New Media and Peacemaking Diplomacy

A life full of peace has always been a dream for human societies. Peace is still considered as one of the main modern world concerns, because each nation deals with its own kind of violence and war. Therefore, peacemaking has turned into one of the governments' objectives. Peace has been affected by various factors in all over history. Media and communication technologies are two of the factors that influenced the peacemaking process in the past five decades. They play an important role in the efforts made towards peacemaking because they act as mediators amongst nations, governments, civilizations, organizations, and people. New media have turned into an important factor in the peacemaking process in terms of its widespread effects and extensive capacities. The new media’s importance is on a rise considering its presence in and effects on various aspects of our lives, like political, economic, and social dimensions at sub-national, national and international levels. It has also turned into an important instrument for performing the countries' foreign policies due to its features, along with earning a critical role in peacemaking diplomacy. The media could both be the harbinger of peace and the underlying cause of war with respect to its diverse functions. It could preach peace by sending peace messages inside and outside of the borders, and also by creating a peaceful notion in the people's minds

Inter-Rater Agreement of Emergency Nurses and Physicians in Emergency Severity Index (ESI) Triage

Introduction: Triage is one of the most important systems in patients prioritizing at the time of arrival to hospital. Based on the severity of the injury and the need for treatment, this system manages patients in the least time which could lead to rotation of patients with high reliability and safety. Currently, the most accepted method for triage is emergency severity index (ESI) system, considered as five-level triage method, too. This method were implemented in Al Zahra Hospital of Isfahan by trained nurses since March to May 2010. This study was aimed to evaluate the accuracy of emergency nursing triage using ESI. Methods: This prospective cross sectional study was carried out on 601 patients referred to Al-Zahra hospital of Isfahan through May 2010. The patients’ triage level were determined by physicians and nurses separately and the results compared. To define the level of agreement between two groups (inter-rater agreement), the kappa index was evaluated. To specify the association between the time interval of initial triage and patient final status, Chi-Square test was applied using SPSS 18 statistical software. Results: There was no significant difference between results of nurses and physicians triage (P<0/0001). The agreement level (kappa index) between two groups was 94% (95% CI: 0.931-0.957). Of 601 patients, 44.1% ones were hospitalized at the emergency department, 52.6% discharged and 3.3% died. The average of time interval between nursing triage and physician visit was 9.55 minutes at the level one triage, 21.64 minutes at level two, 26.03 minutes at level three, 26.93 minutes at level four, and 11.70 minutes at level five. Conclusion: It seems that there is an acceptable inter-rater agreement between emergency nurses and physicians regarding patients’ triage in terms of ESI system

Effect of different mixing and placement methods on the quality of MTA apical plug in simulated apexification model

It is necessary apical plug material to exhibit proper adaptation with the root canal walls. Presence of voids at the interface between the root canal wall and this material result in micro leakage, which might have a relationship with post treatment disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different mixing (manual and ultrasonic) and placement (manual and manual in association with indirect ultrasonic) method of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) on the void count and dimension in the apical plug in natural teeth with simulated open apices. Eighty human maxillary central incisors were selected. After simulation of the open apex model, the teeth were assigned to 4 groups based on the mixing and placement techniques of MTA: group 1, manual mixing and manual placement; group 2, manual mixing and manual placement in association with indirect ultrasonic; group 3, ultrasonic mixing and and manual placement; and group 4, ultrasonic mixing and manual placement in association with indirect ultrasonic. The prepared samples were placed within gypsum sockets in which the periodontal ligament was reconstructed with polyether impression material. In group 1, after mixing, the material was condensed with a hand plugger. In group 2, after mixing, the ultrasonic tip was contacted with the hand plugger for 2 seconds. In groups 3 and 4, mixing was carried out with the ultrasonic tip for 5 seconds and in groups 3 and 4, similar to groups 1 and 2, respectively, the materials were placed as apical plugs, measuring 3 mm in length. A wet cotton pellet was placed at canal orifices and dressed with Cavit. After one week, the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) technique was used to count the number of voids between the material and root canal walls. The void dimensions were determined using the following scoring system: score 1, absence of voids; score 2, the void size less than half of the dimensions of the evaluated cross-section; score 3, the void size larger than half of the dimensions of the evaluated cross-section. Chi-squared and Fisher?s exact tests were used for statistical analyses. Statistical significance was set at P0.05). Evaluation of void dimensions showed no score 3 in any of the study groups and the dimensions of all the voids conformed to score 2. Under the limitations of the present study, use of ultrasonic mixing and manual placement techniques resulted in a decrease in the number of voids in the apical plug

Effect of Calcium Hydroxide on the Push-out Bond Strength of Endodontic Biomaterials in Simulated Furcation Perforations

Introduction: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of calcium hydroxide (CH) on push-out bond strength of white mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA) and calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement in simulated furcation perforations. Methods and Materials: Furcation perforations, measuring 1.3 mm in diameter and 2 mm in height, were created in 80 human mandibular first molars. The teeth were then divided into 4 groups (n=20). In groups 1 and 3 CH was placed in the perforation for one week, before placement of WMTA and CEM. In groups 2 and 4 perforations were repaired without placement of CH. In groups 1 and 2 the perforation sites were repaired with WMTA and CEM cement was used in groups 3 and 4. After 7 days, the push-out test was carried out using a universal testing machine. Data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: The maximum and minimum bond strength values were recorded in the WMTA/CH (13.08±1.8 MPa) and CEM cement groups (8.03±0.98 MPa), respectively. There were significant differences in resistance to dislodgement between the WMTA/CH and other groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: Placement of CH before placement of WMTA in furcation perforation improves the push-out bond strength of this material.Keywords: Calcium-Enriched Mixture; Calcium Hydroxide; Furcation Perforation; Mineral Trioxide Aggregate; Push-Ou

The potential therapeutic use of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in the treatment of inflammatory diseases

Inflammation is a normal part of the immune response to injury or infection but its dysregulation promotes the development of inflammatory diseases, which cause considerable human suffering. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) are the most commonly prescribed agents for the treatment of inflammatory diseases but they are accompanied by a broad range of side effects, including gastrointestinal and cardiovascular events. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is traditionally known for its role in blood pressure regulation. However, there is increasing evidence that RAS signalling is also involved in the inflammatory response associated with several disease states. Angiotensin II increases blood pressure by binding to angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor, and direct renin inhibitors (DRIs), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and AT1 receptor blockers (ARBs) are clinically used as anti-hypertensive agents. Recent data suggest that these drugs also have anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, this review summarizes these recent findings for the efficacy of two of the most widely used antihypertensive drug classes, ACE inhibitors and ARBs, to reduce or treat inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis, arthritis, steatohepatitis, colitis, pancreatitis and nephritis

Design, construction and evaluation of 1a/JFH1 HCV chimera by replacing the intergenotypic variable region

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Evaluation of Cytotoxicity Effects of Combination Nano-Curcumin and Berberine in Breast Cancer Cell Line

Background: Berberine and Nano-curcumin are two herbal medicines with strong anti-cancer effects on tumor cells, but low toxicity on normal cells, when used alone. Breast cancer is known as the most common cancer in women and second deadly one. In this study, we evaluated the cytotoxicity effects of combination Berberine and Nano-curcumin in breast cancer cell line to see whether they have further synergism cytotoxicity on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Methods: The cytotoxicity effects of Berberine and Nano-curcumin alone and in combination, were evaluated in MCF-7 cell lines using MTT cytotoxicity test. Statistical analysis is done through one-way ANOVA and Tukey multiple range tests. Results: Analyzing results of this study showed that cytotoxicity of Nano-curcumin was higher than Berberine in a dose-dependent manner. The IC50 of combination Berberine and Nano-curcumin was lower and showed higher cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells compared with the time we use each of these drugs alone. Conclusion: In this study co-treatment of Berberine and Nano-curcumin significantly inhibited the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cell line and resulted in synergism cytotoxicity effects. These results indicated on their potency to further combination of these two drugs with other agents and common chemotherapies to improve breast cancer outcomes

Muscle-muscle crosstalk and potential therapies for muscle wasting diseases: does exercise matter?

Dear Editor-in-ChiefDifferent types of exercise training with increasing muscle contraction can stimulate muscle secretome called myokines. Myokines are the main mediators of maintaining muscle structure and function in manner of autocrine and paracrine. These myokines can both affect distant tissues and have positive effects on muscle tissue itself (Chen, Wang, You, & Shan, 2021). In various diseases leading to muscle wasting, it seems that exercise and increased contraction can reduce the rate of muscle wasting and muscle atrophy by regulating myokines. Myostatin is a myokine that negatively regulates skeletal muscle development. In animal models, myostatin degradation has been shown to increase muscle mass and inhibit myostatin signals which can control the loss of muscle mass due to cancer cachexia (X. Zhou et al., 2010). Zhou et al. (2021) showed that exercise training (strength or balance in combination with endurance training) seems to be effective in preventing sarcopenia and maintaining muscle mass in non-dialysis-dependent patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with inhibition of myostatin signaling (Y. Zhou, Hellberg, Hellmark, Höglund, & Clyne, 2021).Apelin is another myokine that decreases in age-dependent manner (Vinel et al., 2018). Apelin signaling in aging helps to increase muscle function by stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis and anti-inflammatory pathways in myofibers and improving regenerative capacity by targeting muscle stem cells (Vinel et al., 2018). It has been shown that exercise can positively regulate the Apelin and improve muscle growth. Apelin, an exerkine, is elevated due to maternal exercise, and maternal apelin administration mirrors the effect of maternal exercise on mitochondrial biogenesis in fetal muscle (Son et al., 2020). In other words, Apelin inhibits skeletal muscle dysfunction.Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is primarily expressed at low levels in type 1 muscle fibers. LIF has been shown to affect the growth and regeneration of skeletal muscle. For example, the expression of LIF protein in rat plantaris muscle is increased by mechanical load (Sakuma et al., 1998). Furthermore, LIF stimulates the hypertrophic response to increased load in the animal model, and in this respect LIF has been shown to be an important factor in skeletal muscle hypertrophy. In addition, LIF mRNA increases in human skeletal muscle following muscle damage leading to better repair. Therefore, this factor secreted by skeletal muscle can increase in various injuries and diseases with exercise and controls muscle wasting. Irisin is one of the most important muscle myokines that is secreted from muscle tissue through exercise and has auto and paracrine effects. It was shown that the injection of irisin induced muscle hypertrophy, improved muscle strength and reduced necrosis and development of connective tissue in a murine model (Reza et al., 2017). Therefore, increasing this factor with exercise can counteract cachexia and atrophy.Musclin is an exercise-responsive myokine associated with plasma atrial NP (ANP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and the expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1-α (PGC1-α) expression in skeletal muscle after exercise training (Subbotina et al., 2015). Musclin helps increase exercise capacity by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis in mice (Subbotina et al., 2015). In addition to its role in exercise, Musclin reduces muscle tissue damage during the development of cachexia-induced tumors and has beneficial effects on cancer patients at risk for cachexia (Re Cecconi et al., 2019). C - X - C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) is another type of myokine that is involved in the growth of skeletal muscle. CXCL12 helps proliferate myogenic and angiogenic somite progenitor cells and controls myotoma formation (Abduelmula et al., 2016). Moreover, it has been shown that the concentration of plasma CXCL12 is enhanced in response to training on a bicycle ergometer (Wang, Lee, Lien, & Weng, 2014). Overall, muscle - muscle crosstalk with several myokines mediates the beneficial effects of exercise training, including regulating muscle growth, preventing muscle loss, and increasing muscle function and regeneration, and these factors can decrease muscle wasting diseases

Relationship between antifungal susceptibility profle and virulence factors in Candida albicans isolated from nail specimens

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate some virulence factors in Candida albicans isolates from patients with onychomycosis and determine the correlation between these factors and the antifungal resistance profle Methods: Seventy species of C. albicans were confrmed using polymerase chain reaction amplifcation of the HWP1 gene. According to the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines, the susceptibility profle of four antifungal agents was investigated, and the production of aspartyl protease, phospholipase, haemolysin, and bioflm was determined. The correlation between these profles was also investigated Results: The isolates indicated different levels of resistance and production of virulence factors. Signifcant correlations were observed between the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of fluconazole/itraconazole and bioflm production, between phospholipase production and fluconazole/ itraconazole MIC, and between fluconazole MIC and hemolytic activity in C. albicans isolates. The results also showed significant correlations between phospholipase activity and bioflm production Conclusions: Our fndings will contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of C. albicans and characterize the relationship between virulence factors and antifungal resistance, which may suggest new therapeutic strategies considering the possible involvement of the virulence mechanism in the effectiveness of treatment. Keywords: Candida albicans. Virulence factors. Bioflm. Antifungal agents