Search

Background: Salvage radiation therapy (sRT) is often the sole curative option in patients with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. After sRT, we developed and validated a nomogram to predict freedom from biochemical failure., Objective: This study aims to evaluate prostate-specific membrane antigen-positron emission tomography (PSMA-PET)-based sRT efficacy for postprostatectomy prostate-specific antigen (PSA) persistence or recurrence. Objectives include developing a random survival forest (RSF) model for predicting biochemical failure, comparing it with a Cox model, and assessing predictive accuracy over time. Multinational cohort data will validate the model's performance, aiming to improve clinical management of recurrent prostate cancer., Methods: This multicenter retrospective study collected data from 13 medical facilities across 5 countries: Germany, Cyprus, Australia, Italy, and Switzerland. A total of 1029 patients who underwent sRT following PSMA-PET-based assessment for PSA persistence or recurrence were included. Patients were treated between July 2013 and June 2020, with clinical decisions guided by PSMA-PET results and contemporary standards. The primary end point was freedom from biochemical failure, defined as 2 consecutive PSA rises >0.2 ng/mL after treatment. Data were divided into training (708 patients), testing (271 patients), and external validation (50 patients) sets for machine learning algorithm development and validation. RSF models were used, with 1000 trees per model, optimizing predictive performance using the Harrell concordance index and Brier score. Statistical analysis used R Statistical Software (R Foundation for Statistical Computing), and ethical approval was obtained from participating institutions., Results: Baseline characteristics of 1029 patients undergoing sRT PSMA-PET-based assessment were analyzed. The median age at sRT was 70 (IQR 64-74) years. PSMA-PET scans revealed local recurrences in 43.9% (430/979) and nodal recurrences in 27.2% (266/979) of patients. Treatment included dose-escalated sRT to pelvic lymphatics in 35.6% (349/979) of cases. The external outlier validation set showed distinct features, including higher rates of positive lymph nodes (47/50, 94% vs 266/979, 27.2% in the learning cohort) and lower delivered sRT doses (<66 Gy in 57/979, 5.8% vs 46/50, 92% of patients; P<.001). The RSF model, validated internally and externally, demonstrated robust predictive performance (Harrell C-index range: 0.54-0.91) across training and validation datasets, outperforming a previously published nomogram., Conclusions: The developed RSF model demonstrates enhanced predictive accuracy, potentially improving patient outcomes and assisting clinicians in making treatment decisions., (©Ali Janbain, Andrea Farolfi, Armelle Guenegou-Arnoux, Louis Romengas, Sophia Scharl, Stefano Fanti, Francesca Serani, Jan C Peeken, Sandrine Katsahian, Iosif Strouthos, Konstantinos Ferentinos, Stefan A Koerber, Marco E Vogel, Stephanie E Combs, Alexis Vrachimis, Alessio Giuseppe Morganti, Simon KB Spohn, Anca-Ligia Grosu, Francesco Ceci, Christoph Henkenberens, Stephanie GC Kroeze, Matthias Guckenberger, Claus Belka, Peter Bartenstein, George Hruby, Louise Emmett, Ali Afshar Omerieh, Nina-Sophie Schmidt-Hegemann, Lucas Mose, Daniel M Aebersold, Constantinos Zamboglou, Thomas Wiegel, Mohamed Shelan. Originally published in JMIR Cancer (https://cancer.jmir.org), 20.09.2024.)

Iran has invariably been under the growing public health threat of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a significant barrier to local development that hinders the prevention and control efforts toward eliminating the disease. So far, no comprehensive and in-depth epidemiological analysis of the CL situation has been carried out nationwide. This study aimed to employ advanced statistical models to analyze the data collected through the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention of Communicable Diseases during 1989-2020. However, we emphasized the current trends, 2013-2020, to study temporal and spatial CL patterns. In the country, the epidemiology of CL is incredibly intricate due to various factors. This fact indicates that the basic infrastructure, the preceding supports, and the implementation plan related to preventive and therapeutic measures need crucial support. The leishmaniasis situation analysis is consistent with desperate requirements for efficient information on the control program in the area. This review provides evidence of temporally regressive and spatially expanding incidence of CL with characteristic geographical patterns and disease hotspots, signifying an urgent need for comprehensive control strategies. This information could be a suitable model and practical experience in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, where over 80% of CL is reported., 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 Sharifi, Khosravi, Aflatoonian, Salarkia, Bamorovat, Karamoozian, Nekoei Moghadam, Sharifi, Aghaei Afshar, Agha Kuchak Afshari, Gharachorloo, Shirzadi, Amiri, Zainali, Doosti, Zamani and Gouya.)

Due to the implications of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on the environment and public health, great attention has been recently made to finding innovative materials and methods for PFAS removal. In this work, PFAS is considered universal contamination which can be found in many wastewater streams. Conventional materials and processes used to remove and degrade PFAS do not have enough competence to address the issue particularly when it comes to eliminating short-chain PFAS. This is mainly due to the large number of complex parameters that are involved in both material and process designs. Here, we took the advantage of artificial intelligence to introduce a model (XGBoost) in which material and process factors are considered simultaneously. This research applies a machine learning approach using data collected from reported articles to predict the PFAS removal factors. The XGBoost modeling provided accurate adsorption capacity, equilibrium, and removal estimates with the ability to predict the adsorption mechanisms. The performance comparison of adsorbents and the role of AI in one dominant are studied and reviewed for the first time, even though many studies have been carried out to develop PFAS removal through various adsorption methods such as ion exchange, nanofiltration, and activated carbon (AC). The model showed that pH is the most effective parameter to predict PFAS removal. The proposed model in this work can be extended for other micropollutants and can be used as a basic framework for future adsorbent design and process optimization., 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 © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Since the authors are not responding to the editor’s requests to fulfill the editorial requirement, therefore, the article has been withdrawn., Bentham Science apologizes to the readers of the journal for any inconvenience this may have caused., The Bentham Editorial Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://benthamscience.com/editorial-policies-main.php, Bentham Science Disclaimer: It is a condition of publication that manuscripts submitted to this journal have not been published and will not be simultaneously submitted or published elsewhere. Furthermore, any data, illustration, structure or table that has been published elsewhere must be reported, and copyright permission for reproduction must be obtained. Plagiarism is strictly forbidden, and by submitting the article for publication the authors agree that the publishers have the legal right to take appropriate action against the authors, if plagiarism or fabricated information is discovered. By submitting a manuscript the authors agree that the copyright of their article is transferred to the publishers if and when the article is accepted for publication., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net)

This study utilized a facile one-pot protocol to synthesize Ni-cobalt zeolitic imidazolate framework (Ni-ZIF-67) nanocomposite, which was then characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The Ni-ZIF-67 nanocomposite was subsequently applied to modify a screen-printed electrode (SPE) as a durable sensor for detection of Sudan I concomitantly with bisphenol A (BPA), with remarkably increased electrochemical response when comparing with a bare SPE. The results showed the calibration plot to be linear in the concentration range between 0.03 μM and 535.0 μM, with a narrow limit of detection of 9.0 nM (S/N = 3). Our proposed protocol was successful in detecting target analytes in real tap water and food specimens., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

There is little research examining how individuals' daily experience during a pandemic affects their daily mental health status and work performance. To address this knowledge gap, we invoke conservation of resources theory to propose a resource-based framework explaining how individuals' daily COVID-19 intrusive experience affects their daily mental health status (depression and anxiety) and work performance via its effect on daily psychosocial resource loss and gain; We further examine whether their supervisors' daily visionary leadership behaviour alleviates the adverse impacts of daily COVID-19 intrusive experience. Results, based on daily diary data from 139 football players (or soccer players) at 15 professional football clubs over 5 days during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided support for our predictions. Our study extends the literature by providing previously undocumented evidence on daily within-person variations in mental health status and work performance during a pandemic and by offering theory-driven insights into the mediating and moderating mechanisms involved in within-person variations., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: Successful orthognathic surgery is fundamentally based on accurately carrying out the intended surgical plan intraoperatively. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of bone-borne patient-specific maxillary cutting guides and 3-dimensional (3D)-printed plates in repositioning the maxilla during bimaxillary orthognathic surgery., Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective case series consisting of patients who had undergone Le Fort I osteotomy with a patient-specific cutting guide and 3D-printed plate as well as a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy and had 6-week postoperative cone-beam computed tomography studies. The primary outcome variable was the difference between the position of the postoperative maxilla and the virtually planned maxilla measured at 10 landmarks in 3 dimensions. Other study variables included the preoperative diagnosis and planned surgical movement at each landmark. Descriptive statistics were tabulated, and bivariate analyses were performed., Results: A total of 10 patients were included in this study. The mean age was 25.7 ± 8.1 years, and there were 5 female patients. The median planned surgical movement was 0.350 mm on the x-axis (right-left), 3.750 mm on the y-axis (anterior-posterior), and 1.704 mm on the z-axis (superior-inferior). The median absolute discrepancy between the postoperative position and the planned position on the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis was 0.638, 0.798, and 0.481 mm, respectively. There was no significant difference in the discrepancies between the x-axis and y-axis (P = .575), x-axis and z-axis (P = .332), and y-axis and z-axis (P = .114)., Conclusions: Using a patient-specific cutting guide and 3D-printed plate when performing Le Fort I osteotomy allows for accurate 3-dimensional positioning of the maxilla in accordance with the surgical plan., (Copyright © 2020 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Metallothionein-3 (MT3) is an antioxidant protein that alters after exposure to heavy metals. In this study, we investigated the hepatic and renal expression of MT3 gene following exposure to lead acetate (PbAc) alone and PbAc plus CoQ10 as an adjuvant antioxidant. Twenty-four rats were allocated into three groups, including control, PbAc (free access to drinking water contaminated with PbAc at 1 g/100 ml), and PbAc plus CoQ10 (10 mg/kg/day Oral). After 28 consecutive days of treatment, the mRNA expression of MT3 and Cyt-c genes and MT3 protein levels were assessed using real-time PCR and immunosorbent assay. The serum lipid profile was also monitored in the three groups. PbAc exposure significantly reduced the hepatic and renal MT3 mRNA and protein expression compared to the control group. This reduction was significantly increased with addition of CoQ10 to levels near those of the control group. The hepatic and renal expression of Cyt-c mRNA increased after treatment with PbAc, while such effect was reversed after addition of CoQ10. Alteration in lipid profile including increased cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels were observed after PbAc exposure which were counteracted by CoQ10. Our results confirm the cytotoxic effects of acute lead exposure manifested as changes in the serum lipid profile and cellular levels of Cyt-c mRNA. These cytotoxic effects may have been caused by decreased MT3 gene expression and be reduced by the protective role of CoQ10.

Background: Collecting live sand flies from indoor sites is a major challenge for researchers in large cities due to the reluctance of families to survey their homes. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of two methods for collecting sand flies for use in susceptibility tests in the urban area of Kerman, southeastern Iran., Methods: Sandflies were mainly collected using both baited traps and hand catch methods from outdoor and indoor sites. Susceptibility tests were separately done according to the standard World Health Organization testing protocol on Phlebotomus sergenti , including 60-minute exposure to DDT 4.0%, propoxur 0.1%, deltamethrin 0.05%, and malathion 5.0%., Results: During this research, the natural habitats and suitable indoor sites were selected to predict the density of live sand fly with perfect accuracy. The number of live Ph. sergenti caught by hand catch and baited traps methods was 42 and 361 in indoor and outdoor sites, respectively. The mortality rate of Ph. sergenti exposed to DDT 4%, deltamethrin 0.05, malathion 5%, and propoxur was 100%., Conclusion: The baited traps showed a significant efficiency compared to hand catch for collecting live Ph. sergenti for use in susceptibility tests in urban areas. The Ph. sergenti collected from both indoor and outdoor sites were susceptible to all insecticides., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Objective: We aim to provide early evidence of mental distress and its associated predictors among adults one month into the COVID-19 crisis in Brazil., Methods: We conducted an online survey of 638 adults in Brazil on March 25-28, 2020, about one month (32 days) cross-sectionally after the first COVID-19 case in South America was confirmed in São Paulo. The 638 adults were in 25 states out of the 26 Brazilian states, with the only exception being Roraima, the least populated state in the Amazon. Of all the participating adults, 24%, 20%, and 18% of them were located in Rio de Janeiro state, Santa Catarina state, and São Paulo state respectively., Results: In Brazil, 52% (332) of the sampled adults experienced mild or moderate distress, and 18.8% (120) suffered severe distress. Adults who were female, younger, more educated, and exercised less reported higher levels of distress. Each individual's distance from the Brazilian epicenter of São Paulo interacted with age and workplace attendance to predict the level of distress. The "typhoon eye effect" was stronger for people who were older or attended their workplace less. The most vulnerable adults were those who were far from the epicenter and did not go to their workplace in the week before the survey., Conclusion: Identifying the predictors of distress enables mental health services to better target finding and helping the more mentally vulnerable adults during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, social media platforms have become active sites for the dissemination of conspiracy theories that provide alternative explanations of the cause of the pandemic, such as secret plots by powerful and malicious groups. However, the association of individuals' beliefs in conspiracy theories about COVID-19 with mental health and well-being issues has not been investigated. This association creates an assessable channel to identify and provide assistance to people with mental health and well-being issues during the pandemic., Objective: Our aim was to provide the first evidence that belief in conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 pandemic is a predictor of the mental health and well-being of health care workers., Methods: We conducted a survey of 252 health care workers in Ecuador from April 10 to May 2, 2020. We analyzed the data regarding distress and anxiety caseness with logistic regression and the data regarding life and job satisfaction with linear regression., Results: Among the 252 sampled health care workers in Ecuador, 61 (24.2%) believed that the virus was developed intentionally in a lab; 82 (32.5%) experienced psychological distress, and 71 (28.2%) had anxiety disorder. Compared to health care workers who were not sure where the virus originated, those who believed the virus was developed intentionally in a lab were more likely to report psychological distress and anxiety disorder and to have lower levels of job satisfaction and life satisfaction., Conclusions: This paper identifies belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories as an important predictor of distress, anxiety, and job and life satisfaction among health care workers. This finding will enable mental health services to better target and provide help to mentally vulnerable health care workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic., (©Xi Chen, Stephen X Zhang, Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi, Aldo Alvarez-Risco, Huiyang Dai, Jizhen Li, Verónica García Ibarra. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 21.07.2020.)

Background and Objectives: The new beta-coronavirus, which caused Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus-2 Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2), a major respiratory outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019, is now prevalent in many countries around the world. Identifying PCR-based viruses is a well-known and relatively stable protocol. Unfortunately, the high mutation rates may lead to widespread changes in viral nucleic acid sequences, and so using specific primers for PCR can be recommended. In this study, we evaluated the power of a conventional RT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA among the five set primer sets., Materials and Methods: The five genomic regions of the Coronavirus SARS-2 virus including Nucleocapsids (N), Envelope (E), RNA depended RNA Polymerase (RdRp), ORF1ab and Spike (S) were selected for primer designing. A conventional RT-PCR was performed to compare sensitivity, specificity and other analytical characteristics of primers designed against two Real Time PCR commercial kits., Results: The result of the comparative analysis showed that the ORF1ab, N and RdRp primers had a sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value higher than other primers. A significant difference in the analytical sensitivity between the studied primer sets in RT-PCR kits was observed., Conclusion: In this study, the ORF1ab, Nucleocapsid and RdRp regions have the best primers for identifying the SARS-CoV-2 RNA between different genes that have been suggested., (Copyright© 2020 Iranian Neuroscience Society.)

The objective of the present study was to compare the host's immune responses between unresponsive and responsive patients with anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) treated by meglumine antimoniate. A case-control study was carried out in an endemic focus in Iran. Blood samples were taken from patients and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated. Two wells were considered for each isolate of unresponsive and responsive patients; one was exposed to L. tropica (Lt-stimulated cells) and the other remained non-exposed (non-stimulated cells). After 24 h of incubation, whole RNA was extracted from each sample. Real-time quantitative PCR was carried out to confirm the differences in expression levels of IL-12 P40, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-4 and IL-10 among isolates. Data were analyzed and P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. In our study, Lt-stimulated cells and non-stimulated cells in unresponsive groups demonstrated significantly lower expression levels of IL-1β, IL-12 P40 and IFN-γ genes and higher expression levels of IL-4 and IL-10 genes, compared to Lt-stimulated cells and non-stimulated cells in responsive groups. There was a negative correlation between IL-12 P40 with IL-10 and IL-1β with IL-10 in ACL Lt-stimulated cells in unresponsive group, while a positive correlation between IL-12 P40 with IL-1β and IL-12 P40 with IFN-γ in ACL Lt-stimulated cells in responsive group. Probably, different immune responses caused by various factors play a major role in the pathogenesis and development of unresponsiveness in ACL patients. The profile and timing of cytokine production correlated well with the treatment outcome of Leishmania infection., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Although hydrological models play an essential role in managing water resources, quantifying different sources of uncertainties is a challenging task. In this study, the application of two parameter uncertainty quantification methods and their performances for predicting runoff was investigated. Sequential Uncertainty Fitting version 2 (SUFI-2) and DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM-ZS) algorithms were employed to explore the output uncertainty of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) at a multisite flow gauging station. In order to optimize the model and quantify the parameter uncertainty, S1 and S2 strategies, which belong to the SUFI-2 and DREAM-ZS algorithms, were defined. The prior ranges of the S1 were adopted from SWAT manual, and the prior ranges of the S2 were selected using a compromising approach between the prior and posterior ranges extracted from S1. P-factor, d-factor, Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (NS), the dimensionless variant of average deviation amplitude (S), and the average relative deviation amplitude (T), as performance criteria, were assessed. The NS, S, and T for total uncertainty ranged 0.60-0.71, 0.46-0.51, and 0.94-1.01 under S1 strategy and 0.64-0.78, 0.07-0.22, and 0.39-0.64 under S2, respectively. In parameter uncertainty analysis, S and T indices ranged from 1.51 to 1.88 and 2.20 to 2.60, correspondingly. The results showed that the DREAM-ZS algorithm improved model calibration efficiency and led to more realistic values of the parameters for runoff simulation in SWAT model. However, the S2 strategy, which implicitly takes advantage of both formal and informal Bayesian approaches simultaneously, will be able to outperform the S1 for reducing the prediction uncertainties.

Medically important flies that majority of them are classified to synanthropic flies can be mechanical vectors for some of contagious diseases to human and many animals. Also some species of their larvae are cause of myiasis in human and livestock animals. The aim of this study was to determine the geographical distribution of medically important flies in Iran using Geographical Information System (GIS). All published English and Persian documents on medically important flies of Iran from reliable medical sciences resources were gathered. A database was then designed in Excel format, including all available information regarding flies. The valid data were transferred to ArcGIS 10.3 to prepare the first spatial database of medically important flies and human myiasis foci of Iran. The Iran Medical Important Flies base includes 71 papers and three PhD/MSc theses, reporting studies conducted during 1977-2017. This database contains different available data covering their faunistic and all myiasis data reports related to flies of 102 species in nine families of medical important flies in Iran. Twenty-three out of the 31 provinces of Iran, had some reports of medically important flies. However, these flies have high species diversity, wide geographical distribution and with various ecological niches in different provinces in Iran. Besides that, there are many high-risk foci of human myiasis in a number of provinces of Iran.

Synanthropic fly species can be potential mechanical vectors of many infectious agents. The potential of the flies to carry Echinococcus granulosus eggs is not fully documented. The purpose of the present study was to determine the possible role of non-biting flies to carry taeniid eggs. A total of 210 flies were collected from seven selected sites in areas of Kerman city, southeastern Iran from November 2016 to May 2017. Adult flies were live-caught using sweeping nets. Flies were placed individually in small glass bottles and transported to the laboratory. All the flies were killed by deep freezing and then identified to the species level using both morphological and molecular methods. The flies were homogenized in test tubes and genomic DNA was extracted and amplified by PCR. PCR protocols were used both to identify the live-caught flies to the species level, and for the detection of E. granulosus. The laboratory reared second generation flies were experimentally exposed to dog feces manually spiked by Echinococcus eggs. Two runs of experiments with 1-3 h of exposure were designed. For each experiment 20 flies were selected from the stock colony and were starved for three days. After each experiment, the flies were frozen for further molecular studies. The dominant fly species were Musca domestica and Lucilia sericata. No eggs were found on the body surface and/or guts of live-caught flies. After the first hour of exposure, 60%, of the flies of both species were found to harbor Echinococcus eggs. However, in the case of L. sericata 50% of the flies harbored Echinococcus eggs after 3 h of exposure. Results of the present study indicate the probable role of synanthropic flies in harboring Echinococcus eggs and mechanical transmission of cystic echinococcosis. When the helminth eggs are susceptible to desiccation grooming flies can remove many of eggs from exterior surfaces of them. Despite this result the role of synanthropic flies in the transmission of certain helminthiases should not be discounted because of their vagility and feeding mechanisms., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Previous research indicates that high tie of the inferior mesenteric artery during anterior resection for rectal cancer might be associated with an increased risk of postoperative functional disturbances. The goal of this population-based retrospective cohort study was to further investigate that association., Method: Patients who underwent anterior resection for rectal cancer from April 2011 to September 2012 were identified through the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry. Bowel and urogenital function were assessed by a postal questionnaire 2 years after surgery. Information on the level of mesenteric tie and clinical variables was retrieved from the registry. The outcome was defined as any defaecatory, urinary or sexual dysfunction as reported by the patient. The association between high tie and the outcome was evaluated with multivariable logistic and linear regression with adjustment for confounders, such as sex, body mass index, comorbidity and preoperative radiation., Results: With a response rate of 86%, 805 patients were included in the study. Of these, 46% were operated with high tie. After adjustment for confounders, high tie did not affect the risk of faecal incontinence (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.59-1.22), urinary incontinence (OR 0.94; 95% CI 0.63-1.41) or various aspects of sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction, anejaculation, dyspareunia and coital vaginal dryness). However, an association between high tie and defaecation at night was detected (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.02-2.03)., Conclusion: This study does not support that the level of vascular tie influences the risk of major defaecatory, urinary or sexual disturbances 2 years after anterior resection for rectal cancer., (Colorectal Disease © 2017 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.)

Gastric cancer (GC) is a multifactorial disease with different factors having roles in its genesis. Helicobacter pylori and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are known infectious agents that could contribute. In addition, there is evidence of a relationship with cytomegalovirus (CMV). Since data on CMV prevalence in gastric cancer are limited, we here evaluated the frequency of EBV and CMV in Iranian patients. Ninety paraffin blocks of GC tissues from patients in Kerman were evaluated for the presence of EBV and CMV genomes by real-time polymerase chain reaction. EBV was detected in 10 cases (11.1%) and CMV in seven. One out of 17 female patients (5.88%) and nine out of 73 male patients (12.3%) were positive for EBV, while one out of 17 female patients (5.88%) and six out of 73 male patients (8.22%) were positive for CMV. The mean age for EBV-positive patients was 60.5±14.9 years and the mean age for CMV-positive patients was 67.9±12.3years. This study shows that the frequency of EBV-associated GC is high in Kerman. It also indicates that further studies of associations between GC and CMV are warranted, covering larger samples and populations from different areas of the world.

Aim: To develop and statistically optimize nanoethosomal formulation for transdermal delivery of vinpocetine as an anti-Alzheimer's drug., Materials and Methods: Box-Behnken experimental design was applied for optimization of nanoethosomes. The independent variables were phospholipid (X 1 ), Tween 80 (X 2 ) and Ethanol (X 3 ) while entrapment efficiency (Y 1 ), particle sizes (Y 2 ), elasticity (Y 3 ) and flux (Y 4 ) were the dependent variables., Results and Conclusion: Optimized nanoethosomal vinpocetine formulation with mean particle size 50.57 ± 26.11 nm showed 97.51 ± 0.86% entrapment efficiency, achieved mean transdermal flux 925.60 ± 39.80 µg/cm 2 /h and elasticity of 86.61 ± 2.88. Ex-vivo study of nanoethosomal formulation showed a significant increase flux and entrapment efficiency compared with control vinpocetine solution. Our results suggest that nanoethosome is an efficient carrier for transdermal delivery of vinpocetine as compared to its oral form.

We report a simple yet highly efficient chemical motor that can be controlled with visible light. The motor made from a noble metal and doped silicon acts as a pump, which is driven through a light-activated catalytic reaction process. We show that the actuation is based on electro-osmosis with the electric field generated by chemical reactions at the metal and silicon surfaces, whereas the contribution of diffusio-osmosis to the actuation is negligible. Surprisingly, the pump can be operated using water as fuel. This is possible because of the large ζ-potential of silicon, which makes the electro-osmotic fluid motion sizable even though the electric field generated by the reaction is weak. The electro-hydrodynamic process is greatly amplified with the addition of reactive species, such as hydrogen peroxide, which generates higher electric fields. Another remarkable finding is the tunability of silicon-based pumps. That is, it is possible to control the speed of the fluid with light. We take advantage of this property to manipulate the spatial distribution of colloidal microparticles in the liquid and to pattern colloidal microparticle structures at specific locations on a wafer surface. Silicon-based pumps hold great promise for controlled mass transport in fluids.

Background: The cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has been occurred in Dehbakri County, located 46 km of Bam District, Kerman Province since 2004-2005. Phlebotomus papatasi is an important vector of zoonotic cutaneous leishmanisis (ZCL) as well as sand fly fever and P. sergenti is considered as main vector of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in Iran. There are several measures for vector control with emphasizing on insecticides. The objective of this study was to determine the baseline susceptibility of leishmaniasis vectors to the DDT and deltamethrin in an endemic focus of CL in southern Iran., Methods: Baseline susceptibility tests were carried out on field collected strains of P. papatasi and P. sergenti and tested with WHO impregnated papers with DDT 4.0% and deltamethrin 0.05% in the focus of disease in Dehbakri County during summer 2010. The values of LT(50) and LT(90) were determined using probit analysis and regression lines., Results: The LT(50) value of DDT 4.0% and deltamethrin 0.05% against P. papatasi was 20.6 and 13.6 minutes respectively. The same data for P. sergenti were ranged between 21.8 and 17.7 minutes., Conclusion: The results of tests will provide a guideline for implementation of vector control using pesticides such as impregnated bed nets, indoor residual spraying and fogging.

Various controlled peptide and protein delivery systems have been investigated for their potential for treatment of chronic diseases. In situ gelling systems are very attractive due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and simple manufacturing processes. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of different excipients on release profile of calcitonin as a model protein from PLGA-PEG-PLGA thermally reversible gels. PLGA-PEG-PLGA with the ratio of PLGA to PEG equal to 2.5 was synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The PLGA-PEG-PLGA polymeric solutions (25% w/w) containing calcitonin (0.05% w/w) and other excipients in various concentrations were prepared, and drug release from the thermally reversible gels was evaluated. It was shown that drug release from the systems was dramatically reduced when PEG 200 or PEG 1000 was added to the systems. This may be due to the effect of PEG as an internal cross-linking agent or the formation of PEG complexes that decrease the rate of drug release. Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) was also shown to reduce the rate of drug release from the systems. This may be due to the large ionic heads of SLS that attract counterions of calcitonin. It can be concluded that the drug release rate from the systems can be controlled by using different excipients.

Background: Although long-term intravenous immunoglobulin infusion is an effective treatment for children with antibody deficiencies, it can be complicated by systemic adverse reactions., Objective: To evaluate the adverse reactions of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with primary immunodeficiency., Methods: Seventy-one immunodeficient patients receiving intravenous immunoglobulin were evaluated during a 7-year period (1995-2002) at Children's Medical Center in Tehran, Iran. Immunological diagnoses were as follows: common variable immunodeficiency (31 patients), X-linked agammaglobulinemia (25 patients), IgG subclass deficiency (5 patients), hyper-IgM syndrome (2 patients), and ataxia-telangiectasia (8 patients)., Results: One hundred fifty-two cases (12.35%) of adverse reactions occurred following 1,231 infusions in 35 patients. The most frequent immediate adverse reactions were mild reactions (131 infusions), including chills, fever, flushing, muscle pains, nausea, headache, and anxiety. Moderate reactions, such as vomiting, chest pain, and wheezing, occurred in 19 infusions. Two patients experienced severe adverse reactions. The highest proportion (23.06%) of reaction to injection was in patients with common variable immunodeficiency., Conclusions: Intravenous immunoglobulin is a well tolerated medical agent for patients with antibody deficiency. However, to prevent occurrence of immediate adverse reactions during infusion in these patients, physicians should perform a detailed history and proper physical examination and check the titer of anti-IgA.