Association between parity and obesity: A cross sectional study on 6447 Iranian Females

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between parity and obesity in Iranian women.   Methods: In a cross-sectional study, a total of 6447 urban women aged 40-65  were studied. A face-to-face interview was conducted by trained personnel. Statistical associations between parity and obesity using the multivariate logistic regression model were examined.  Results: The mean age of the enrolled women was 48.4 ± 6.1 years. The mean BMI was 27.55 ± 4.5 Kg/m2. Of the total participants enrolled, 3517 (54.6%) had <3 parities, while 2930 (54.4%) had ≥3 parities. The prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥30 Kg/m2) and overweight (30> BMI ≥25) was 27.50 % (95% CI 26.85-28.15) and 43.70% (95% CI 42.98-44.42), respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, women with ≥3 parities were at higher risk of being obese (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.35).  Conclusion: There was a statistically significant positive association between higher parity and obesity. According to the results of this study, Body Mass Index (BMI) is associated with high parity in Iranian women. It is recommended that health policymakers plan appropriate weight loss programs for postpartum

Comparative evaluation of the frequency of myofibroblasts between oral and cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas

Introduction: Differentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts is an initial and very important event in tumor genesis. Myofibroblasts produce proteinases that stimulate invasion in cancers. Due to the more malignant potential of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) compared to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) , the aim of the present study was to compare myofibroblasts between OSCC and CSCC to understand whether myofibroblasts can help more malignant potential of OSCC compared to CSCC or not. Materials &Methods: This cross-sectional study included 40 cases of OSCC and CSCC and 20 cases of normal skin and normal oral mucosa. Then, 4-micron sections of paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of studied groups were stained immunohistochemically with α-SMA antibody. Mean percentage of myofibroblasts was calculated in invasive fronts of OSCCs with CSCCs and also in normal samples and staining intensity of cells for α-SMA marker and distribution pattern of myofibroblasts were determined. Results: The differences of average percentage of myofibroblasts in OSCC and CSCC compared to normal groups were significant (Pvalue= 0.007 and Pvalue=0.003 respectively), but when we compared OSCCs and CSCCs, the difference was not significant. Also, there were no significant differences between OSCC and CSCC with regard to staining intensity and pattern. Conclusion: Different biologic behavior of OSCC compared to CSCC doesn’t depend on myofibroblasts and other factors can be involved

Epidemiological characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in IRAN: A single center study.

BackgroundAn outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran has spread throughout the country. Identifying the epidemiological characteristics of this disease will help to make appropriate decisions and thus control the epidemic. The aim of this study was characterization of the epidemiological features of COVID-19 in Iran.MethodsIn this retrospective study, data related to the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 patients admitted to Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from 19 February 2020 to 15 April 2020 have been analyzed and reported. Patient characteristics including age, gender and underlying diseases were investigated. Data were collected through patient records. Sex ratio, Case Fatality Rate (CFR) and daily trend of cases were also determined. A multiple logistic regression analysis was also performed to assess affecting factors on mortality.ResultsFrom February 19, 2020 to April 15, 2020, 12870 patients referred to the hospital emergency department, of which 2968 were hospitalized with COVID-19 diagnosis. The majority of cases were in the age group of 50 to 60 years of old. The male-to-female ratio was 1.93:1. A total of 239 deaths occurred among all cases for an overall CFR of 1.85% based on the total number of patients (both outpatient and inpatient) and 8.06% among hospitalized patients. Out of all patients 10.89% had comorbidity. Diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, chronic Kidney diseases and cancer were the most common comorbidities with 3.81, 2.02 , 1.99 , 1.25, 0.60 and 0.57 %, respectively. Male gender (OR=1.45, 95% CI: 1.08-1.96), older age (OR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.04-1.06) and having underlying diseases (OR=1.53, 95% CI: 1.04-2.24) were significantly associated with mortality.ConclusionsThe results of this study showed that Male gender, older age and having comorbidities were significantly associated with the risk of death among COVID-19 patients. It is important to pay special attention to male elderly patients with underlying diseases

The Sunshine Necklace : A design inquiry study about digital jewellery and wearable technology for empowerment in sexual harassment situations

This paper addresses a design exploration focusing on interactive jewellery and wearable computing that could affect sexual harassment in social contexts in everyday life. Drawing on a design inquiry study that lead to the creation of an interactive and digital necklace named Sunshine, which is a personal alarm connected to an emergency center, this paper focuses on how a piece of digital jewellery can contribute to women’s empowerment in relation to sexual harassment. The functionality of Sunshine is based on a device that will be activated when the user presses a button on the necklace and an alert with the location of the user will be sent to an alarm center. The users press the button when in danger or exposed to violence and/or abuse. This study so forth addresses a design exploration of a piece of jewellery that can be seen as a symbol for women’s safety, unity and equality. The combination of digital technology and fashion design demonstrate that people can be brought together and especially be empowering in social contexts where sexual harassment might be a part of women’s everyday life.Självständigt Examensarbete (Forskningsartikel)</p

Instagram: a platform to liberate the female body through hashtags. : A contribution to discussion regarding activism via Instagram.

The naked body is an entity that has always been present in both the “real” world and the media. The anatomy of our bodies isn’t something we can avoid; today it reflects the reality that has developed partly from media. According to Instagram’s guidelines users are not allowed to publish naked or semi-naked pictures but that does not stop certain users that are critical to how the body norms and censorship are portrait today. In our study, we take part of research regarding gender in multimedia settings and how they have affected our daily lives. As well as studies, which research the usage of hashtags and how to circumvent censorship. The focus for this study is to research what role Instagram and hashtags have in generating a public discussion as well to draw attention to various issues and causes that are based on norm critique. We have conducted two different observations, held interviews with activists and created an online-survey for users to answer what they think about the Instagram community guidelines. The results show that there is an underlying discrimination acceptance within Instagram and their community guidelines. We can also see that women and users who uses hashtags can spread their causes more effectively, although they are simultaneously at risk for being censored depending on the hashtag they use. According to our respondents from our research there is an agreement regarding the need of updating Instagram’s community guidelines, which could help with eliminate the current discrimination against women and their breasts. At the end of this study we are giving a proposal to how Instagram can work with their censoring in a more critical way. This may contribute to an agenda to make social media platforms safer and less discriminating

Combined effects of lactoperoxidase system-whey protein coating and modified atmosphere packaging on the microbiological, chemical and sensory attributes of Pike-Perch fillets

The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of lactoperoxidase system-whey protein coating and modified atmosphere packaging (60% CO2, 30% N2, 10% O2) combination (LPOS&nbsp;+&nbsp;WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;MAP) on the microbiological, chemical and sensory specifications of Pike-Perch (Sander Lucioperca, Linnaeus 1758) fillets. The highest bacterial count was observed in the fish fillets packaged with whey protein coating solutions (WPS) in compare with the other groups. Combination of WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;LPOS and MAP packaging could significantly inhibit bacterial growth. Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), as a quality index of flesh, had strong correlation (r&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.98-0.99) with microbial load, so that the highest and the lowest TVB-N values were observed in WPS and WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;LPOS&nbsp;+&nbsp;MAP batches, respectively. Assessments of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances index showed that incorporation of LPOS with WPS or MAP did not have remarkable effect on lipid oxidation, but combined effect of MAP and WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;LPOS on reducing fat oxidation was significant. The pH values in WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;LPOS, WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;MAP and WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;LPOS&nbsp;+&nbsp;MAP were significantly lower than WPS. Sensory evaluations indicated that LPOS&nbsp;+&nbsp;WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;MAP kept Pike-Perch fillets at high sensory acceptability for at least 16&nbsp;days in refrigerated temperature. In conclusion, combination of MAP and WPS&nbsp;+&nbsp;LPOS showed synergistic effects on shelf-life extension of Pike-Perch fillets under refrigerated storage

Understanding the Relationship between Microstructure and Physicochemical Properties of Ultrafiltered Feta-Type Cheese Containing Saturea bachtiarica Leaf Extract

Microwave-assisted extraction was optimized to prepare Satureja bachtiarica leaf (SBL) extract based on antimicrobial (IZD) and antioxidant activities (DPPH) and extraction yield (EY). At optimum condition, i.e., 800 W power and 8 min, the best extraction results with EY = 16%, IZD = 73.56 mm, and DPPH = 24.2% were obtained. To develop a novel Feta-cheese, the influence of SBL extract, rennet, and starter concentrations were evaluated in terms of rheological, textural, and sensorial properties. At the optimized condition, the acceptance, taste, the strength of the network (A), and the distance between sequential cross-linking points (&xi;) were 8.13, 8.07, 34,036.12 Pa&middot;s1/z, and 5.41 nm, respectively. At the 60th day of storage time, the lowest z value (the network extensity parameter) of the cheese samples was observed. SEM image texture indices showed a good correlation with the studied instrumental texture parameters during 60 days of storage. The mold and yeast counts and their growth rate in the SBL extract-added cheese were lower than those for control one; whereas, the former cheese showed a greater LAB population between the 80th and 120th days. The antimicrobial and antioxidant qualities of SBL extract showed a significant influence on cheese properties

Protective Effects of Memantine, an NMDA Receptor Antagonist, Against Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Induced Injuries in Rats with Transient Congenital Hypothyroidism: Neuroprotective effects of memantine in hypothyroidism

Stroke is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide. Memantine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, has protective effects on neuronal cells and is important candidate as a neuroprotective agent in cerebral ischemia. On the other hand, thyroid hormones are one of the important factors in the development of the central nervous system (CNS) and its activity and the long-term adverse effects of transient thyroid function abnormalities at birth on intellectual development has been proven. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of memantine on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) induced injuries in transient congenital hypothyroidism (TCH). The adult male Wistar TCH rats (240±20 g) were underwent forebrain ischemia by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion for 17 min. Memantine (20 mg/kg) alone or in combination with vitamin C (200 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally (ip) for 7 days after cerebral ischemia. Then, histopathology, cerebral infarct size and malondialdehyde level were evaluated. Histopathological analysis showed that memantine significantly decreased leukocyte infiltration in comparison to I/R group (p&lt;0.01). Memantine also reduced infarct size and malondialdehyde level compared with I/R group (p&lt;0.01). Memantine and vitamin C combination group had no significant effects on leukocyte infiltration, infarct size and malondialdehyde level. Our results showed that memantine through reduction in leukocyte infiltration, lipid peroxidation and infarct size could reduce cerebral ischemia/reperfusion induced injuries in transient congenital hypothyroidism. Hence, memantine might be considered as a neuroprotective agent in hypothyroidism

Using the mixture design approach to predict the rheological properties of low-calorie dairy desserts containing gum tragacanth exuded by three Iranian Astragalus species

In this study, the flow behavior and creep parameters of saffron desserts containing gum tragacanth combinations of three species were modeled by the mixture design approach. Flow behavior and creep-recovery experiments were performed and models were predicted for apparent viscosity, consistency index, flow index, instantaneous compliance, and viscoelastic compliance. Five representative samples regarding the range of apparent viscosity at the shear rate of 50&nbsp;s-1 were subjected to sensory evaluation. According to rheological measurements, the addition of GT species of A. gossypinus led to the production of a dessert with a strong structure. Then, two samples with the highest consistency index and the lowest creep parameters were compared with two commercial saffron desserts. The results revealed that the overall acceptance of the two selected samples [containing 4% (w/w) A. gossypinus or 2.66% (w/w) A. gossypinus and 1.33% (w/w) A. fluccosus] was similar to those of the two commercial samples