An X-STRs analysis of the Iraqi Sorani Kurds

A database for the Iraqi Sorani Kurds, specifically focused on the 12 X-short tandem repeat (STR) loci, has been developed to fascilitate forensic and population genetics investigations. The present study involved genotyping 117 unrelated individuals from the Sorani Kurds ethnic group using the Investigator Argus X-12 QS kit. The analysis revealed that the DXS10135 locus exhibited the highest degree of polymorphism, as indicated by a polymorphism information content (PIC) value of 0.94565 and a gene diversity (GD) value of 0.95623. Conversely, the DXS8378 locus displayed the lowest level of polymorphism, with a PIC value of 0.61026 and a GD value of 0.68170. Notably, two individuals were found to possess a rare allele (allele = 6) at the DXS8378 locus, which was not included in the allelic ladder of the kit. Furthermore, a significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) (p < 0.05/117) was observed between the DXS10103 and DXS10101 loci on linkage group 3 (LG3). The ancestral composition of the five primary geographic regions, namely Africa, Middle East, East Asia, Europe, and South America, was determined through the utilization of the FST/FSTmax ratio. The findings of this analysis revealed that the Middle Eastern populations exhibited the lowest FST/FSTmax ratio, measuring at 0.23243, indicating a relatively lower ancestral diversity. Conversely, the European populations showcased the highest FST/FSTmax ratio, measuring at 0.27122, indicative of a greater ancestral diversity within this region. Additionally, the allelic richness indicators, namely distinctive and private alleles, indicated that Africa and the Middle East displayed the highest levels, while Far East Asia exhibited the lowest. This analysis supports the hypothesis of repeated founder effects during outward migrations, as evidenced by both the ancestry variability and the allelic richness. Consequently, the findings of this study have important implications for forensic genetics and population genetics research, particularly in relation to the consideration of genetic predispositions within specific ethnic groups

The Frequency of Academic Burnout and Related Factors among Medical Students at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, in 2016

Abstract  Background: Academic burnout is the state of negative emotions and low motivation in one’s education. Understanding the status of academic burnout is the primary step to make proper decisions. The present study, therefore, was conducted to investigate comparative degrees of academic burnout among medical students in their first five semesters of medical education at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.  Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, a total of 525 medical students at the School of Medicine filled out the Persian version of Maslach Burnout Inventory – Student Survey from January 15 to February 5, 2016. Chi-square, Mantel-Haenszel, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were run in SPSS for data analysis. P-value<0.05 was considered significant.  Results: Based on the collected data, it was shown that 49.2% of the participants were male and 50.8% were female. Only 8 (1.5%) participants were married. No statistically significant difference was observed between the variables investigated and academic burnout (P>0.05). It was also observed that only four (0.8%) medical students (all new-comers) were in low academic burnout group and 521 (99.2%) were categorized in medium academic burnout group. Finally, it was found that academic burnout of the students increase as their educational level advance, making the first-semester students having the lowest and fifth-semester students the highest academic burnout indices (P<0.001).  Conclusion: It is concluded that, from among the variables studied, only students’ educational level made a difference in medical students’ academic burnout.Keywords: Academic efficacy; Burnout; Cynicism; Exhaustion; Medical Students

مدیریت درد در اورژانس پیش بیمارستانی: ضرورتی مغفول در نظام سلامت ایران

Pain, as a complex neurophysiological and neuropsychological mechanism, is one of the most common experiences among patients in prehospital emergency service. Although, there is no accurate data regarding the prevalence of pain in prehospital settings like there is for hospital emergency departments, in developed countries, despite the contradictions in the results of the numerous studies, the evidence indicate the high prevalence of acute pain in prehospital emergency service ranging from 20% to 53%. Yet, unfortunately, in Iran there is no statistics available in this regard. The physiological (affecting cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine and other systems) and psychological (anxiety, anger, aggression, and …) complications due to uncontrolled acute pain have many adverse effects on the clinical outcomes of medical and traumatic patients and impose immense direct and indirect financial burdens on the limited resources of healthcare systems. Therefore, effective pain management using various pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical methods both on the scene and during transportation has become a potentially indispensable necessity and considered as a potential key performance indicator according to the National Association of EMS Physicians.An extensive literature review also revealed remarkable improvements in the use of analgesics in prehospital emergency service of many developed countries and opioid analgesics (e.g., morphine sulfate, fentanyl and ketamine); nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., Ketorolac and ibuprofen); and Paracetamol and Nitric Oxide (inhalation gas) have been put on the list of prehospital emergency service for relieving patients’ pain, which can be used based on qualification/competencies, roles, responsibilities, and degrees (EMR, EMT, AEMT, paramedic) of the providers of prehospital care with approval of the consultant physician or through use of a combination of off-line and on-line medical protocols in this regard. The majority of recent studies in this field focus on the inadequacy of prehospital pain management as well as the comparison and combination of various analgesic drugs to enhance efficacy, effectiveness and quality of healthcare provision.درد، به عنوان یک مکانیسم پیچیده نوروفیزیولوژیک و نوروسایکولوژیک، یکی از شایع ترین تجارب مشترک بیماران در اورژانس پیش بیمارستانی می باشد. هر چند آمار دقیق شیوع درد در اورژانس پیش بیمارستانی همچون اورژانس های بیمارستانی در دست نیست، اما در کشورهای توسعه یافته، علیرغم ناسازگاری نتایج مطالعات متعدد، شواهد حاکی از شیوع بالای درد حاد در اورژانس پیش بیمارستانی بین 20 تا 53 درصد است. این در حالی است که متاسفانه در ایران آماری در رابطه با این موضوع موجود نیست. عوارض فیزیولوژیک (تاثیر بر سیستم قلب و عروق، تنفس، اندوکرین و...) و سایکولوژیک (اضطراب، خشم، پرخاشگری و ...) ناشی از درد حاد کنترل نشده، اثرات سوء بسیاری بر پیامدهای بالینی بیماران داخلی و تروما داشته و هزینه های مالی مستقیم و غیرمستقیم کلانی را بر منابع محدود نظام های مراقبت سلامت تحمیل می نماید. لذا، امروزه مدیریت موثر درد با استفاده از روش های مختلف دارویی و غیر دارویی در صحنه و حین انتقال در اورژانس پیش بیمارستانی، به عنوان یک شاخص عملکردی بالقوه کلیدی به ضرورتی غیرقابل انکار مبدل گردیده است.مرور گسترده متون نیز نشان داد که اخیرا پیشرفت های چشمگیری در بهره گیری از تجهیزات و داروهای ضد درد در اورژانس پیش بیمارستانی بسیاری از کشورهای توسعه یافته حاصل شده و داروهای ضد درد اپیوئیدی (مورفین سولفات، فنتانیل و کتامین)؛ داروهای ضد التهاب غیر استروئیدی (کتورولاک و ایبوپروفن)؛ آپوتل و گاز نیتریک اکسید برای تسکین درد بیماران در لیست داروهای اورژانس پیش بیمارستانی قرار گرفته  که استفاده از این داروها بر حسب شرح وظايف و مدارج علمي تحصيلي پرسنل پیش بیمارستانی، با هماهنگی پزشک مشاور و یا با بهره گیری از پروتکل هاي باليني آف-لاين در این عرصه میسر گردیده است. همچنین اکثر پژوهش های اخیر در این حوزه بر عدم کفایت مدیریت درد پیش بیماستانی و نیز مقایسه و ترکیب داروهای مختلف ضد درد جهت افزایش کارایی و اثربخشی و بهبود کیفیت متمرکز می باشد.

An X-STRs analysis of the Iraqi Sorani Kurds

A database for the Iraqi Sorani Kurds, specifically focused on the 12 X-short tandem repeat (STR) loci, has been developed to fascilitate forensic and population genetics investigations. The present study involved genotyping 117 unrelated individuals from the Sorani Kurds ethnic group using the Investigator Argus X-12 QS kit. The analysis revealed that the DXS10135 locus exhibited the highest degree of polymorphism, as indicated by a polymorphism information content (PIC) value of 0.94565 and a gene diversity (GD) value of 0.95623. Conversely, the DXS8378 locus displayed the lowest level of polymorphism, with a PIC value of 0.61026 and a GD value of 0.68170. Notably, two individuals were found to possess a rare allele (allele = 6) at the DXS8378 locus, which was not included in the allelic ladder of the kit. Furthermore, a significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) (p < 0.05/117) was observed between the DXS10103 and DXS10101 loci on linkage group 3 (LG3). The ancestral composition of the five primary geographic regions, namely Africa, Middle East, East Asia, Europe, and South America, was determined through the utilization of the FST/FSTmax ratio. The findings of this analysis revealed that the Middle Eastern populations exhibited the lowest FST/FSTmax ratio, measuring at 0.23243, indicating a relatively lower ancestral diversity. Conversely, the European populations showcased the highest FST/FSTmax ratio, measuring at 0.27122, indicative of a greater ancestral diversity within this region. Additionally, the allelic richness indicators, namely distinctive and private alleles, indicated that Africa and the Middle East displayed the highest levels, while Far East Asia exhibited the lowest. This analysis supports the hypothesis of repeated founder effects during outward migrations, as evidenced by both the ancestry variability and the allelic richness. Consequently, the findings of this study have important implications for forensic genetics and population genetics research, particularly in relation to the consideration of genetic predispositions within specific ethnic groups

Accuracy of CBCT, Digital Radiography and Cross-Sectioning for the Evaluation of Mandibular Incisor Root Canals

ntroduction: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), digital radiography and tooth sectioning in evaluating root canal morphology of mandibular incisors in an in vitro setting. Methods and Materials: A total of 76 samples were imaged using CBCT, and digital radiography in straight and angled views. The samples were then sectioned at different distances from the apex for further visualization under stereomicroscope. The agreement between the observers was statistically analyzed by kappa correlation coefficient and the chi-square test. Results: The results showed that the majority of the samples had a single canal (Vertucci’s Type I). CBCT analysis reported more frequent multi-canal roots in comparison with the other techniques. In pairwise comparisons, the highest agreement was found between digital radiographic imaging and microscopic cross-sectioning both in terms of canal configuration and the number of root canals. Conclusion: None of the used imaging techniques per se could adequately show the exact internal anatomical configuration in accordance with the gold standard.Keywords: Anatomy; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; Digital Radiography; Incisor Teet

Correlation between Human Herpes virus 8 (HHV8-) and Plasma Cell Myeloma: a Systematic Review

Introduction: Plasma cell myeloma is the distortion of differentiated B lymphocytes which is associated with uncontrolled proliferation of plasma cells in bone marrow. Some studies propound a role for HHV-8 virus in pathogenesis of plasma cell myeloma. Yet the findings are inconsistent. In this article we reviewed the literatures to determine the HHV-8 virus role in plasma cell myeloma pathogenesis.Methods: In this systematic review, scientific databanks including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, ISI, and Google scholar were searched. The search was based on the subsequent keywords and medical terms in title; different combinations of keywords were used, they were compatible with MeSH terms.Result: Four articles declared that there is no link between the HHV-8 and the pathogenesis of plasma cell myeloma; while five reported a connection between the virus and myeloma, arguing that virus infection will lead to disease progression.Conclusion: There are differences between the results of the studies. It is required to do further researches about the association of HHV-8 and plasma cell myeloma

Advance Trends in Targeting Homology-Directed Repair for Accurate Gene Editing: An Inclusive Review of Small Molecules and Modified CRISPR-Cas9 Systems

Introduction: Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat and its associated protein (CRISPR-Cas)-based technologies generate targeted modifications in host genome by inducing site-specific double-strand breaks (DSBs) that can serve as a substrate for homology-directed repair (HDR) in both in vitro and in vivo models. HDR pathway could enhance incorporation of exogenous DNA templates into the CRISPR-Cas9-mediated DSB site. Owing to low rate of HDR pathway, the efficiency of accurate genome editing is diminished. Enhancing the efficiency of HDR can provide fast, easy, and accurate technologies based on CRISPR-Cas9 technologies. Methods: The current study presents an overview of attempts conducted on the precise genome editing strategies based on small molecules and modified CRISPR-Cas9 systems. Results: In order to increase HDR rate in targeted cells, several logical strategies have been introduced such as generating CRISPR effector chimeric proteins, anti-CRISPR proteins, modified Cas9 with donor template, and using validated synthetic or natural small molecules for either inhibiting non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), stimulating HDR, or synchronizing cell cycle. Recently, high-throughput screening methods have been applied for identification of small molecules which along with the CRISPR system can regulate precise genome editing through HDR. Conclusion: The stimulation of HDR components or inhibiting NHEJ can increase the accuracy of CRISPR-Cas-mediated engineering systems. Generating chimeric programmable endonucleases provide this opportunity to direct DNA template close proximity of CRISPR-Cas-mediated DSB. Small molecules and their derivatives can also proficiently block or activate certain DNA repair pathways and bring up novel perspectives for increasing HDR efficiency, especially in human cells. Further, high throughput screening of small molecule libraries could result in more discoveries of promising chemicals that improve HDR efficiency and CRISPR-Cas9 systems

Mammography in Rural Areas of Iran: A Qualitative Study for Designing a Social Marketing Intervention

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer leading to death in women. So, early detection and treatment of it is very important and increase the patient survival. Mammography is one of the most effective methods for diagnosis of the breast cancer. We aimed to study for designing a social marketing intervention in rural areas of Bojnourd, Iran to propagate using mammography among women. Method: In this qualitative study, 46 women in four focus group discussions (FGD) discussed their views and ideas about mammography. All discussions were voice-recorded and written by two note takers. Using ATLAS.ti5.2 software, the collected data were analyzed. Results: Five main themes including mammography in general, barriers to doing mammography, appropriate communication methods and channels and opinion leaders for them to do this exam, were extracted. Conclusion: Designing a social marketing-based intervention can be useful for propagation of using mammography among women. Keywords: Breast cancer, Mammography, Qualitative study, Social marketing, Rural wome

Cloud computing issues, challenges, and needs: A survey

Cloud computing represents a kind of computing that is based on the sharing of computing resources instead of possessing personal devices or local servers for handling several applications and tasks. This kind of computing includes three distinguished kinds of services provided remotely for clients that can be accessed by using the Internet. Typically, clients work on paying annual or monthly service fees for suppliers, in order to gain access to systems that work on delivering infrastructure as a service, platforms as a service, and software as a service for any subscriber. In this paper, the usefulness and the abuse of the cloud computing are briefly discussed and presented by highlighting the influences of cloud computing in different areas. Moreover, this paper also presents the kinds and services of cloud. In addition, the security issues that cover the cloud security solution requirements, and the cloud security issues, which is one of the biggest issues in recent years in cloud computing were presented in this paper. The security requirement that needs by the cloud computing covers privacy, lack of user control, unauthorized secondary usage, and finally data proliferation and data flow. Meanwhile, the security issues cover including ownership of device, the trust issue and legel aspects. To overcome the security issues, this paper also presents the solution at the end of this paper

Synthesis of graphene oxide and graphene quantum dots from miscanthus via ultrasound-assisted mechano-chemical cracking method

Whilst graphene materials have become increasingly popular in recent years, the followed synthesis strategies face sustainability, environmental and quality challenges. This study proposes an effective, sustainable and scalable ultrasound-assisted mechano-chemical cracking method to produce graphene oxide (GO). A typical energy crop, miscanthus, was used as a carbon precursor and pyrolysed at 1200 ◦C before subjecting to edgecarboxylation via ball-milling in a CO2-induced environment. The resultant functionalised biochar was ultrasonically exfoliated in N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and water to form GOs. The intermediate and endproducts were characterised via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses. Results show that the proposed synthesis route can produce good quality and uniform GOs (8–10% monolayer), with up to 96% of GOs having three layers or lesser when NMP is used. Ultrasonication proved to be effective in propagating the self-repulsion of negativelycharged functional groups. Moreover, small amounts of graphene quantum dots were observed, illustrating the potential of producing various graphene materials via a single-step method. Whilst this study has only investigated utilising miscanthus, the current findings are promising and could expand the potential of producing good quality graphene materials from renewable sources via green synthesis routes