Surveying the relationship between Gly1057Asp polymorphism of IRS-2 gene and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes; a systematic review and meta-analysis study

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multi-factorial disease in which influenced by several genetic and environmental factors. Insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS 2) is the main mediator of insulin in the liver which controls insulin sensitivity. Gly1057Asp polymorphism is one of the candidates to increase risk of T2DM. The present study is an attempt to study the relationship of Gly1057Asp polymorphism of IRS-2 and T2DM by a meta-analysis. A systemic search was conducted in English and Persian databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, SID, and other academic databases for studies that have investigated the relationship of Gly1057Asp polymorphism of IRS-2 and T2DM. This association was determined using odds ratios (ORs) with a confidence interval of 95% (CIs). Heterogeneity of the studies was examined by I2 index. Funnel plots and Egger tests were used to determine bias or publication bias. The collected data was analyzed in STATA through meta-analysis. Nine articles were selected as eligible for further analysis, which represented 3,196 patients with T2DM and 3409 controls subjects without T2DM. The present meta-analysis showed a significant relationship between GA genotype of Gly1057Asp polymorphism and T2DM (OR=0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-0.98), whereas no significant relationship between GG and AA genotype with T2DM was seen; OR for GG and AA genotypes were 1.10 (95% CI, 0.99 -1.22) and 1.13 (95% CI, 0.95- 1.33), respectively. The results of our study show that genotype GA of Gly1057Asp polymorphism of IRS-2 gene plays a protective role and may decrease the risk of T2DM, whereas GG and AA genotypes are considered as a risk factor and related to development of T2DM to some extents. Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Gly1057Asp polymorphism, Meta-analysi

Spinal Cord Injury Affects Gene Expression of Transmembrane Proteins in Tissue and Release of Extracellular Vesicle in Blood: In Silico and In Vivo Analysis

Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) can disrupt membrane transmission by affecting transmembrane channels orneurotransmitter release. This study aimed to explore gene expression changes of transmembrane proteins underlyingSCI through bioinformatics approaches and confirming in SCI model in rats.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in acute and subacuteSCI were obtained based on microarray data downloaded from the gene expression omnibus (GEO). Transmembraneproteins of DEGs were recognized by using the UniProt annotation and transmembrane helices prediction (TMHMM)methods. The model of SCI was established through a weight-dropping procedure in rats. To confirm the SCI model,hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed. Total mRNA was extracted from spinal cord tissues, and the RNAexpression profile of some of the significantly changed genes in the previous part that has been confirmed by real-timepolymerase chain reaction (PCR). Blood was collected from rats before sacrificing. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) wereisolated by high-speed centrifugation from plasma. For the assessment of protein expression, western blotting wasused.Results: Based on bioinformatics analysis, we candidated a set of membrane proteins in SCI’s acute and sub-acutephases, and confirmed significant upregulation in Grm1, Nrg1, CD63, Enpp3, and Cxcr4 between the acute and controlgroups and downregulation in Enpp3 between acute and subacute groups at the RNA level. Considering CD63 as anEV marker, we examined the protein expression of CD9 and CD63 in the plasma-derived EVs, and CD9 has significantexpression between acute and control groups. We also demonstrate no significant CD63 and Cxcr4 expressionsbetween groups.Conclusion: Our results provide new insight into the relationship between candidate transmembrane protein expressionand different stages of SCI using in-silico approaches. Also, results show the release of EVs in blood in each group afterSCI helping enlarge strategies to enhance recovery following SCI

Effects of vitamin B6 on premenstrual syndrome: A systematic review and meta-Analysis

Background and Objective: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to a range of physical and psychological symptoms which regularly occur during the luteal phase of a menstrual cycle and disappear short after menstruation starts. Considering the negative effects of PMS on women's daily life, various treatments have been developed to alleviate its symptoms. Vitamin B6 is one of the complementary therapies used to treat PMS. The present meta-Analysis aimed to investigate the effects of vitamin B6 on PMS. Methodology: Different databases including PubMed, ISI, Scopus, SID, Magiran, Science Direct, and Medlib were searched to identify studies addressing the effects of vitamin B6 on PMS. The relevant data obtained from these papers were analyzed by a random-effects model. Data were analyzed using R Ver. 3.2.3 Software and STATA. Results: There were significant reductions in the mean scores of PMS after treatment with vitamin B6 compare to control groups. Moreover, the mean PMS scores of the two groups were also significantly different after the treatment. The mean difference between the two groups was -1.19 [95% CI: -1.94,-0.44; P = 0.002]. Significant reductions were also observed in physical symptoms (P = 0.006) and psychological symptoms (P < 0.001) of PMS after the intervention. Conclusion: The results of our meta-Analysis confirmed vitamin B6 as a beneficial, inexpensive, and effective treatment for PMS symptoms. Therefore, the administration of this treatment option will enable midwives to achieve the important goal of reducing PMS symptoms

Prevalence of Anaerobic Bacteria (P.gingivalis) as Major Microbial Agent in the Incidence Periodontal Diseases by Meta-analysis

Statement of the Problem: Periodontal diseases are complex oral diseases characterized by bacterial-induced inflammatory destruction of tooth-supporting tissues. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is a common gram-negative anaerobic oral bacteria strongly associated with periodontal disease. Purpose: The present study was conducted to estimate prevalence of P. gingivalis in patients with periodontal diseases by using meta-analysis method. Martials and Method: Different databases including PubMed, EmBase, Scopus, the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify original English-language studies addressing prevalence of P. gingivalis in periodontal diseases up to December 2014. The random effects model was applied in the meta-analysis and the heterogeneity between studies was assessed using a Cochran test and the I2 index. Funnel plots and Egger test were used to examine publication bias. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 12. Results: Forty-two eligible studies published during 1993- 2016 were selected for meta-analysis. Considering all the included studies, the total sample size was 5,884 individuals containing 2,576 healthy people with a mean age of 37.21±7.45 years and 3,308 periodontal patients with a mean age of 44.16±8.35 years. Overall, the prevalence of P. gingivalis was 78% [95% CI: 74-81] in periodontal diseases group and 34% [95% CI: 26-41] in healthy individuals. There was a significantly higher prevalence of P.gingivalis in individuals with periodontal diseases compared to healthy subjects [78% versus 34%, respectively]. Conclusion: This study indicates that P. gingivalis is highly present in subjects with periodontal diseases and it also appears in periodontally healthy people, although to a lesser extent. Thus, the presence of P. gingivalis increases the chance of periodontal disease and it can be considered as a main potential risk factor

Prevalence of cagA and vacA among Helicobacter pylori-infected patients in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The varieties of infections caused by Helicobacter pylori may be due to differences in bacterial genotypes and virulence factors as well as environmental and host-related factors. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cagA and vacA genes among H. pylori-infected patients in Iran and analyze their relevance to the disease status between two clinical groups via a meta-analysis method. Different databases including PubMed, ISI, Scopus, SID, Magiran, Science Direct, and Medlib were investigated, and 23 relevant articles from the period between 2001 and 2012 were finally analyzed. The relevant data obtained from these papers were analyzed by a random-effects model. Data were analyzed using R software and STATA. The prevalence of cagA and vacA genes among H. pylori-infected patients was 70% (95% CI, 64–75) and 41% (95% CI, 24.3–57.7), respectively. The prevalence of duodenal ulcers, peptic ulcers, and gastritis among cagA+ individuals was 53% (95% CI, 20–86), 65% (95% CI, 34–97), and 71% (95% CI, 59–84), respectively. Odds ratio (OR) between cagA-positive compared with cagA-negative patients showed a 1.89 (95% CI, 1.38–2.57) risk of ulcers. In conclusion, the frequency of cagA gene among H. pylori strains is elevated in Iran and it seems to be more frequently associated with gastritis. Therefore, any information about cagA and vacA prevalence among different H. pylori-infected clinical groups in the country can help public health authorities to plan preventive policies to reduce the prevalence of diseases associated with H. pylori infection

The Effect of Annealing Temperature on the Structure and Hardness of Palladium Thin Film

Palladium thin films, with a thickness of about 110 ?, were deposited at room temperature on glass substrates, by electron beam evaporation method, and subsequently annealed at 523, 598, 673, 748, 773, 798 and 823 K for an hour, and then were cool down slowly. The structure and hardness of the thin films were investigated using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Vickers Micro Hardness (MHV) analysis respectively. XRD patterns showed that the structure is amorphous before annealing and as the annealing temperature increases, the structure of Pd thin films become crystallized gradually. The Vickers Micro Hardness modifications of the Pd thin film showed that the heat treatment resulted in the structural compression of the sample and therefore the density increased compared to the preheating temperature. Thus, by heating up to the re-crystallization temperature, the Pd thin film-tensile strength increased, which is itself due to the mechanical behaviour of the material, and has a significant effect on its efficiency. So we realized that the hardness of the thin films is directly affected by annealing temperature

A Novel Low-Cost Method for Fabrication of 2D Multi-Electrode Array (MEA) to Evaluate Functionality of Neuronal Cells

In this paper, a fabrication method for two-dimensional multi-electrode arrays (MEAs) using inexpensive material and method is proposed. The focus in this work is on the design and fabrication of 2D Microelectrode arrays using metallic electrodes on a silica substrate. Titanium/gold multi-electrode arrays containing 60 electrodes with optimized metal thicknesses and 30 &mu;m diameter, covered with thin modified SU-8 insulator layer as biocompatible material have been designed and manufactured using the standard photolithography-based microfabrication method. The utilization of affordable and more accessible materials and simpler techniques can be mentioned as the distinct point of the proposed fabrication method. Using these multi-electrode arrays, it is possible to either record or stimulate cells by accessing multiple sites of cell tissues and collect signals from the sources around each electrode simultaneously. Precisely adjusting the size, distance, and number of microelectrodes causes high measurement selectivity and reliability which has been taken into account in the design of the microelectrodes. In this study, we manufactured a preliminary representative MEA and the bio-compatibility of the manufactured MEA is going to be evaluated by neural cells, obtained from rat cortices. The main aim of this study is to compare our inexpensive strategy with other approaches

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Iran: A meta-analysis

Background: Metabolic syndrome) MetS( is a complex risk factor which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. There are many studies with various populations and results about the prevalence of MetS in Iran; in order to authenticate these studies and have an overall estimation of its prevalence in Iran, performing a meta-analysis seems to be necessary. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of MetS and its components in Iran via meta-analysis method. Methods: All associated published papers in national and international journals of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Magiran, Iranmedex, Science Direct, Medlib, and SID databases were searched from January, 2000 to October, 2016. All types of studies, including local and national surveys that reported the prevalence of MetS among healthy populations in Iran were reviewed. The effects of age, sample size and publication date as possible sources of heterogeneity among the study findings was examined by meta-regression. P-values less than 0.05 were considered as significant in heterogeneity tests. All analysis was done by R Ver. 3.2.1 and STATA (version 10). Results: Seventy eligible studies were selected for meta-analysis. The overall estimation of MetS prevalence was 25% (95% CI: 22-29%) based on the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria, 30% (95% CI: 25-36%) according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and 39% (95% CI: 26-52%) based on the Joint Interim Societies (JIS) criteria. The prevalence of MetS was lower in men than in women (26.9% versus 35.7%). The prevalence of various MetS components including High TG (triglyceride), Low HDL-C, High BP and High FBS (fasting blood sugar) was 43%, 54%, 38% and 22% among the adult population. Conclusion: Findings from the present meta-analyses study displayed a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Iran, especially in women, which increases with age in both sexes. It alerts health care providers and policy makers to find solutions in order to take action to reduce MetS risk in society

Safety climate assessment: a survey in an electric power distribution company

Introduction. This study aimed to investigate safety climate and its structural dimensions as well as establish a relationship between safety climate and demographic variables in a power distribution company. Method. This cross-sectional study included 200 workers. The safety climate questionnaire recommended by the UK Health and Safety Executive was applied containing 43 questions in 11 dimensions. Demographic information was also assessed. SPSS version 22.0 was applied to analyze the data. Results. In total, 179 workers participated in this survey. The response rate was high (89.5%). Safety climate had the highest correlation with the management commitment dimension (r = 0.754). The total score of safety climate in this company was 3.37 on a scale ranging from 1 to 5. Among safety climate factors, the highest score was for safety-related training (3.87) but work pressure had the lowest score (2.80). Among demographic variables, a significant relationship was observed between safety climate and age (r = 0.180). Conclusions. Management as an organizational power can exert great influence on the promotion of safety climate. Moreover, adopting efficient training programs and making a balance in workload for decreasing work pressure can improve safety climate.Safety and Security Scienc

Comparing the Effects of Vitamin B1 and Calcium on Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) among Female Students, Ilam- Iran

Background Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a combination of physical, psychological and emotional symptoms that occur periodically before menstruation and disappear with the onset of menstruation. There are some therapeutic methods mostly according to the clinical trials that reduce the prevalence and intensity of symptoms of PMS by unknown mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Calcium and vitamin B1 on Premenstrual syndrome among female students. Materials and Methods: This is a triple-blind clinical trial conducted on 210 female students living in dormitories of Ilam University of Medical Sciences who had PMS. PMS symptoms questionnaire was used to investigate the symptoms. Participants were assigned in 3 groups of 70 people with the following regimen: group 1 received one pill containing 100 milligrams vitamin B1, group 2 received Calcium pills and group 3 received placebo. The participants in all groups took medicines for 2 months and then reported the intensity of their symptoms by the questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics, using SPSS-16. Results: In groups receiving vitamin B1, Calcium and placebo, the intensity of physical and psychological symptoms as well as general symptoms of PMS had a remarkable reduction (