The Marches of Alberico De Caprio (1865-1943): Director of the Los Angeles Gas and Electric Company Band and Portland Rose Festival Band

The marches of Alberico De Caprio are themselves a history of the early 20th century American West, and the archetypal immigrant story long missing among famed American bandleaders. Significant pieces include the official anthem of the Los Angeles County Fair, Portland Rose Festival, score for a Paramount Pictures pre-code era feature film and a march written for President Theodore Roosevelt. This dissertation will expand scholarship on band music by giving a detailed biography of De Caprio and the ensembles under his direction, a list of his marches, and editions of six of his most historically significant marches

Gender Identification Based on the Parameters of the Sternum Bone in the Cadavers

Background: Identifying identity in the absence of large bones becomes more difficult and complicated; accordingly, it is highly beneficial to use the features of the sternum. The present study aimed to evaluate the dimensions of the sternum and its relation with gender in the Iranian population.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 cadavers (100 men and 100 women). By performing an autopsy, the sternum bone was first cut in the midline using a vibrating saw, and the different dimensions were measured using a caliper.Results: Among different dimensions related to the sternum, the mean length of manubrium, mesosternum, the largest width of manubrium, and the shortest width of manubrium were significantly higher in men compared to women. Regarding the value of each sternal diameter in discriminating male and female gender, the highest discriminative value was specified to the shortest width of manubrium (cutoff: 26.75, sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 84.0%), followed by the length of sternebrae 1 (cutoff: 8.45, sensitivity: 76.0%, specificity: 21.0%).Conclusion: Measuring various indices of sternum bone, particularly the shortest width of the manubrium and the length of sternebrae 1, leads to gender identity accurately

Efficacy of High Dose Vitamin C, Melatonin and Zinc in Iranian Patients with Acute Respiratory Syndrome due to Coronavirus Infection: A Pilot Randomized Trial

INTRODUCTION: Our aim was to investigate the efficacy of vitamin C, melatonin, and zinc in patients with severe Covid-19. METHODS:  Twenty-one adult patients were randomized 1:1 to standard care alone or standard care plus IV vitamin C (2 g, q6hr), oral melatonin (6 mg, q6hr), and oral zinc sulfate (50 mg, q6hr) for 10 days. Patients were monitored for changes in hypoxemia and inflammatory markers. RESULTS: Both treatment modalities were effective to improve PaO2/FiO2 and oxygen saturation. However, there were no significant differences between 2 groups (P > 0.05). There were reductions in CRP, ESR, and LDH levels in both study groups, although not significant. No significant difference was noted in length of ICU stay between 2 groups (P = 0.3). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that addition of vitamin C, melatonin, and zinc to standard care is not associated with considerable improvement in patients with severe Covid-19.&nbsp

Importance of IL-1β in SARS-CoV-2 infection

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) provokes the host immune responses and induces severe respiratory syndrome by overreaction of immune cells. IL-1β is a pro-inflammatory cytokine highly associated with the related inflammation and cytokine storm, and several IL-1β antagonists are being used to treat cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Accordingly, some studies and clinical trials are investigating the effects of IL-1β antagonists for controlling Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated CRS. Here, we will review any interaction and association between IL-1β and SARS-CoV-2 infection

Numerical evaluation of thermal comfort in traditional courtyards to develop new microclimate design in a hot and dry climate

The growing interest in thermal comfort of outdoor environments yields in different analysis on courtyards as a common space between urban and architectural scales. However, there is a limited knowledge regarding the microclimatic behavior of such spaces. Using ENVI-met simulations, this paper aims to numerically discuss the thermal performance of different configurations of traditionally designed courtyards in Shiraz, Iran, which experiences hot summers and cold winters. The geometrical effects such as orientation and H/W (height to width ratio) of courtyards are considered as potential parameters to improve the microclimatic conditions. In this paper, PMV and UTCI are used as thermal comfort indices. The obtained results indicate mean radiant temperature and wind speed as the most effective parameters for thermal comfort of courtyards. In addition, the aforementioned geometrical parameters might not be able to solely create a desirable condition, but they could significantly improve the thermal comfort of courtyards during summer and winter. To achieve a desirable thermal comfort level, the results suggest using configurations of a high H/W rate and southward orientation in order to obtain better shading during summer as well as allowing the solar radiation in while regulating the wind speed in winter

Safety and efficacy of Favipiravir in moderate to severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia

Background: We examined the safety and efficacy of a treatment protocol containing Favipiravir for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: We did a multicenter randomized open-labeled clinical trial on moderate to severe cases infections of SARS-CoV-2. Patients with typical ground glass appearance on chest computerized tomography scan (CT scan) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) of less than 93 were enrolled. They were randomly allocated into Favipiravir (1.6 gr loading, 1.8 gr daily) and Lopinavir/Ritonavir (800/200 mg daily) treatment regimens in addition to standard care. In-hospital mortality, ICU admission, intubation, time to clinical recovery, changes in daily SpO2 after 5 min discontinuation of supplemental oxygen, and length of hospital stay were quantified and compared in the two groups. Results: 380 patients were randomly allocated into Favipiravir (1 9 3) and Lopinavir/Ritonavir (1 8 7) groups in 13 centers. The number of deaths, intubations, and ICU admissions were not significantly different (26, 27, 31 and 21, 17, 25 respectively). Mean hospital stay was also not different (7.9 days SD = 6 in the Favipiravir and 8.1 SD = 6.5 days in Lopinavir/Ritonavir groups) (p = 0.61). Time to clinical recovery in the Favipiravir group was similar to Lopinavir/Ritonavir group (HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.75 � 1.17) and likewise the changes in the daily SpO2 after discontinuation of supplemental oxygen (p = 0.46) Conclusion: Adding Favipiravir to the treatment protocol did not reduce the number of ICU admissions or intubations or In-hospital mortality compared to Lopinavir/Ritonavir regimen. It also did not shorten time to clinical recovery and length of hospital stay. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

Photosonochemical catalytic ring opening of α-epoxyketones

The combination of ultrasound and photochemical methods has been used for the catalytic ring opening of α-epoxyketones by 1-benzyl-2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate (NBTPT) as photocatalyst in methanol. Sonication of these compounds in the presence of NBTPT did not result in the opening of epoxide ring, but the use of ultrasound increased the rate of photoreaction

Preferential expression of CD200 and Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO-1) in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients with Relapse

Background & Objectives: Defect in Immune responses, such as immunosuppression is one of the major causes of AML pathogenesis and progression which could be targeted for immunotherapy of these patients. CD200 and IDO are immunoregulatory factors which are overexpressed in some solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Distinct researches have shown that CD200 and IDO expressions are associated with AML progression. In the current study, we simultaneously examined the expression of these molecules, as the two important factors including in immunosuppression, in the newly diagnosed and relapse AML patients to investigate their correlation with each other. Methods: In this study, 48 Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) samples of newly diagnosed and relapsed AML patients were tested and also 32 PBMCs of normal subjects were employed as normal controls. CD200 expression level was examined on the cells by Flowcytometry and quantitative real time RT-PCR was used to determine the IDO-1 gene expression. Finally data were analyzed statistically by Spss 17 software. Results: Our data showed that CD200 (P=0.02) and IDO-1 (P=0.44) were overexpressed in AML samples especially in relapsed patients. Comparison between FAB AML subgroups demonstrated no statistical differences regarding CD200 level but expression of IDO-1 was slightly increased only in M4 subgroup in comparison to M3 (P=0.01). Correlation analyses showed strong association between the expressions of CD200 and IDO-1 in all patients particularly in relapsed AML, whereas no significant correlation was found in normal subjects.   Conclusion: According to the role and overexpression of CD200 and IDO-1 in AML patients and also their two-way correlation with T-reg lymphocytes in disease induction and progression, simultaneous assessment of these parameters are so valuable for more exact prognosis detection. Also inhibition of all these immunoregulatory pathways could be so useful for immunotherapy outcome, especially in relapsed AML

Antifungal Effects of Gold Nanoparticles Conjugated Fluconazole against Fluconazole Resistant Strains of Candida albicans Isolated From Patients with Chronic Vulvovaginitis

Background and Objectives: A number of women with volvuvaginal candidiasis suffer from certain chronic and recurrent types of this infection that affect their quality of life. Meanwhile, increased use of antifungal drugs, especially azoles, for treatment of chronic candidiasis is an important factor for incidence of drug resistance in Candida isolates from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis. The aim of this study was to investigate anticandidal effects of gold nanoparticles conjugated fluconazole to develop better drugs for treatment of patients with candidal vaginitis, especially its chronic type. Methods: After collection of 300 vaginal swab specimens and culture and isolation of primary colonies and determination of Candida species, fluconazole resistant strains of Candida albicans were detected using disc diffusion. Finally, antifungal effects of gold nanoparticles conjugated fluconazole and fluconazole were compared by broth microdilution. Results: Only one fluconazole resistant strain of C. albicans was isolated from patients (MIC=64µg/ml). The results obtained from drug susceptibility test showed that this strain was sensitive to gold nanoparticles conjugated fluconazole (MIC=2µg/ml). Conclusion: Given the optimal anticandidal effects of gold nanoparticles conjugated fluconazole on resistant strains of C. albicans, a suitable compound with great anticandidal properties may be achieved in the future