Polymorphisms of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, angiotensin converting enzyme and coagulation factor XIII genes in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion

We investigated polymorphisms of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE ) and coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) genes and their association with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) in Iranian patients and normal healthy controls. Ten (18.5%) patients were homozygote (4G/4G) for PAI-1 polymorphism, in contrast with two (2%) controls (p = 0.001). Patients with homozygote 4G mutation were significantly more prone to RSA in contrast to others (odds ratio: 11.0, 95% CI: 2.3-52.4). Nineteen (30.2%) patients and 25 (26.6%) controls were homozygote (DD) for ACE polymorphism. We observed only two patients and one control with homozygosity (34leu) for FXIII polymorphism. 4G/4G polymorphism for PAI-1 gene could be a thrombophilic mutation leading to abortion in Iranian population

Environmental and energy performances optimization of a neighborhood in Tehran, via IMM® methodology.

Due to the fact that urbanization, as a dominating global development process, has been reached a dramatic measure, series of questions have been arisen about its environmental impacts. The urbanization soaring rate, which its impetus has been provided by unprecedented population growth, has had serious of direct consequences such as inconceivable and unbalanced consumption of natural resources and global warming rate acceleration. In such a dramatic circumstances how urban planning and governance could contribute to climate mitigation and emissions reduction? How urban vulnerability and urban resilience should be managed? Again, how urban transformation should be propelled in order to address these challenges. To demonstrate that sustainability and environmental efficiency is an urban issue this paper shows the application of IMM® (Integrated Modification Methodology) on Shahrak-e Golestan, a newly settled neighborhood located in District 22 of Tehran. Forming this neighborhood for accommodating a part of city’s growing population is a well representative of the common developing manners in Tehran, therefore the transformed model resulted from the study could be considered as a model for further developments of the other districts

Investigating the effect of light color temperature on selective attention, error and human reaction time

Background and aims: The reaction time of humans that affected by several factors includes the time that takes to stimulate the sensory organs and the stimulus effect is transmitted to the brain, then is perceived and the decision is made; consequently, the command resulting from the decision of the brain is sent from the brain to the functional organs. Failure to respond at the right time may result in human error and accidents. There are important factors that affect the reaction time. Attention is one of the important factors affecting the speed of the reaction. Selective attention and correct perception of several stimuli among the other stimuli is one of the effective factors in promoting performance and safety. Additionally, various environmental factors may be effective in determining selective attention, increasing the number of errors and the human response time in detecting triggers. Lighting is one of the factors affecting the processing mechanisms of the brain. In the design of indoor and outdoor lighting systems, the quality parameters of the lighting system are usually less considered. Color temperature is one of the most important qualitative parameters of light, which is measured by the Kelvin unit and is an indicator for the brightness and color of the light. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of light color temperature on selective attention, error rate and reaction time. Methods: This research is an interventional and laboratory study in order to determine the effect of the light color temperature on human error, selective attention, and reaction time of students in Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) of Tehran during the fall of 2018. All students were in the same age range. The inclusion criteria for this study were; not having any eye-related diseases, such as diminished vision and subtlety, and mental-psychiatric disorders. On the day before performing the test, participants were informed to: have enough sleep and rest, adhere to a regular diet, and avoid taking medicines, coffee and caffeinated drinks. In this interventional study, 92 students (36 female and 56 male) from Tarbiat Modarres University of Tehran with an average age of 28.33 years were recruited as subjects. The measurements and tests related to selective attention and reaction time of individuals were performed in 4 locations with an equal lighting system and different color temperatures (3500, 4000, 5000, or 6500 degrees Kelvin). In the first step of the study, in order to determine the effect of light color temperature on the studied parameters, the participants were randomly divided into four groups with 24 subjects in each group. Before the main test was being performed, the participants were kept in rooms adjusted to a brightness of 3500° K to rest for at least 5 minutes in order to be adapted to the situation, and then, in the same conditions, to become familiar with the test method they were studied with the Stroop software. In the second step, each group was placed in a separate room where the levels of brightness had been designed with one of the lighting systems to yield a color temperature of 3500, 4000, 5000, and 6500° K. Cognitive performance tests including reaction time, accuracy and selective attention were measured using Stroop tests. Measurement of score interference and time interference, which are indicators for selective attention, were calculated by measuring the difference in the error rate and the reaction time in detecting incongruent and consonant words. Stroop test was used to determine the reaction time, error and other parameters. This test consists of two parts; the practice and the main test, each of them has two stages. The first step is to name the color of circular shapes that appears on the laptop monitor screen. The participant, upon viewing the image, applies pressure on keyboard buttons which are labeled with colors corresponding to the ones on the screen. The second step is to name the word which appears in a white box. The names of the colors appear, and as soon as the correct word is recognized, the participant should press the color word associated to the word on the keyboard. The third step, which is the main stage of the test, is a non-consistent word (red-green-blue) that shown randomly and sequentially on the monitor's screen. The subject must only press the keyboard button with the same color, only emphasizing the color and regardless of its connotation. In this test, 48 consistent colored words (the color of the word is identical with the meaning of the word; red, yellow, green and blue) and 48 non-consistent colored words (the color of the word is not the same as the word meaning; for example, the blue word shown in red). The time lap between the stimulants was 800 milliseconds and the duration of each of them was 2000 milliseconds. The subject's task was to select the correct color only. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Based on the results of this study, the highest mean of correct selection (474.49 ± 10.65) and the lowest mean of the correct ones (654.49 ± 11.77) were assigned to the color temperature of 6500 and 3500 ° K, respectively. Also, the highest mean of error rate (15.65 ± 9.77) and the lowest mean of error rate (10.94 ± 9.4) were reported at a color temperature of 3500 and 6500 ° K, respectively. According to the results of this study, with increase in color temperature from 3500 to 5000° Kelvin, the number of questions that were not responded decreased. Likewise, the number of unanswered questions for the color temperature of 6500 °K slightly increased compared to the color temperature of 5000 and 4000 °K. The results also indicated that, with an increase in color temperature from 3500 to 6500 °K, the reaction time to visual stimuli also decreased. The highest interference score was in the light color temperature of 3500 °K which indicates that the number of faults in naming inconsistent words relative to consonant words was higher in color temperature of 3500° K compared to other color temperatures. Also, according to Fig. 3, the maximum interference time was at 6500 ° K. This indicates that the performance time of the subjects in naming inconsistent words was higher relative to consonants in color temperature of 6,500° K compared to other color temperatures. Although the average response time under lighting condition with color temperature of 6500° K (718.95 ± 65.33) was less than the color temperature of 3500° K (728.58 ± 43.48), according to the results of the study, with a decrease in color temperature, the increase in mean response time was observed, but this difference was not significant (p p). Also, based on independent t-test (Table 2), there was a significant relationship between subjects' gender and variables such as interference score, interference time and number of unanswered questions. For all of these three variables (interference score, interference time and number of unanswered questions) mean in men was significantly lower than women (p <0.05). Based on subjects' gender, the average response time under different color temperatures showed that the response time (or reaction time) of female under lighting conditions with 3000 and 5,000 ° K was higher than male, while under lighting conditions with 4000 and 6500° K the response time of male was higher than female students. Although the average response time under different color temperatures was different between male and female subjects, based on the results of independent t-test, such difference was not significant. Conclusion: In general, the results of this study showed that when subjects are exposed to light color temperature of 6,500 ° K, the number of correct responses by them is higher than those exposed to other color temperatures, and with increasing the color temperature, the number of correct answers increases. Also, according to the results of this study, the error rate decrease by increasing color temperature of light source. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested to make use of light sources with a color temperature of 6,500 ° K in designing the lighting system of the places where human reaction time and error are high importance. Accordingly, it is recommended to repeat this study in other demographic groups, as well as taking into account the qualitative parameters of the lighting system in addition to its quantitative parameters. © 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

A roadmap to develop dementia research capacity and capability in Pakistan: a model for low- and middle-income countries

Objective To produce a strategic roadmap for supporting the development of dementia research in Pakistan. Background While global research strategies for dementia research already exist, none is tailored to the specific needs and challenges of low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) like Pakistan. Methods We undertook an iterative consensus process with lay and professional experts to develop a Theory of Change-based strategy for dementia research in Pakistan. This included Expert Reference Groups (ERGs), strategic planning techniques, a “research question” priority survey, and consultations with Key Opinion Leaders. Results We agreed on ten principles to guide dementia research in Pakistan, emphasizing pragmatic, resource sparing, real-world approaches to support people with dementia, both locally and internationally. Goals included capacity/capability building. Priority research topics included raising awareness and understanding of dementia, and improving quality of life. Conclusion This roadmap may be a model for other LMIC health ecosystems with emerging dementia research cultures

The Effects of Selenium Supplementation on Clinical Symptoms and Gene Expression Related to Inflammation and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Infertile Women Candidate for In Vitro Fertilization

This study was performed to determine the effects of selenium supplementation on clinical symptoms and gene expression related to inflammatory markers in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who were candidate for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Thirty-six women candidate for IVF were recruited in this randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. They (n = 18/group) were randomly assigned into intervention groups to take either 200 μg/day of selenium or placebo for 8 weeks. RT-PCR findings indicated that selenium supplementation downregulated gene expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1) (P < 0.004) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (P = 0.02) in lymphocytes of patients with PCOS compared with the placebo. In addition, selenium supplementation upregulated gene expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (P = 0.001) in lymphocytes of patients with PCOS compared with the placebo. Selenium supplementation had no significant effect on clinical symptoms and gene expression of IL-8 (P = 0.10) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) (P = 0.63). Overall, our findings documented that selenium supplementation for 8 weeks to infertile women candidate for IVF improved IL-1, TNF-α, and VEGF gene expression, though selenium had no effect on clinical symptoms and, IL-8 and TGF-β gene expression. Clinical trial registration number: http://www.irct.ir: IRCT20170513033941N23. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Magnetic properties of the three-dimensional Hubbard model at half filling

We study the magnetic properties of the 3d Hubbard model at half-filling in the TPSC formalism, previously developed for the 2d model. We focus on the N\'eel transition approached from the disordered side and on the paramagnetic phase. We find a very good quantitative agreement with Dynamical Mean-Field results for the isotropic 3d model. Calculations on finite size lattices also provide satisfactory comparisons with Monte Carlo results up to the intermediate coupling regime. We point out a qualitative difference between the isotropic 3d case, and the 2d or anisotropic 3d cases for the double occupation factor. Even for this local correlation function, 2d or anisotropic 3d cases are out of reach of DMF: this comes from the inability of DMF to account for antiferromagnetic fluctuations, which are crucial.Comment: RevTex, 9 pages +10 figure

Star Formation and Dynamics in the Galactic Centre

The centre of our Galaxy is one of the most studied and yet enigmatic places in the Universe. At a distance of about 8 kpc from our Sun, the Galactic centre (GC) is the ideal environment to study the extreme processes that take place in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Despite the hostile environment, several tens of early-type stars populate the central parsec of our Galaxy. A fraction of them lie in a thin ring with mild eccentricity and inner radius ~0.04 pc, while the S-stars, i.e. the ~30 stars closest to the SMBH (<0.04 pc), have randomly oriented and highly eccentric orbits. The formation of such early-type stars has been a puzzle for a long time: molecular clouds should be tidally disrupted by the SMBH before they can fragment into stars. We review the main scenarios proposed to explain the formation and the dynamical evolution of the early-type stars in the GC. In particular, we discuss the most popular in situ scenarios (accretion disc fragmentation and molecular cloud disruption) and migration scenarios (star cluster inspiral and Hills mechanism). We focus on the most pressing challenges that must be faced to shed light on the process of star formation in the vicinity of a SMBH.Comment: 68 pages, 35 figures; invited review chapter, to be published in expanded form in Haardt, F., Gorini, V., Moschella, U. and Treves, A., 'Astrophysical Black Holes'. Lecture Notes in Physics. Springer 201

Tea drinking and cognitive function in oldest-old Chinese

10.1007/s12603-012-0077-1The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging169754-75

Eigenmodes and growth rates of relativistic current filamentation instability in a collisional plasma

I theoretically found eigenmodes and growth rates of relativistic current filamentation instability in collisional regimes, deriving a generalized dispersion relation from self-consistent beam-Maxwell equations. For symmetrically counterstreaming, fully relativistic electron currents, the collisional coupling between electrons and ions creates the unstable modes of growing oscillation and wave, which stand out for long-wavelength perturbations. In the stronger collisional regime, the growing oscillatory mode tends to be dominant for all wavelengths. In the collisionless limit, those modes vanish, while maintaining another purely growing mode that exactly coincides with a standard relativistic Weibel mode. It is also shown that the effects of electron-electron collisions and thermal spread lower the growth rate of the relativistic Weibel instability. The present mechanisms of filamentation dynamics are essential for transport of homogeneous electron beam produced by the interaction of high power laser pulses with plasma.Comment: 44 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease using computed tomography angiography in patients with stable chest pain depending on clinical probability and in clinically important subgroups: Meta-analysis of individual patient data

Objective To determine whether coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) should be performed in patients with any clinical probability of coronary artery disease (CAD), and whether the diagnostic performance differs between subgroups of patients. Design Prospectively designed meta-analysis of individual patient data from prospective diagnostic accuracy studies. Data sources Medline, Embase, and Web of Science for published studies. Unpublished studies were identified via direct contact with participating investigators. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Prospective diagnostic accuracy studies that compared coronary CTA with coronary angiography as the reference standard, using at least a 50% diameter reduction as a cutoff value for obstructive CAD. All patients needed to have a clinical indication for coronary angiography due to suspected CAD, and both tests had to be performed in all patients. Results had to be provided using 2 72 or 3 72 cross tabulations for the comparison of CTA with coronary angiography. Primary outcomes were the positive and negative predictive values of CTA as a function of clinical pretest probability of obstructive CAD, analysed by a generalised linear mixed model; calculations were performed including and excluding non-diagnostic CTA results. The no-treat/treat threshold model was used to determine the range of appropriate pretest probabilities for CTA. The threshold model was based on obtained post-test probabilities of less than 15% in case of negative CTA and above 50% in case of positive CTA. Sex, angina pectoris type, age, and number of computed tomography detector rows were used as clinical variables to analyse the diagnostic performance in relevant subgroups. Results Individual patient data from 5332 patients from 65 prospective diagnostic accuracy studies were retrieved. For a pretest probability range of 7-67%, the treat threshold of more than 50% and the no-treat threshold of less than 15% post-test probability were obtained using CTA. At a pretest probability of 7%, the positive predictive value of CTA was 50.9% (95% confidence interval 43.3% to 57.7%) and the negative predictive value of CTA was 97.8% (96.4% to 98.7%); corresponding values at a pretest probability of 67% were 82.7% (78.3% to 86.2%) and 85.0% (80.2% to 88.9%), respectively. The overall sensitivity of CTA was 95.2% (92.6% to 96.9%) and the specificity was 79.2% (74.9% to 82.9%). CTA using more than 64 detector rows was associated with a higher empirical sensitivity than CTA using up to 64 rows (93.4% v 86.5%, P=0.002) and specificity (84.4% v 72.6%, P&lt;0.001). The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve for CTA was 0.897 (0.889 to 0.906), and the diagnostic performance of CTA was slightly lower in women than in with men (area under the curve 0.874 (0.858 to 0.890) v 0.907 (0.897 to 0.916), P&lt;0.001). The diagnostic performance of CTA was slightly lower in patients older than 75 (0.864 (0.834 to 0.894), P=0.018 v all other age groups) and was not significantly influenced by angina pectoris type (typical angina 0.895 (0.873 to 0.917), atypical angina 0.898 (0.884 to 0.913), non-anginal chest pain 0.884 (0.870 to 0.899), other chest discomfort 0.915 (0.897 to 0.934)). Conclusions In a no-treat/treat threshold model, the diagnosis of obstructive CAD using coronary CTA in patients with stable chest pain was most accurate when the clinical pretest probability was between 7% and 67%. Performance of CTA was not influenced by the angina pectoris type and was slightly higher in men and lower in older patients. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42012002780