Autophagy knock down: as a booster for the replication of viruses in cell culture

Background: Autophagy suppression recently has been known to have a remarkable effect for cellular adjustment and viability in the final stages of cancer. On the other hand, autophagy has the potential effect in preventing many viruses from replication. Beclin1 is the most substantial constituent in autophagy apparatus regulation. This study was intended to investigate the beclin1 siRNA knockdown effect on the extent of activity of the oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) as a model in cell culture. Materials and Methods: In the current study, the cancer cell line , HeLa (cervical squamous cancer cell line ) was infected by VSV, followed by beclin1 siRNA vector transfection. The potential change in the expressions of gene beclin1 in transfected cells, as well as untransfected ones were examined by real time PCR, and also the titer of viruses was compared in cells with and without transfection.Results: The results revealed that the amount of putative gene beclin1 expression in HeLa cells decreased greatly due to siRNA suppressive impact, and also the sensitivity of the cells to VSV oncolytic effect increased upon decrease in beclin1gene expression.Conclusion: It seems that autophagy suppression by using siRNA with VSV is a substantial aid for increase in virus titer in cancer cell lines

MicroRNA-mediated regulation of Nrf2 signaling pathway: Implications in disease therapy and protection against oxidative stress

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding pieces of RNA that are involved in a variety of physiologic processes such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, cell cycle and cell survival. These multifunctional nucleotides are also capable of preventing oxidative damages by modulating antioxidant defense systems in a variety of milieu, such as in diabetes. Although the exact molecular mechanisms by which miRs modulate the antioxidant defense elements are unclear, some evidence suggests that they may exert these effects via nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway. This intracellular mechanism is crucial in the maintenance of the physiologic redox balance by regulating the expression and activity of various cellular antioxidative defense elements and thereby plays a pivotal role in the development of oxidative stress. Any impairment in the Nrf2 signaling pathway may result in oxidative damage-dependent complications such as various diabetic complications, neurological disorders and cancer. In the current review, we discuss the modulatory effects of miRs on the Nrf2 signaling pathway, which can potentially be novel therapeutic targets

Facility Location and Inventory Balancing in a Multi-period Multi-echelon Multi-objective Supply Chain: An MOEA Approach

A comprehensive and integrated study of any supply chain (SC) environment is a vital requirement that can create various advantages for the SC owners. This consideration causes productive managing of the SC through its whole wide components from upstream suppliers to downstream retailers and customers.  On this issue, despite many valuable studies reported in the current literature, considerable gaps still prevail. These gaps include integration and insertion of basic concepts, such as queuing theory, facility location, inventory management, or even fuzzy theory, as well as other new concepts such as strategic planning, data mining, business intelligence, and information technology. This study seeks to address some of these gaps. To do so, it proposes an integrated four-echelon multi-period multi-objective SC model. To make the model closer to the real world problems, it is also composed of inventory and facility location planning, simultaneously. The proposed model has a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) structure. The objectives of the model are reducing cost and minimizing the non-fill rate of customer zones demand. The cost reduction part includes cost values of raw material shipping from suppliers to plants, plant location, inventory holding costs in plants, distribution cost from plants to warehouses or distribution centers (DCs), and shipping costs from DCs to customer zones. Finally, since the literature of SC lacks efficient Pareto-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs), a new multi-objective version of the biogeography-based optimization algorithm (MOBBO) is introduced to the literature of the SC. The efficiency of the algorithm is proved through its comparison with an existing algorithm called multi-objective harmony search (MOHS)

Designing a virtual training model for physical education in Iran

Abstract The aim of the current research is to design a virtual training model for physical education in Iran. The research method was qualitative and based on theme analysis. A semi-structured interview method was used to collect data. Data analysis was done by Glazer (1992) method. The participants of the research include 14 experts, members of the student sports federation, high-ranking university professors, and people with organizational positions such as the vice president of physical education and health of the Ministry of Education; and the sampling continued until reaching theoretical saturation. After step-by-step coding, the total number of registered codes is equal to 32, and the total number of agreements between codes is equal to 12. Theme analysis was used to analyze the data in the qualitative stage. The results of the research showed that the design of the virtual training model of physical education in Iran includes the problems of conducting physical education lessons in virtual space, the lack of supervision and concentration in virtual education, the lack of proper communication between professors and students, the coverage of virtual classes, economic issues, technological weakness of software and hardware, internet and its infrastructure problems, benefits of information technology in virtual education, superior characteristics of virtual education, weakness in establishing friendship and communication, insufficient knowledge of the space and capabilities of virtual education, problems of virtual education in physical education, weakness in network communication and infrastructural obstacles, the use of new educational technologies, the learning problems of online education, the capabilities of virtual education and the reasons for the importance and excellence of virtual education. Extended abstract Introduction Due to the rapid growth of online resources and technological tools, the need for new methods of education has increased significantly in recent years, which has created vast opportunities for the generation and sharing of information across numerous regions. Increasing the quality of education has helped to increase the value of GDP in different regions (Eisenchlas, Schalley, & Guillemin, 2013). On the other hand, the arrival of modern media and communication tools and the conditions that have arisen in the current era due to the Corona epidemic have affected the non-attendance education of students and have provided various methods of virtual education on the Internet for learners (Parapi, Maesaroh, Basuki, & Masykuri, 2013). Today, electronic education is gradually evolving and as an inevitable component of the educational process, it has entered the educational institutions of advanced countries. Many analysts firmly believe in the further expansion of this segment of the educational services market (Brown, 2018). In the meantime, the non-attendance teaching of the physical education course, which has special conditions and includes practical and movement skills, faces the challenges; matching the set goals of the academic courses based on the fundamental transformation document with selected methods of non-attendance education such as messengers, online education, television school, and educational packages, is one of the most important specific goals of these trainings; which of course should not be only theoretical and knowledge, but should provide conditions so that the learner is obliged to follow virtual trainings and practical exercises at the same time in order to further deepen the neural connections of the brain and improve his performance and learning (Qingtao, 2020). As a result, the upcoming research seeks to answer the following question: How is the design of the model of the effective factors of virtual education in physical education in Iran? Theoretical Framework Knowledge transfer methods such as lecturing in class can lead to passiveness of learners. On the other hand, trying to include or integrate valid and meaningful learning contexts may seem difficult for logistical reasons. Therefore, in dealing with these issues, today, educators are given the opportunity to present the best things in their education program through technology and virtual education (Abd Majid, & Shamsudin, 2019). Virtual education, not only because of its convenience and flexibility, but also because it can expand the educational coverage, has become one of the tools widely used by students at all levels of education. (Escobar-Grisales, Vásquez-Correa, Vargas-Bonilla, & Orozco-Arroyave, 2020). The success of the electronic learning system also depends on the willingness and acceptance of students to use this system (Vershitskaya et al, 2020). Not using the e-learning system makes it difficult to realize the benefits, and this leads to the unsuccessful implementation of the system and wastes the costs incurred in schools (Almaiah, Al-Khasawneh, & Althunibat, m 2020). Kim et al, (2021) conducted a research titled Understanding Student Acceptance of Online Learning Systems in Higher Education: Application of Social Psychology Theories Considering Innovative Users. The research results showed that perceived ease of use affects perceived usefulness, perceived usefulness affects attitude, while perceived ease does not directly affect attitude. Also, attitude and subjective norms positively affect behavioral intention, while perceived behavioral control has no effect on behavioral intention. Finally, user innovation plays a moderating role in the relationship between mental norms and behavioral intention. Gelineau-Morel & Dilts (2021) conducted a study on virtual education during COVID-19 and beyond. Results show that our curriculum increased learner satisfaction, engagement, and communication compared to our pre-COVID curriculum. While our curriculum promotes the exchange of ideas between all types of learners and fosters interaction and communication. In the future, we plan to continue our virtual education curriculum and further expand our topics and professors to address our diverse audience.   Research methodology The method of the present research is exploratory in nature and qualitative approach, which is a theme analysis strategy. The statistical population of this research includes professors and specialists in the field of physical education in schools; which includes 14 experts who are members of the student sports federation, high-ranking university professors and people with organizational positions such as the vice president of physical education and health of the Ministry of Education. The sampling method in the qualitative part includes the purposeful sampling method and it is based on the selection of sample cases by the researcher according to personal judgment and the objectives of the study and the nature of the research, and using the snowball technique until reaching theoretical saturation. Research findings Theme analysis was used to analyze the data. The results of the research showed that the design of the virtual training model of physical education in Iran includes the problems of conducting physical education lessons in virtual space, the lack of supervision and concentration in virtual education, the lack of proper communication between professors and students, the coverage of virtual classes, economic issues, weakness of software and hardware technology, Internet and its infrastructure problems, benefits of information technology in virtual education, superior characteristics of virtual education, weakness in establishing friendship and communication, insufficient knowledge of the space and capabilities of virtual education, problems of virtual education of physical education lesson, weakness in network communication and infrastructural barriers, use of new educational technologies, problems of virtual learning, capabilities of virtual learning, and the reasons for the importance and superiority of virtual learning.   Conclusion The current research has been conducted with the aim of designing a virtual training model for physical education in Iran. The results of this research corresponds with the results of research of Kim et al, (2021), Gelineau-Morel & Dilts (2021), Heynojoleysana et al, (2020), Elmaya et al, (2020), Abdollahi et al, (2021), Mohammadi et al, (2023), and Rezapour & Moharramzadeh (2021). Mohammadi et al, (2023) showed that the professional boundaries in the relationship between professor and student include emotional boundaries (avoiding emotional relationships and maintaining respectful behavior), communication boundaries (transparency in communication and privacy), and power boundaries (transparency in the boundaries of power and discretion and avoiding discrimination). In general, based on the results of this research, it can be said that in the academic context, effective communication and interactions between professors and students are considered as one of the effective factors in student progress and improving the teaching and learning process. Therefore, careful monitoring of communication and encouragement to create the right relationship between professor and student within the framework of professional boundaries makes sense. According to the results of the research, and because physical education lessons are very important for the physical and mental health of students; it is suggested that Special attention should be paid to physical education in the virtual educational program of schools. For planning virtual education in physical education, the Education Office needs an efficient model and program so that it can determine plans, goals, infrastructures, supports, teaching topics, etc. Also, physical education teachers need a suitable model and guide for the coherence and effectiveness of virtual teaching

Methodological Analysis in Iranian Sociological Research

This research, evaluating social knowledge identity in terms of methodology in Iran, showed that the knowledge suffers from dislocation and complexity. From one hand, the knowledge followed by the social scholars has fallen far from its production, reproduction and fixation roots in developed countries, and the scholars do not observe the processes of the knowledge formation and just regard the consequences or results of the social knowledge. On the other hand, the knowledge is not concerned with conducting social setting and infrastructure in Iran; because this effort needs elites’ support and public interest at the same time and the condition has not fulfilled yet. Data of the research were gathered relied on logical bases of qualitative research, interpretive approach and abductive strategy, and by conducting directed qualitative content analysis through multiple purposive sampling, and rhetorical reading of the performed interviews and also of the 55 works conducted by six participants of the research

Short-term effect of two education methods on oral health among hearing impairment children

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Poor oral health among children with impaired hearing has been reported frequently due to lack of communication skills and effective health educations. In this study, we assessed the effect of two training methods on short-term oral health outcomes among children with impaired hearing. METHODS: In this experimental study, 80 hearing impairment (HI) student aged 7-19 years old were randomized into two groups, one group watched a guided training video and the other group was educated by a dental model. The training sessions were weekly and continued for 1 month. A trained dentist examined all participants using O’Leary plaque index (PI) at baseline, 1-month, and 3-month visits. RESULTS: At baseline, the difference between the mean O’Leary PI in the video training and dental model training groups was not significant (34.3% vs. 35.6%). In the video training group, sharp decrease was seen at the 1-month visit (reinforcement periods), i.e., 18.7% (P = 0.001), followed by a slight increase at the 3-month visit (non-reinforcement periods), i.e., 19.1% (P = 0.100), respectively. On the other hand, in the dental model, a decreasing trend was seen 24.7% at 1-month (reinforcement periods) and 19.9% (P = 0.001) at 3-month visits (non-reinforcement periods). Overall, there were no significant differences between the two methods of training (P = 0.300). CONCLUSION: Both video and dental model effectively improve the oral health of children with HI in short term. Continuous school-based oral health education programs, particularly for HI children, need to be considered. KEYWORDS: Hearing Impairment; Plaque Index; Oral Health; Educatio

Computational Chemistry to Repurposing Drugs for the Control of COVID-19

Thus far, in 2021, 219 countries with over 175 million people have been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus, and is the causal agent for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Due to the urgency of the situation, virtual screening as a computational modeling method offers a fast and effective modality of identifying drugs that may be effective against SARS-CoV-2. There has been an overwhelming abundance of molecular docking against SARS-CoV-2 in the last year. Due to the massive volume of computational studies, this systematic review has been created to evaluate and summarize the findings of existing studies. Herein, we report on computational articles of drugs which target, (1) viral protease, (2) Spike protein-ACE 2 interaction, (3) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and (4) other proteins and nonstructural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Based on the studies presented, there are 55 identified natural or drug compounds with potential anti-viral activity. The next step is to show anti-viral activity in vitro and translation to determine effectiveness into human clinical trials