Aesthetic, Decorative and Structural Aspects of the Golden Chandeliers of Qajar era Kept in Museum of Hazrat Masoumeh (pbuh) Shrine

Chandelier is one of the illumination devices used as hanging from the ceiling. Unlike other illumination devices, which are used merely to illuminate the surrounding environment, chandeliers are rooted in religious beliefs and hence they are usually used in religious places. The present research aimed at studying the golden chandeliers of Qajar era kept in Museum of Hazrat Masoumeh (pbuh) Shrine in terms of aesthetics, structure, color, decoration and design. Why various ornate chandeliers have been used in the Museum is the research question of this study. Ali Asghar Daraie (1998), Nazeleh Rahmani (2001) and Mahnaz Shayestehfar (2002) studied mirror chandeliers in terms of function and illumination. In this study, however, several gold-inlaid chandeliers in Museum of Hazrat Masoumeh (pbuh) Shrine were studied in terms of aesthetic considerations

Melanoma spheroids as a model for cancer imaging study

In contrast to standard 2D cell cultures, spheroids are three-dimensional (3D) models which can mimic natural conditions of cancer growth and metabolism. Their complex structure can be investigated and analyzed using fluorescence microscopy and micro-tomographic imaging (micro-CT) as a new technique. In this study, we show application of two different melanoma cell lines (WM115 and WM266) with different biological characteristics to form spheroids by a hanging drop method

The Hospitalization Rate of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis before and during COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study

Objectives: There are several reports of the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). In this study, we aimed to compare the hospitalization rate of CVST before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (before vaccination program). Materials and methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the hospitalization rate of adult CVST patients in Namazi hospital, a tertiary referral center in the south of Iran, was compared in two periods of time. We defined March 2018 to March 2019 as the pre-COVID-19 period and March 2020 to March 2021 as the COVID-19 period. Results: 50 and 77 adult CVST patients were hospitalized in the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, respectively. The crude CVST hospitalization rate increased from 14.33 in the pre-COVID-19 period to 21.7 per million in the COVID-19 era (P = 0.021). However, after age and sex adjustment, the incremental trend in hospitalization rate was not significant (95% CrI: -2.2, 5.14). Patients \u3e 50-year-old were more often hospitalized in the COVID-19 period (P = 0.042). SARS-CoV-2 PCR test was done in 49.3% out of all COVID-19 period patients, which were positive in 6.5%. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥3 at three-month follow-up was associated with age (P = 0.015) and malignancy (P = 0.014) in pre-COVID period; and was associated with age (P = 0.025), altered mental status on admission time (P\u3c0.001), malignancy (P = 0.041) and COVID-19 infection (P = 0.008) in COVID-19 period. Conclusion: Since there was a more dismal outcome in COVID-19 associated CVST, a high index of suspicion for CVST among COVID-19 positive is recommended

Positronium imaging with the novel multiphoton PET scanner

In vivo assessment of cancer and precise location of altered tissues at initial stages of molecular disorders are important diagnostic challenges. Positronium is copiously formed in the free molecular spaces in the patient's body during positron emission tomography (PET). The positronium properties vary according to the size of inter- and intramolecular voids and the concentration of molecules in them such as, e.g., molecular oxygen, O2; therefore, positronium imaging may provide information about disease progression during the initial stages of molecular alterations. Current PET systems do not allow acquisition of positronium images. This study presents a new method that enables positronium imaging by simultaneous registration of annihilation photons and deexcitation photons from pharmaceuticals labeled with radionuclides. The first positronium imaging of a phantom built from cardiac myxoma and adipose tissue is demonstrated. It is anticipated that positronium imaging will substantially enhance the specificity of PET diagnostics.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Testing CPT symmetry in ortho-positronium decays with positronium annihilation tomography

Charged lepton system symmetry under combined charge, parity, and time-reversal transformation (CPT) remains scarcely tested. Despite stringent quantum-electrodynamic limits, discrepancies in predictions for the electron–positron bound state (positronium atom) motivate further investigation, including fundamental symmetry tests. While CPT noninvariance effects could be manifested in non-vanishing angular correlations between final-state photons and spin of annihilating positronium, measurements were previously limited by knowledge of the latter. Here, we demonstrate tomographic reconstruction techniques applied to three-photon annihilations of ortho-positronium atoms to estimate their spin polarisation without magnetic field or polarised positronium source. We use a plastic-scintillator-based positron-emission-tomography scanner to record ortho-positronium (o-Ps) annihilations with single-event estimation of o-Ps spin and determine the complete spectrum of an angular correlation operator sensitive to CPT-violating effects. We find no violation at the precision level of 10−4, with an over threefold improvement on the previous measurement

Reexamination of Mysticism in the Principles of Persian Miniatures Representing Muhammad’s (P.B.U.H.) Ascension

One can observe many Islamic and mystic representations in Persian miniatures the most salient of which are scenes depicting the Muhammad’s (P.B.U.H.) ascension (Miraj). The present study addresses certain key elements of Islamic mystic concepts represented in ascension-related miniatures. The aim has been examining the visual aspects concerning Islamic and mystic concepts and representations applied in the ascension-related Persian miniatures. The main questions include: what is the relationship between the mystic literature and the art of miniature and what are the characteristics of the mystic symbols used in the ascension-related miniatures. In this study, 20 ascension miniatures were studied in terms of composition, color symbolism, figures and bodies as well as key visual elements such as halos, Buraq*, winged human-angel and trees, plants, mountains, clouds and decorations. The methodology was descriptive-analytic. Also, data were mainly gathered based on library sources and visual documents

Positronium in melanoma spheroids

It was recently demonstrated that newly invented positronium imaging may be used for improving cancer diagnostics by providing additional information about tissue pathology with respect to the standardized uptake value currently available in positron emission tomography (PET). Positronium imaging utilizes the properties of positronium atoms, which are built from the electron and positron produced in the body during PET examinations. We hypothesized whether positronium imaging would be sensitive to in vitro discrimination of tumor-like three-dimensional structures (spheroids) built of melanoma cell lines with different cancer activity and biological properties. The lifetime of ortho-Positronium (o-Ps) was evaluated in melanoma spheroids from two cell lines (WM266-4 and WM115) differing in the stage of malignancy. Additionally, we considered such parameters: as cell size, proliferation rate and malignancy to evaluate their relationship with o-Ps lifetime. We demonstrate the pilot results for the o-Ps lifetime measurement in extracellular matrix free spheroids. With the statistical significance of two standard deviations, we demonstrated that the higher the degree of malignancy and the rate of proliferation of neoplastic cells the shorter the lifetime of ortho-positronium. In particular we observed following indications encouraging further research: (i) WM266-4 spheroids characterized by higher proliferation rate and malignancy showed shorter o-Ps lifetime compared to WM115 spheroids characterized by the lower growth rate, (ii) Both cell lines showed a decrease in the lifetime of o-Ps after spheroid generation in 8th day comparing to 4th day in culture and the mean o-Ps lifetime is longer for spheroids formed from WM115 cells than these from WM266-4 cells, regardless spheroid age. The results of this study revealed that positronium is a promising biomarker that may be applied in PET diagnostics for the assessment of the degree of cancer malignancy

Cytotoxic, anti-proliferative, and apoptotic evaluation of Ramalina sinensis (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes), lichenized fungus on oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line; in-vitro study

Abstract Background Scientists and medical professionals are actively striving to improve the efficacy of treatment methods for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the most frequently occurring cancer within the oral cavity, by exploring the potential of natural products. The active pharmacological compounds found in lichenized fungi have shown potential for aiding in cancer treatment. Recent research aims to evaluate the impact of the lichenized fungus Ramalina sinensis (R. sinensis) on the cell viability and apoptosis of OSCC cell lines, considering the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer capabilities of lichens. Methods Ramalina sinensis (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes) was selected for investigation of its effects on a human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line. Acetone and methanol extracts of R. sinensis on an OSCC cell line (KB cell line, NCBI Code: C152) were investigated. Viability was assessed by MTT assay analysis, and apoptotic cells were measured using flow cytometry analysis. Scratch assay was used to assess cell migration. The chemical composition and metabolic profiling of R. sinensis were investigated. Results The growth and multiplication of KB cells were observed to undergo a gradual but remarkable inhibition when exposed to various concentrations. Specifically, concentrations of 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL exhibited a significant suppressive effect on the proliferation of KB cells. The inhibition of cell proliferation exhibited a statistically significant difference between the extracts obtained from acetone and methanol. Flow cytometry results show an increase in apoptosis of OSCC cells by acetone extract. R. sinensis exerted a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on the migration of OSCC cells. The chemical composition of R. sinensis was investigated using liquid chromatography positive ion electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS), and 33 compounds in the acetone and methanol extracts of R. sinensis were detected. Conclusion The findings provide evidence supporting the beneficial effects of R. sinensis extract on inducing apoptosis in OSCC cells and exerting anti-cancer properties