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Introduction: Middle ear cholesteatoma is a chronic middle ear disease characterized by severe hearing loss and adjacent bone erosion, resulting in numerous complications. This study sought to identify pathways involved in N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of circRNA in middle ear cholesteatoma. Methods: A m6A circRNA epitranscriptomic microarray analysis was performed in middle ear cholesteatoma tissues (n = 5) and normal post-auricular skin samples (n = 5). Bioinformatics analyses subsequently explored the biological functions (Gene Ontology, GO) and signaling pathways (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, KEGG) underlying middle ear cholesteatoma pathogenesis. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation qPCR (MeRIP-qPCR) was performed to verify the presence of circRNAs with m6A modifications in middle ear cholesteatoma and normal skin samples. Results: Microarray analysis identified 3,755 circRNAs as significantly differentially modified by m6A methylation in middle ear cholesteatoma compared with the normal post-auricular skin. Among these, 3,742were hypermethylated (FC = 2, FDR < 0.05) and 13 were hypomethylated (FC = 1/2, FDR < 0.05). GO analysis termswith the highest enrichment score were localization, cytoplasm, and ATP-dependent activity for biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions respectively. Of the eight hypermethylated circRNA pathways, RNA degradation pathway has the highest enrichment score. Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway was hypomethylated. To validate the microarray analysis, we conducted MeRIP-qPCR to assess the methylation levels of five specific m6Amodified circRNAs: hsa_circRNA_061554, hsa_circRNA_001454, hsa_circRNA_ 031526, hsa_circRNA_100833, and hsa_circRNA_022382. The validation was highly consistent with the findings from the microarray analysis. Conclusion: Our study firstly presents m6A modification patterns of circRNAs in middle ear cholesteatoma. This finding suggests a direction for circRNA m6A modification research in the etiology of cholesteatoma and provides potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of middle ear cholesteatoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the etiology, clinical features, and prognosis of patients diagnosed with bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (BSSNHL). The clinical data of 100 patients with bilateral sudden hearing loss as a chief complaint treated at Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University between January 2010 and August 2022, including clinical characteristics, audiometric data, and prognosis, were retrospectively analyzed. These 100 cases accounted for 8.09% (100/1235) of all patients admitted for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) during the same period. Of these, 71 were simultaneous cases and 29 were sequential cases of BSSNHL. Among the 200 ears analyzed in this study, 13, 36, 57, and 94 had mild, moderate, severe, and profound sensorineural hearing loss, respectively. The overall effective rate after comprehensive treatment was 32%, with significant differences in efficacy and prognosis among different degrees of hearing loss (p < 0.05). Comorbidities of hypertension (24 cases), diabetes (14 cases), and coronary heart disease (9 cases) significantly impacted therapeutic efficacy and prognosis in patients with BSSNHL (p < 0.05). Compared to unilateral SSNHL, BSSNHL exhibits distinctive characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plague, a lethal zoonotic disease, primarily circulates within rodent populations and their fleas. In Iran, the widely distributed jird, Meriones persicus, serves as the principal reservoir for plague, with a belief in the existence of five out of its six recognized subspecies within the country. However, these subspecies are classified into four mitochondrial cytochrome b sub‐lineages (IA, IB, IIA, IIB). This discrepancy, combined with the presence of an unnamed sub‐lineage in central Iran awaiting taxonomic clarification, has left intraspecific taxonomy unsettled and obscured the true alignment between mtDNA sub‐lineages and nominal subspecies. In this study, we investigated the intraspecific variation in the cytb gene across populations sampled throughout Iran, focusing on underexplored regions between the Zagros and Alborz Mountains and central Iran. While our genetic data generally support reported subspecies validity in Iran, we raise questions about M. p. baptistae, emphasizing the need for further data from its type territory in Pakistan. Two main lineages of M. persicus (I and II) exhibit geographical isolation, with limited overlap in the central Zagros Mts., where three subspecies (M. p. ambrosius, M. p. rossicus, and M. p. persicus) coexist. Superimposing infected rodents' geographic coordinates onto updated sub‐lineages' distribution revealed a potential association between sub‐lineage IA (M. p. rossicus) and all enzootic plague cases from 1946 to 2023. M. persicus rossicus extends into the Caucasus (where plague infections are common), Eastern Turkey, and Iraq. Consequently, interpreting this finding in the context of plague surveillance in Iran and neighboring areas requires caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the attention cognitive process while watching sports advertisements in interested and non-interested people using electroencephalogram technology. The research method was semi-experimental and the population included 30 students of Birjand University who were selected randomly as a sample. To collect data, the General Health and Sanchez-Torres Questionnaire (2021) was used. Then to record the brain signal, the 21-channel Electroencephalography Instrument was used. The results revealed a significant difference in attention index (AI) between sports advertising and non-sport advertising. Also, the attention index in people who were interested in sports showed a significant difference compared to those who were not. It can be concluded that sports are a suitable platform for advertising products so that it can create a positive effect through increasing the customers' attention. The level of interest also in sports may be a persuasive calculation of consideration for publicizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branchiootic syndrome (BOS) is a rare, autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by malformations of the ear associated with hearing loss, second branchial arch anomalies, and the absence of renal anomalies. Herein, we report the case of an 8-year-old male patient with BOS. The proband also experiences mixed conductive and sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear, and severe-toprofound sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear. Preauricular pits, branchial fistulae, and cochlear hypoplasia were present bilaterally. Type III cup-shaped ear, and external auditory canal stenosis were detected in the right ear. Lateral semicircular canal-vestibule dysplasia was detected in the left ear. Moreover, the patient had unilateral secretory otitis media (SOM) in the right ear and bilateral vestibular hypofunction (VH), which has not been reported in previous studies. The patient's hearing on the right side was restored to nearly normal after myringotomy. Whole exome sequencing identified a novel frameshift mutation in EYA1 (NM_000503.6): c.1697_1698delinT [p.(Lys566IlefsTer73)] in the proband, which was defined a "pathogenic" mutation according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines. This is the first report of a child presenting with BOS, SOM and VH, which expands the known clinical manifestations of this syndrome. We also observed a novel EYA1 gene mutation in this patient with BOS, which enriches the mutation map and provides a reference for genetic diagnosis of this syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The customers of a sports club are among the important pillars of its survival. In this paper, with the help of data mining and machine learning methods, a framework is presented to predict the level of effectiveness of salespersons' performance to encourage customers of clubs to choose an appropriate shopping strategy. This framework uses a set of data on the topics of idealized influence behavior, inspirational motivation behavior, intellectual stimulation behavior, individualized consideration behavior, and smart selling behavior, as its inputs. In the proposed framework, first, the data is refined using the Pearson criterion, and invaluable questions/features are removed from the data set. There are five levels of effectiveness in our questionnaire, and each of them has a different number of records in the data set. So, in the second step, the data set is balanced using repetition, SMOTE, and Int-SMOTE methods. The Int-SMOTE balancing method is introduced in this paper for the first time. It is a SMOTE method with integer outputs. Finally, using different classifiers, we predict the level of effectiveness of salesperson's behaviors in encouraging customers. Evaluating the models indicates that the different models have been able to correctly identify the level of effectiveness of salesperson's behaviors between 76.16% to 96.82%. Also, we confirm our findings about the effects of different salesperson's behavior to encourage customers using several other published papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Today, there are sizable chunk of cities in the world, trying to introduce themselves as destination brands in various areas. Given that, this study aimed to explain the effective factors on destination branding in the field of sports tourism in Mashhad. Method: This study was of applied research, from the view point of purpose, and also, in terms of its nature, it was in the field of exploratory research, furthermore, in terms of data collection, it was of a descriptive-survey type. Also, due to the use of Q methodology, it was a type of mixed research (quantitative-qualitative). The statistical population included marketing and branding specialists, sports tourism experts, sports management professors and people active in the field of tourism who had complete knowledge of Mashhad. For this purpose, theoretical saturation was achieved after in-depth and semi-structured interviewing 16 experts selected purposefully and finally 26 people completed the Q questionnaire. Results: The data obtained from sorting the Q statements were entered into SPSS software version 26 and analyzed through varimax rotation (exploratory factor analysis). The findings revealed six different mental models. The priority of these models were infrastructural factors, inner city situation, cultural activities, commercial creativities, urban essence, and transportation, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this research emphasize the strengthening of indicators such as suitable access to the Internet, managerial decisions, cultural diversity, the existence of suitable places and markets, the potential of the region and the smoothness of traffic and roads in order to make the destination as a brand in Mashhad's sports tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its faster evolution rate compared to nuclear genes, haploid mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a promising species identification tool. This has led to its significant use in taxonomic and phylogenetic studies. While mtDNA is subject to selective constraints that prevent the accumulation of deleterious mutations, the prevalence of nuclear-mitochondrial fragments (known as NUMTs or pseudogenes) in mammals has complicated the use of mtDNA for taxonomy. In the present study, a pseudogene of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) was detected in Meriones persicus. This pseudogene differed from its mitochondrial counterpart at 235 out of 1140 sites and is characterized by frame-shift mutations, indels, and accumulation of non-synonymous substitutions. It is the first report of the Cytb pseudogene in a jird, highlighting the risk of misidentifying NUMTs as authentic mtDNA and the importance of addressing this potential pitfall in taxonomic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The significant effects of the corona infectious disease require fundamental changes in various fields such as the health tourism industry, which are more and more important in the post-corona era. Health tourism is one of the most important types of tourism in our country. Now, it should be checked what the status of this important industry will be in the post-corona era. Therefore, the main goal of the current research is to analyze the health tourism situation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the post -corona era, which takes a futuristic view. Method: The method of the current research is mixed that investigates the issue using a sequential exploratory approach. In this research, two methods of "scope review and scenario planning" have been used, respectively. Findings: According to the findings of the first phase, 6 components and 55 main indicators were extracted from among 58 qualified researches, and 25 main indicators were considered as the drivers of this field in the review through the expert panel process. In the second phase, using the quantitative method of scenario planning, four main scenarios were developed under the headings of the development and expansion of health tourism, the scen ario of creating opportunities and solving the challenges ahead, the conservative scenario and maintaining the status quo, the scenario of dependence and avoiding possible threats. Conclusion: From the results of the current research, we can point out the role of each of the scenarios in different situations, which can create sustainable health tourism in the country in the best and most favorable possible state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthohantaviruses are a group of zoonotic pathogens that can cause severe and potentially fatal syndromes in humans. Although orthohantaviruses have been documented in Iran, little is known about their potential reservoirs in the country. The present study constitutes the first attempt to detect orthohantavirus infections in rodents in Iran. Sampling was performed in the East Azerbaijan province, during October 2017 and June 2018. To detect orthohantavirus infection, we performed a Pan-hantavirus nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction targeting the large segment of the viral genome using consensus primers on lung tissue samples. We identified Tula orthohantavirus for the first time in Iran and from Dryomys nitedula sensu lato (s.l.) (Gliridae), a non-muroid host. There are two possible interpretations for this finding: an interspecies spillover or the presence of a broader primary host/reservoir list. However, at present, we do not advocate for either interpretation, but instead, argue for further accumulation of relevant data. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between the Tula orthohantavirus identified in this study and those detected in Turkey. Nevertheless, comprehensive field studies, as well as full-length sequence analyses, are required to gain a better understanding of the potential reservoirs, ecology, and epidemiological cycle of the virus in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]