Ceratonia siliqua L improved cryodamage of asthenozoospermic specimens: An experimental study

Background: Sperm freezing is an important procedure in assisted reproductive technology. Freezing results in physical and chemical changes in the sperm. Ceratonia siliqua L (C.siliqua) is a tree that has antioxidant properties. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of different concentrations of C.siliqua in a freezing medium on semen parameters, and some biochemical parameters in asthenozoospermic specimens. Materials and Methods: Forty asthenozoospermic specimens (semen specimens with motility < 32%) were obtained from men aged between 20-40 yr according to the World Health Organization criteria. Each sample was divided into 6 groups: I) fresh, II) control, III) 5, IV) 10, V) 20, and VI) 30 μg/ml C.siliqua extract were added to a freezing medium respectively. Then sperm parameters, malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity, reactive oxygen species, and sperm DNA assay were evaluated using related protocols after thawing. Results: Data analysis shows that sperm parameter, and total antioxidant capacity level increased at a concentration of 20 μg/ml of C. siliqua extract compared to the other concentrations of C.siliqua extract after cryopreservation and thawing (p < 0.001). Also, the sperm DNA fragmentation assay, reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde levels were significantly reduced by adding 20 μg/ml of C. siliqua extract to the sperm freezing medium compared to the other treated groups after cryopreservation (p < 0.001). Conclusion: C.siliqua extract significantly improved sperm parameters after cryopreservation and thawing in asthenozoospermic specimens, and the greatest impact was observed at the 20 μg/ml C.siliqua L extract concentration (p < 0.001). Key words: Asthenozoospermia, Ceratonia, Cryopreservation, Fertility preservation, Infertility, Male

Automatic classification between COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 pneumonia using symptoms, comorbidities, and laboratory findings : the Khorshid COVID cohort study

Coronavirus disease-2019, also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was a disaster in 2020. Accurate and early diagnosis of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is still essential for health policymaking. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been performed as the operational gold standard for COVID-19 diagnosis. We aimed to design and implement a reliable COVID-19 diagnosis method to provide the risk of infection using demographics, symptoms and signs, blood markers, and family history of diseases to have excellent agreement with the results obtained by the RT-PCR and CT-scan. Our study primarily used sample data from a 1-year hospital-based prospective COVID-19 open-cohort, the Khorshid COVID Cohort (KCC) study. A sample of 634 patients with COVID-19 and 118 patients with pneumonia with similar characteristics whose RT-PCR and chest CT scan were negative (as the control group) (dataset 1) was used to design the system and for internal validation. Two other online datasets, namely, some symptoms (dataset 2) and blood tests (dataset 3), were also analyzed. A combination of one-hot encoding, stability feature selection, over-sampling, and an ensemble classifier was used. Ten-fold stratified cross-validation was performed. In addition to gender and symptom duration, signs and symptoms, blood biomarkers, and comorbidities were selected. Performance indices of the cross-validated confusion matrix for dataset 1 were as follows: sensitivity of 96% [confidence interval, CI, 95%: 94–98], specificity of 95% [90–99], positive predictive value (PPV) of 99% [98–100], negative predictive value (NPV) of 82% [76–89], diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 496 [198–1,245], area under the ROC (AUC) of 0.96 [0.94–0.97], Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) of 0.87 [0.85–0.88], accuracy of 96% [94–98], and Cohen's Kappa of 0.86 [0.81–0.91]. The proposed algorithm showed excellent diagnosis accuracy and class-labeling agreement, and fair discriminant power. The AUC on the datasets 2 and 3 was 0.97 [0.96–0.98] and 0.92 [0.91–0.94], respectively. The most important feature was white blood cell count, shortness of breath, and C-reactive protein for datasets 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The proposed algorithm is, thus, a promising COVID-19 diagnosis method, which could be an amendment to simple blood tests and screening of symptoms. However, the RT-PCR and chest CT-scan, performed as the gold standard, are not 100% accurate.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A Study on Awareness and Attitude of Medical Staff towards Telemedicine in the Educational and Therapeutic Hospitals of Ferdows

Introduction: Telemedicine is an important feature for quick access of patients to healthcare services. It seems important to understand the level of knowledge and attitude of the medical staff about telemedicine for its successful implementation. This study endeavors to determine the level of knowledge and attitude of the medical staff about telemedicine in the hospitals of Ferdows.Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals in Ferdows in the year 2022. The population was the medical staff. In this study, the census method was used and the research community was considered as the research sample. The data collection instrument was Rezaei et al.'s questionnaire consisting of four parts. After completing the questionnaires, the data were analyzed using descriptive methods.Results: Among the participants, 39% had moderate knowledge and 40.3% had little or very little knowledge about telemedicine, however, there was a positive attitude towards telemedicine. 26.3% of the treatment staff had used this technology, with the telephonic consultation service as the most used. Sixty eight percent stated that the critical implementation obstacle was the lack of access to high-speed and high-bandwidth internet.Conclusion: The results revealed that the level of awareness of telemedicine among medical staff is low, but their attitude is positive. Increasing the awareness of the medical staff about telemedicine can be the most effective way for its successful implementation

The impact of drought stress on antioxidant activities of basil (Ocimum basilicum) cultivars extracts

Basil is an important medicinal plant, belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Basil is used for the treatment of different diseases such as stomachache, headache, constipation, fever and infections, as well as to reduce and regulate the blood sugar. Moreover, Basil is known for its antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. In this study, the impact of drought stress on phenols and flavonoids concentrations, as well as the antioxidant activities of leaf extract of three basil cultivars were investigated. Seeds of basil cultivars (mikhak, green, purple) were cultivated in sand-loamy soil and drought stresses (75%, 50% and 25% of the field capacity) were applied on six-leave plants. Experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design and three repeats. Total phenols, total flavonoids and flavonols concentrations of basil leaf extracts and their antioxidant activities were measured. The maximum values (with significant differences) of three groups of non-enzymatic antioxidants and the highest levels of antioxidant activities were observed for green cultivars under mild stresses (75% of the field capacity). It was observed that antioxidant activities were elevated by the increase of the concentration of the plant extract. Drought stress results in oxidative stress in basil plants. Phenols, flavonoids and flavonols are well-known as strong antioxidants have a role in the plant’s protection against the oxidative stress. In thrice cultivars of basil which were investigated, concentrations and abilities of these compounds to inhibit free radicals were decreased by the increase of the levels of drought stresses. It seems that both basil genotypes and drought stress levels affected the production of antioxidants studied and, consequently, have impacts on the plant inhibitory abilities against the oxidative stress

The Effects of kisspeptin-10 on Migration and Proliferation of Endothelial Cell

Background: Migration, expansion and survival of endothelial cells that are an important cellular component of blood vessels plays an important role in the induction of tumor growth. Kisspeptins (kp), peptides that bind to coupled-G protein receptor (GPR54), inhibit each step of metastatic cascade include invasion, migration and homing, angiogenesis, survival and proliferation. In this study we investigated effects of kisspeptin-10, the most potent member of kisspeptin family, on Migration and proliferation of endothelial cells that are necessary for angiogenesis and tumor metastasis. Materials and Methods: We compared migration of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) were treated with 10-100 or 500 nM kp-10 for 24 hours and no treated cells using an in vitro trans membrane migration assay and HUVEC proliferation of treated endothelial cells with 10-100 or 500 nM kp-10 for 48 hours and no treated cells was measured by MTT Cell Proliferation Assay Kit. Analysis of data was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by the Mann-Whitney test. Results: Migration and proliferation of endothelial cells were increased at lower concentration of kp-10 specially at 100 nM while higher concentration reduced both migration and proliferation. Conclusion: Our data showed that different concentrations of kp-10 have distinct effects on migration and proliferation of endothelial cells

عوامل موثر بر قصد مصرف نوشیدنی‌های شیرین شده در دانش‌آموزان ابتدایی شهر اراک: کاربردی از نظریه رفتار برنامه‌ریزی شده

Background and Aims: Excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among elementary school students is increasing. This is related to adverse health consequences, in particular the occurrence of chronic diseases in adulthood. Understanding the predictors of reducing the intention to consume these drinks makes it possible to design more effective interventions. The present study was conducted with the purpose of determining the factors affecting the intention to consume sugar-sweetened beverages in primary school students using the theory of planned behavior. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional-analytical study was conducted on 300 elementary school students in Arak city. Students were selected by cluster sampling. The number of consumed glasses of sugar-sweetened beverages per day by students and their mothers as well as the structures of the theory of planned behavior were assessed using the researcher-made questionnaire to determine the most effective predictors of the intention to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in students. The results were analyzed by linear regression test. Ethical considerations were observed in all stages of the study. Results: The mean age of the students was 11.14±1.26 years and their consumption of sugar-sweetened was 3.86±2.59 glasses per day. Perceived behavioral control (p < 0.001, β = 0.55) and subjective norms (p < 0.001, β = 0.25) were predictors of intention to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. These variables were able to predict 49% of the variance of the intention to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the perceived behavioral control constructs and subjective norms from the theory of planned behavior significantly explained the intention to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in students. It is recommended to design educational interventions to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among students based on this theory.زمینه و اهداف: مصرف بی‌رویه نوشیدنی‌های شیرین شده در بین دانش‌آموزان مقطع ابتدایی رو به افزایش است و با پیامدهای منفی سلامتی به ویژه بروز بیماری‌های مزمن در بزرگسالی ارتباط دارد. شناخت پیش‌بینی‌کننده‌های کاهش قصد مصرف این نوشیدنی‌ها، طراحی مداخلات موثرتر را ممکن می‌کند. مطالعه حاضر با هدف تعیین عوامل موثر بر قصد مصرف نوشیدنی‌های شیرین شده در دانش‌آموزان ابتدایی با استفاده از نظریه رفتار برنامه‌ریزی شده انجام شد. مواد و روش‌ها: اين مطالعه مقطعی-تحلیلی بر روي 300 دانش‌آموز مقطع ابتدايي شهر اراك انجام شد. دانش‌آموزان به صورت نمونه‌گيري خوشه‌ای انتخاب شدند. میزان لیوان/ روز مصرف نوشیدنی‌های شیرین شده دانش‌آموز و مادران آنها و سازه‌های نظریه رفتار برنامه‌ریزی شده جهت تعیین موثرترین سازه‌های پیشگویی‌کننده قصد کاهش مصرف نوشیدنی‌های شیرین شده در دانش‌آموزان با استفاده از پرسشنامه محقق ساخته بررسی شدند و با آزمون رگرسيون خطي تجزيه و تحليل انجام شد. رعایت ملاحظات اخلاقی در تمام مراحل اجرای مطالعه درنظر گرفته شد. یافته‌ها: میانگین سنی دانش‌آموزان 1/26±11/14 سال و ميزان مصرف نوشيدني شيرين آنها 2/59±3/86 ليوان در روز بود. کنترل رفتار درک شده (P<0/001, 0/55=β) و هنجارهای ‌ذهنی‌ (P<0/001, 0/25=β) پیشگویی‌کننده‌های قصد کاهش مصرف نوشیدنی‌های شیرین ‌شده بودند. ‌این متغیرها توانستند 49٪ واریانس قصد کاهش مصرف نوشیدنی‌های شیرین شده را پیشگویی کنند. نتیجه‌گیری: نتایج این مطالعه نشان داد، سازه‌های کنترل رفتاری درک شده و هنجارهای ذهنی از تئوری رفتار برنامه‌ریزی شده به طور معنی‌داری قصد کاهش مصرف نوشیدنی‌های شیرین شده را در دانش‌آموزان تبیین کردند. طراحی مداخلات آموزشی کاهش مصرف نوشیدنی‌های شیرین شده در بین دانش‌آموزان مبتنی بر این تئوری توصیه می‌گردد

The Role of Wearable Devices in The Management of Covid-19 Disease: A Systematic Review

Background and Aim: With the increase of the covid-19 epidemic, wearable devices have received a lot of attention in the field of managing this disease. The present systematic review study was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of wearable devices in the management of the covid-19 disease. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted according to the guidelines of PRISMA. For this purpose, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched to retrieve English articles without time limit, until August 16, 2022. The search strategy included the terms “Wearable Device” and “COVID-19”. The inclusion criteria for the study were original and English-language articles that have been carried out to design and implement wearable tools in managing Covid-19. All short articles, letters to the editor, conference abstracts, observational studies, review articles, as well as articles whose full version was not available and in a language other than English, as well as unimplemented items, were excluded from the study process. In order to evaluate the quality of articles, the AXIS evaluation tool was used to evaluate the quality of cross-sectional studies. After selecting the studies, data was collected based on the data extraction form. Then the data was analyzed through the content analysis method. Results: Finally, 10 articles were included in the present review and the wearable devices introduced in them were examined. Seventy percent  of wearable devices are used for symptom monitoring, health status, and quarantine, and 30% for diagnosis. The primary users of these tools were patients, the general public, doctors, and Authorities of statistics and information. The types of wearable devices used were bracelets and smart watches (60%), sensors (30%), pulse oximeters, and chest patches (10%).The most important capability and feature of wearable devices include transferring data and activities to mobile phones and low energy consumption. Using the AXIS quality assessment tool, four studies were rated as very good, five as good, and one as poor. Conclusion: The review of studies showed that wearable devices provide many capabilities for disease monitoring and patient empowerment, disease diagnosis, and remote monitoring of vital signs of Covid-19 patients. These tools are presented in different forms. It is suggested to develop new tools with the aim of monitoring the covid-19 disease with an emphasis on the use of patients in the form of bracelets and smartwatches, and also the necessary attention should be paid to privacy and confidentiality issues

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in polycystic ovarian syndrome women in a hospital of Tehran

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a condition associated with chronic anovulation, insulin resistance and androgen excess. Women with this syndrome are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MBS) in women with PCOS referred to Arash Hospital in different ages and body mass index (BMI). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Gynecologic Clinic at Arash Hospital affiliated with Tehran University. A total of 282 women with PCOS ages between 15-40 years were included. The prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and its components in this population were the main outcomes. Height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure and laboratory tests (FBS, TSH, HDL-C, serum prolactin, triglycerides and total cholesterol) were measured in this population. Results: The prevalence of MBS in PCOS women was 22.7% (64 cases). The rate of central obesity, FBS more than 110 mg/dl, triglycerides more than 150 mg/dl, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL-C) less than 50 mg/dl, and blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg in PCOS women was 31% (87), 3.2% (9), 33% (93), 68.8% (194), and 10.6% (30), respectively. The risk of MBS was increased in older and the obese women (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Conclusion: The present sample showed women with PCOS have a high prevalence of MBS and its individual components, particularly decreased HDL-C

Application of Virtual Reality in Hospitals: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Due to the increasing use of virtual reality (VR) technology in the healthcare field, the present study was conducted to systematically investigate the use of VR in hospitals. Method: To access related articles, the keywords "Virtual Reality" and "Hospital" and their synonyms were searched in databases of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar without a time limit until August 15, 2022. The original articles that were published in English and dealt with "the application of virtual reality in the hospital" were included in the study, and their characteristics were analyzed. Results: Eleven articles were included in the present study, in which various applications for VR in the hospital environment have been reported. The most common uses of VR in hospitals are as follows: managing behavioral symptoms, creating relaxation and inducing positive emotions in patients, providing treatment and physical, mental, and emotional rehabilitation in patients, providing training for care providers in different hospital departments, virtual presence at home for hospitalized children and teenagers; VR can also work as a supplement to the procedure for the children's lives and an adaptive substitute for experiences in the real environment for the medical residents.. Conclusion: Considering the positive impact of using VR in hospitals, using this technology as an auxiliary tool to improve education, treatment, and prevention in the healthcare system is suggested