Comparison of the tuberculin skin test and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test in detecting latent tuberculosis in health care workers in Iran

OBJECTIVES: The tuberculin skin test (TST) and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT) are used to identify latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs). The aim of this study was to determine the agreement between these two tests among health care workers in Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 177 tuberculosis (TB) laboratory staff and 67 non-TB staff. TST indurations of 10 mm or more were considered positive. The Student's t-test and the chi-square test were used to compare the mean score and proportion of variables between the TB laboratory staff and the non-TB laboratory staff. Kappa statistics were used to evaluate the agreement between these tests, and logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors associated with positive results for each test. RESULTS: The prevalence of LTBIs according to both the QFT and the TST was 17 (95 confidence interval CI, 12% to 21%) and 16% (95% CI, 11% to 21%), respectively. The agreement between the QFT and the TST was 77.46%, with a kappa of 0.19 (95% CI, 0.04 to 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of LTBI based on the QFT and the TST was not significantly different, the kappa statistic was low between these two tests for the detection of LTBIs

The effects of probiotic supplementation on mental health, biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background and objective: In the current meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the effects of probiotic supplementation on mental health, biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with psychiatric disorders were assessed. Methods: The following databases were search up to February 2019: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google scholar and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Results: Twelve studies were included in the current meta-analysis. The findings demonstrated that probiotic supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) Weighted Mean Difference (WMD): -9.60; 95 % CI: -10.08, -9.11. In addition, a significant reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP) (WMD: -1.59; 95 % CI: -2.22, -0.97), interleukin 10 (IL-10) (WMD: -0.29; 95 % CI: -0.48, -0.11) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (WMD: -0.38; 95 % CI: -0.63, -0.13) was found after probiotics supplementation. No significant change was seen in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score (WMD: -11.17; 95 % CI: -24.99, 2.65), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (WMD: -0.12; 95 % CI: -0.20, -0.05), IL-1B (WMD: -0.34; 95 % CI: -1.43, 0.74), IL-6 (WMD: 0.03; 95 % CI: -0.32, 0.38), nitric oxide (NO) (WMD: -0.54; 95 % CI: -2.16, 1.08), glutathione (GSH) (WMD: 46.79; 95 % CI: -17.25, 110.83) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels (WMD: 15.21; 95 % CI: -59.96, 90.37) after probiotics supplementation. Conclusion: Overall, the current meta-analysis demonstrated that taking probiotic by patients with psychiatric disorders had beneficial effects on HAMD, CRP, IL-10 and MDA levels, but it did not affect BDI score, other markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

Growth and reproductive biology of Capoeta damascina (Valenciennes, 1842) from a tributary of Tigris

Growth and reproductive attributes were determined for Capoeta damascina, an endemic fish species from west of Iran. A total of 147 specimens of both sexes were sampled monthly from November 2008 to October 2009. The overall sex ratio was female biased. Males were aged 0-4 years and females 0-5 years. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were estimated as Linf=34.81 cm, k=0.27 year^-1, t0=-0.65 for males plus unsexed samples, Linf =46.29 cm, k=0.22 year^-1, t0 =-0.59 for females plus unsexed samples and Linf =67.52 cm, k=0.12 year^-1, t0=-0.79 for whole samples. The length-weight relationships were W=0.021L^2.815 for males, W=0.022L^2.824 for females and W=0.020L^2.836 for combined sexes, all of which exhibited a negative allometric growth. Spawning season started in May, ascending to June and ended in July for both sexes. Length at 50% maturity was estimated as 12.35 cm for males and 15.14 cm for females. Fecundity ranged from 1551 (2 years old) to 20523 (5 years old) eggs per fish. Losing of large individuals and decreasing in size at first maturity were observed in the studied population compared to data reported from other C. damascina populations, which could reflect an effect of overexploitation

Hypozincemia in bipolar i disorder (BID) patients

One-third of the world's population is at risk of zinc deficiency. It has been hypothesized that low serum/plasma zinc may contribute to alteration of brain Zn homeostasis and thus had to various psychological disorders. This study was designed to evaluate serum zinc (Zn) as well as copper (Cu) concentrations in patients with Bipolar I Disorder (BID) in our community to support the findings on the possible association of Zn in neuropsychological functions. Participants included 30 BID patients with different phases of mania and depression and 30 healthy controls. Results indicated the mean serum Zn level of the BID group was significantly lower than that of controls (P< 0.0001). Similar results were obtained for Cu. These findings suggest a possible association of Zn levels on neuropsychological dysfunction. Copyright © 2007 by New Century Health Publishers, LLC. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved

The effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) on mental health parameters and C-reactive protein: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Background: The findings of trials investigating the effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) supplementation on depression, anxiety, and C-reactive protein (CRP) are inconsistent. The current meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was carried out to assess the effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) administration on mental health parameters and CRP levels. Methods: Two independent authors systematically searched online databases including EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception until 30th July 2019. Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool was applied to assess the methodological quality of included trials. The heterogeneity among the included studies was assessed using Cochrane's Q test and I-square (I2) statistic. Data were pooled using a random-effects model and weighted mean difference (WMD) was considered as the overall effect size. Results: Twenty one trials were included in this meta-analysis. Consumption of saffron resulted in a significant reduction in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (11 studies with 12 effect size) (WMD: �4.86; 95 CI: �6.58, �3.14), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) (5 studies) (WMD: �5.29; 95 CI: �8.27, �2.31) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores (3 studies with 4 effect size) (WMD: �2.22; 95 CI: �2.73, �1.72). Saffron intake did not affect Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-D), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS-A) scores and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated that saffron intake significantly reduced BDI, BAI and PSQI scores, but did not affect HDRS-D, HARS-A scores and CRP levels. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

Time to first recurrence, pattern of recurrence, and survival after recurrence in endometrial cancer according to the molecular classification.

OBJECTIVE Despite its generally favorable prognosis at primary diagnosis, recurrence of endometrial cancer remains an important clinical challenge. The aim of this study was to analyze the value of molecular classification in recurrent endometrial cancer. METHODS This study included patients with recurrent endometrial cancer who underwent primary surgical treatment between 2004 and 2015 at the Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden and the Bern University Hospital, Switzerland (KImBer cohort) with molecular classification of the primary tumor. RESULTS Out of 594 molecularly classified endometrial cancer patients, 101 patients experienced recurrence, consisting of 2 POLEmut, 33 MMRd, 30 p53abn, and 36 NSMP tumors. Mean age at recurrence was 71 years and mean follow-up was 54 months. Overall, median time to first recurrence was 16 months (95% CI 12-20); with the shortest median time in MMRd patients, with 13 months (95% CI 5-21). The pattern of recurrence was distinct among molecular subgroups: MMRd tumors experienced more locoregional, while p53abn cases showed more abdominal recurrences (P = .042). Median survival after recurrence was best for MMRd cases (43 months, 95% CI 11-76), compared to 39 months (95% CI 21-57) and 10 months (95% CI 7-13) for the NSMP and p53abn cases respectively (log-rank, P = .001). CONCLUSION Molecular classification is a significant indicator of survival after recurrence in endometrial cancer patients, and patterns of recurrence differ by molecular subgroups. While MMRd endometrial cancer show more locoregional recurrence and the best survival rates after recurrence, p53abn patients experience abdominal recurrence more often and had the worst prognosis of all recurrent patients

Prevalence of the C282Y and H63D mutations of the HFE hemochromatosis gene in Azerian major β-thalassemia and iron overload

In this study, we have determined the allele frequency of HFE mutations H63D and C282Y in a group of Azerian beta-thalassemia major patients. These two mutations are implicated in hereditary hemochromatosis among Caucasians. In this study, we wanted to outbreak these mutations with the iron status in major beta-thalassemia patients. Sixty Azerian major beta-thalassemias were screening for the C282Y and H63D by digestion of polymerase chain reaction products (PCRP). Serum ferritin level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The allele frequency of H63D mutation was 20 . C282Y mutation was not present in our studied patients. No statistically significant difference of serum ferritin level was found between major beta-thalassemia with and without HFE mutations. Our data suggest that H63D mutation is so frequent in Azerian major beta-thalassemia patients than in the general population and that the coinheritance of H63D mutation does not influence the severity of iron overload in these patients. © 2015, Springer-Verlag London

Optimal neural network feature selection for spatial-temporal forecasting

In this paper, we show empirical evidence on how to construct the optimal feature selection or input representation used by the input layer of a feedforward neural network for the propose of forecasting spatial-temporal signals. The approach is based on results from dynamical systems theory, namely the non-linear embedding theorems. We demonstrate it for a variety of spatial-temporal signals, with one spatial and one temporal dimensions, and show that the optimal input layer representation consists of a grid, with spatial/temporal lags determined by the minimum of the mutual information of the spatial/temporal signals and the number of points taken in space/time decided by the embedding dimension of the signal. We present evidence of this proposal by running a Monte Carlo simulation of several combinations of input layer feature designs and show that the one predicted by the non-linear embedding theorems seems to be optimal or close of optimal. In total we show evidence in four unrelated systems: a series of coupled Henon maps; a series of couple Ordinary Differential Equations (Lorenz-96) phenomenologically modelling atmospheric dynamics; the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation, a partial differential equation used in studies of instabilities in laminar flame fronts and finally real physical data from sunspot areas in the Sun (in latitude and time) from 1874 to 2015.Comment: 11 page

The effects of Vitamin D supplementation on withdrawal symptoms and the expression of inflammatory cytokines and insulin in patients under methadone maintenance treatment: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Hypovitaminosis D may be related to some metabolic vulnerable, including metabolic disorders associated with inflammatory cytokines and insulin resistance in subjects undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Objectives: This study aimed to determine the impact of vitamin D intake on withdrawal symptoms and genetic response related to inflammatory cytokines and insulin in patients treated with MMT. Methods: This investigation was performed on 40 subjects under MMT to consume either 50,000 IU vitamin D supplements (n = 20) or placebo (n = 20) every 2 weeks for 12 weeks, between April and June 2017 in Kashan, Iran. The clinical opiate withdrawal symptoms (COWS) were evaluated to examine withdrawal scale and gene expression at baseline and after the a 3-month intervention. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS 18 with Fisher's exact test, t-test, chi-square, and ANCOVA. Also, P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The results of our study showed that compared with the placebo, taking vitamin D downregulated interleukin-1 (IL-1) expression (P = 0.01) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients under MMT. In addition, consuming vitamin D increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) expression (P = 0.01). Administration of vitamin D did not change COWS and IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression. Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, vitamin D can be recommended as an adjunct to MMT which may elevate the quality of life and decrease methadone side effects. Copyright © 2020, Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited

Comparison of the tuberculin skin test and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test in detecting latent tuberculosis in health care workers in Iran

OBJECTIVES: The tuberculin skin test (TST) and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT) are used to identify latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs). The aim of this study was to determine the agreement between these two tests among health care workers in Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 177 tuberculosis (TB) laboratory staff and 67 non-TB staff. TST indurations of 10 mm or more were considered positive. The Student's t-test and the chi-square test were used to compare the mean score and proportion of variables between the TB laboratory staff and the non-TB laboratory staff. Kappa statistics were used to evaluate the agreement between these tests, and logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors associated with positive results for each test. RESULTS: The prevalence of LTBIs according to both the QFT and the TST was 17 (95 confidence interval CI, 12% to 21%) and 16% (95% CI, 11% to 21%), respectively. The agreement between the QFT and the TST was 77.46%, with a kappa of 0.19 (95% CI, 0.04 to 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of LTBI based on the QFT and the TST was not significantly different, the kappa statistic was low between these two tests for the detection of LTBIs. © 2016, Korean Society of Epidemiolog