A Comparison of Coping Strategies in Iranian Female Victims of Different Types of Intimate Partner Violence

AbstractIntroduction: Spouse abuse is defined as physical, sexual, and psychological-emotional violence committed by a spouse against his wife that is a widely variable phenomenon. The present study was conducted to compare coping strategies for stress in Iranian female victims of spouse abuse of different types in the city of Ilam.Methods: The present cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 150 females with an experience of spouse abuse during the one-year leading up to the study, selected through convenience sampling. The study tools included the World Health Organization Violence against Women instrument and the Endler and Parker Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. Data were analyzed using the SPSS-22 software.Results: All of the participants had experienced at least one type of psychological violence (100%). Some of them had also experienced physical (94%) and sexual (67.3%) violence in the past year. Emotion-focused strategies were the dominant style used by most of the females (48%) in coping with stress. Certain demographic variables, such as the couple›s low literacy, were associated with emotion-focused and avoidance coping strategies. The use of problem-focused strategies increased significantly with household size (r = 0.17 and P = 0.039). One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed that physical violence was associated with an increase in avoidance strategies and sexual and psychological violence with an increase in emotion-focused strategies. The results of the multivariate linear regression showed that only sexual violence could predict emotion-focused strategies (β = 0.216 and P = 0.01).Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of spouse abuse, teaching certain life skills, such as problem-solving and alternative problem-focused behaviors instead of focusing on emotion and stress could be effective in coping with stressful life situations, help improve interpersonal relationships, and prevent harm caused by violence

Silver and Gold Nanoparticles for Antimicrobial Purposes against Multi-Drug Resistance Bacteria

Several pieces of research have been done on transition metal nanoparticles and their nanocomplexes as research on their physical and chemical properties and their relationship to biological features are of great importance. Among all their biological properties, the antibacterial and antimicrobial are especially important due to their high use for human needs. In this article, we will discuss the different synthesis and modification methods of silver (Ag) and gold (Au) nanoparticles and their physicochemical properties. We will also review some state-of-art studies and find the best relationship between the nanoparticles’ physicochemical properties and potential antimicrobial activity. The possible antimicrobial mechanism of these types of nanoparticles will be discussed in-depth as well

Comparison of pharyngeal airway volume in different skeletal facial patterns using cone beam computed tomography

This study aimed to compare the pharyngeal airway volume in class I,II and III skeletal malocclusion patients using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). This retrospective, cross sectional study was conducted on lateral cephalograms of 71 patients derived from their CBCT scans. Using the ANB angle, the patients were divided into class I,II and III malocclusion. Two observers used Dolphin 3D software to calculate the pharyngeal airway volume, airway area, minimum axial area, minimum area location, airway length and morphology. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test, Tukey?s test, Spearman?s correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The three skeletal classes were significantly different in airway volume, minimum axial area, mean airway area and airway morphology (P<0.05). Significant differences were found in airway volume and mean airway area between class II and III patients (P<0.05). The minimum axial area and airway morphology in class III patients were greater than those in class I and II patients (P<0.05). Every one unit increase in the ANB angle decreased the airway volume by 0.261 units. The effect of ANB angle on airway volume was statistically significant and it was shown that one unit increase in the angle decreased the airway volume by 453.509 units. A significant correlation exists between the skeletal facial pattern and upper airway dimensions. In our study, the total airway volume and the mean airway area of class III patients were larger than those in class II patients

Brain Electrical Stimulation for Animal Navigation

The brain stimulation and its widespread use is one of the most important subjects in studies of neurophysiology. In brain electrical stimulation methods, following the surgery and electrode implantation, electrodes send electrical impulses to the specific targets in the brain. The use of this stimulation method is provided therapeutic benefits for treatment chronic pain, essential tremor, Parkinsons disease, major depression, and neurological movement disorder syndrome (dystonia). One area in which advancements have been recently made is in controlling the movement and navigation of animals in a specific pathway. It is important to identify brain targets in order to stimulate appropriate brain regions for all the applications listed above. An animal navigation system based on brain electrical stimulation is used to develop new behavioral models for the aim of creating a platform for interacting with the animal nervous system in the spatial learning task. In the context of animal navigation the electrical stimulation has been used either as creating virtual sensation for movement guidance or virtual reward for movement motivation. In this paper, different approaches and techniques of brain electrical stimulation for this application has been reviewed. Keywords: Rat Robot, Brain Computer Interface, Electrical Stimulation, Cyborg Intelligence, Brain to Brain InterfaceComment: in Fars

Aerosol assisted synthesis of a pH responsive curcumin anticancer drug nanocarrier using chitosan and alginate natural polymers

In recent years, several nanocarrier synthesis methods have been developed. In cancer therapy, the use of smart nanocarriers is of interest. Smart nanocarriers respond to their environment and can release their cargo in a controlled manner under the action of internal or external stimuli. In this work, we report on the development of an aerosol-assisted method for the synthesis of curcumin-loaded chitosan/alginate-based polymeric nanocarrier (CurNCs). A custom-fabricated multi-nebulizer system was utilized for the synthesis of CurNCs. The developed system comprises three main parts a sprayer, an electric heater tunnel, and a collector. Curcumin and chitosan solutions were sprayed using a pneumatic multinebulizer into the electric heater tunnel to form chitosan-curcumin assemblies. Then, the aerosol was guided into the collector solution containing sodium alginate and tri-poly phosphate aqueous solution for further cross-linkage. The synthesized CurNCs were characterized using TEM, DLS, and FTIR techniques. The TEM size of the nanoparticles was 8.62 ± 2.25 nm. The release experiments revealed that the nanocarrier is sensitive to the environment pH as more curcumin is released at acidic pH values (as is the case for cancerous tissues) compared to physiological pH. The curcumin content of the nanocarrier was 77.27 mg g−1 with a drug loading efficiency of 62%. The in-vitro cytotoxicity of the synthesized nanocarrier was evaluated against the MCF7 breast cancer cell line. The IC50 concentrations for CurNCs and curcumin were obtained as 14.86 and 16.45 mg mL−1, respectively. The results showed that while the empty nanocarrier shows non-significant cytotoxicity, the CurNCs impact the cell culture and cause prolonged cell deaths. Overall, pH-responsive curcumin polymeric nanocarrier was synthesized using a custom fabricated aerosol-based method. The method enabled fast and feasible synthesis of the nanocarrier with high efficiency.This work has been supported by grants from the Bu-Ali Sina University Research Council and the Centre of Excellence in Development of Environmentally Friendly Methods for Chemical Synthesis (CEDEFMCS) which are gratefully acknowledged

Solitary Synchronous Pancreatic Metastasis from Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Rare Case Report

Pancreas is an organ that is hardly affected by metastasis from other primary cancers; also, pancreatic metastasis from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an extremely infrequent entity. Metastatic esophageal cancer has a poor prognosis and the five-year survival rate is less than 5%. Here, we described a rare case of a 78-year-old woman presented with abdominal bloating, intermittent mild nausea, and loss of appetite and weight. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed ESCC in the upper part of esophagus. A mass lesion between the head and body of pancreas was detected during metastatic work-up. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration was performed, morphologic features and immunohistochemistry confirmed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma from esophagus. Definitive chemoradiotherapy with curative intent was done on both oesophageal and pancreatic lesion. Interestingly, after nine months of treatment, the patient had no issues either in esophagus or in abdomen. In conclusion, local therapy could be considered as one of the best choices to improve the overall survival in ESCC with single metastasis to pancreas

Bioresorbable Composite Polymeric Materials for Tissue Engineering Applications

This review covers the development of bioresorbable polymeric composites for applications in tissue engineering. Various commercially available bioresobable polymers are described, with emphasis on recent bioresorbable composites based on natural and synthetic polymers. Bioresorbable polymers contain hydrolyzable bonds, which are subjected to chemical degradation via either reactive hydrolysis or enzyme-catalyzed active hydrolysis. For synthetic polymers, chemical hydrolysis is the most important mode of degradation. The degradation rate can be controlled by varying the molecular weight and crystallinity. Examples of bioresorbable polymers are: polyurethane, poly(D,L)lactide, poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid, poly(α-hydroxy acids), cross-linked polyester hydrogels, poly(orthoesters), polyanhydrides and polyethylene glycol

Stimulus-Responsive Polymeric Nanogels As Smart Drug Delivery Systems

Nanogels are three-dimensional nanoscale networks formed by physically or chemically cross-linking polymers. Nanogels have been explored as drug delivery systems due to their advantageous properties, such as biocompatibility, high stability, tunable particle size, drug loading capacity, and possible modification of the surface for active targeting by attaching ligands that recognize cognate receptors on the target cells or tissues. Nanogels can be designed to be stimulus responsive, and react to internal or external stimuli such as pH, temperature, light and redox, thus resulting in the controlled release of loaded drugs. This “smart” targeting ability prevents drug accumulation in non-target tissues and minimizes the side effects of the drug. This review aims to provide an introduction to nanogels, their preparation methods, and to discuss the design of various stimulus-responsive nanogels that are able to provide controlled drug release in response to particular stimuli

Recent Advancements in Aptamer-bioconjugates: Sharpening Stones for Breast and Prostate Cancers Targeting

Breast and prostate cancers are common types of cancers with various strategies, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, for their therapy. Since these methods have undesired side effects and poor target affinity, neoteric strategies—known as aptamer-based smart drug delivery systems (SDDSs)—have been developed in recent years to overcome the obstacles of current treatment, and investigated for a clinical trial. The high affinity and versatility of aptamers for binding to the corresponding targets make them highly noticeable agents in the drug delivery domains. In addition to their exceptional benefits, aptamers are able to overcome tumor resistance because of their high selectivity and low toxicity. Furthermore, aptamers can conjugate with various drugs, nanoparticles and antibodies and effectively deliver them to the specific breast and prostate cells. This review highlights the current researches in aptamer-conjugate developments for targeting breast and prostate cancers, with the special focus on the nanoparticle-aptamer bioconjugates, systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) system and SDDS, especially cutting-edge articles from 2008 to present. Finally, the future prospects and challenges are described

Effect of carbohydrate restriction on body weight in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of 110 randomized controlled trials

IntroductionCarbohydrate-restricted diets are one of the most effective dietary interventions for weight loss. However, the optimum carbohydrate intake for implementing the most effective weight-loss interventions is still being discussed. We aimed to determine the optimum carbohydrate intake for short- and long-term weight loss in adults with overweight and obesity.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CENTRAL from inception to May 2021 for randomized controlled trials examining the effect of a carbohydrate-restricted diet (≤45% of energy intake) as compared to a control diet (carbohydrate intake &gt;45% of energy intake) on body weight in adults with overweight/obesity. A random-effects dose–response meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the mean difference for each 10% decrease in carbohydrate intake at the 6-month follow-up (1 to 6 months), 12-month follow-up (6 to 12 months), and follow-up longer than 12 months. The shape of the dose-dependent effects was also evaluated. The certainty of the evidence was rated using the GRADE approach. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) threshold was defined as 5% weight loss (equal to 4.39 kg).ResultsA total of 110 trials were selected for the present meta-analysis. In the linear dose–response meta-analysis, each 10% decrease in carbohydrate intake reduced body weight by 0.64 kg (95% CI: −0.79 to −0.49; n = 101 trials with 4,135 participants, high-certainty evidence) at the 6-month follow-up and by 1.15 kg (95% CI: −1.61 to −0.69; 42 trials with 2,657 participants, moderate-certainty evidence) at the 12-month follow-up. Non-linear dose–response meta-analyses indicated a monotonic reduction in body weight with the decrease in carbohydrate intake, with the greatest reduction at 5% at the 6-month follow-up (mean difference 5%: −3.96 kg, 95% CI: −4.92 to −3.00) and 10% at the 12-month follow-up (mean difference 10%: −6.26 kg, 95% CI: −10.42 to −2.10). At follow-up longer than 12 months, dose–response analyses suggested a non-linear effect, wherein carbohydrate intakes higher than 40% and lower than 30% were not effective for weight loss.DiscussionCarbohydrate restriction is an effective dietary strategy for important weight loss in adults with overweight and obesity. At 6-month and 12-month follow-ups, body weight decreased proportionally, more than the MCID threshold, along with the decrease in carbohydrate intake. At follow-up longer than 12 months, there was a non-linear effect, with the greatest reduction at 30% carbohydrate intake.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022315042