animal disease in farms. There are two vaccines based on the killed and/or weakened bacteria against B. melitensis and B. abortus , but no recombinant vaccine is available for preventing the disease. The present study was designed to develop a multi-epitope vaccine against of B. melitensis and B. abortus using virB10, Omp31 and Omp16 antigens by the prediction of T lymphocytes, T cell cytotoxicity and IFN-γ epitopes. 50S L7/L12 Ribosomal protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was used as a bovine TLR4 and TLR9 agonist. GPGPG, AAY and KK linkers were used as a linker. Brucella construct was well-integrated in the pET-32a Shuttle vector with BamH I and Hind III restriction enzymes. The final construct contained 769 amino acids, that it was soluble protein of about ∼82 kDa after expression in the Escherichia coli SHuffle host. Modeled protein analysis based on the tertiary structure validation, molecular docking studies, molecular dynamics simulations results like RMSD, Gyration and RMSF as well as MM/PBSA analysis showed that this protein has a stable construct and is capable being in interaction with bovine TLR4 and TLR9. Analysis of the data obtained suggests that the proposed vaccine can induce the immune response by stimulating T- and B-cells, and may be used for prevention and remedial purposes, against B. melitensis and B. abortus. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.