Physiological serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with improved thyroid function—observations from a community-based program

Purpose: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroid disease. Our aim was to investigate the influence of vitamin D supplementation on thyroid function and anti-thyroid antibody levels. Methods: We constructed a database that included 11,017 participants in a health and wellness program that provided vitamin D supplementation to target physiological serum 25-hydroxyvitmain D [25(OH)D] concentrations (>100 nmol/L). Participant measures were compared between entry to the program (baseline) and follow-up (12 ± 3 months later) using an intent-to-treat analysis. Further, a nested case-control design was utilized to examine differences in thyroid function over 1 year in hypothyroid individuals and euthyroid controls. Results: More than 72% of participants achieved serum 25(OH)D concentrations >100 nmol/L at follow-up, with 20% above 125 nmol/L. Hypothyroidism was detected in 2% (23% including subclinical hypothyroidism) of participants at baseline and 0.4% (or 6% with subclinical) at follow-up. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations ≥125 nmol/L were associated with a 30% reduced risk of hypothyroidism and a 32% reduced risk of elevated anti-thyroid antibodies. Hypothyroid cases were found to have higher mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations at follow-up, which was a significant positive predictor of improved thyroid function. Conclusion: The results of the current study suggest that optimal thyroid function might require serum 25(OH)D concentrations above 125 nmol/L. Vitamin D supplementation may offer a safe and economical approach to improve thyroid function and may provide protection from developing thyroid disease

Aloe vera: An update on its phytomedicinal, pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties

Medicinal plants are a good source for preparation of new drugs. Aloe vera [L.] is one of the valuable medicinal plants native to hot and dry zones and is usually planted outdoors in hot areas. Currently, various products obtained from this plant are produced in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries all over the world. Various products from this plant including beverages and cosmetic products are available. Consideration of this species and development of its processing industries in these regions can be an important step in job creation and proper use of poor agricultural lands. In this paper we aim to present the updates on Aloe vera plant, focusing on, botany, the phytomedicinal compounds, structural properties of the leaves

Quantum-limited estimation of the axial separation of two incoherent point sources

Improving axial resolution is crucial for three-dimensional optical imaging systems. Here we present a scheme of axial superresolution for two incoherent point sources based on spatial mode demultiplexing. A radial mode sorter is used to losslessly decompose the optical fields into a radial mode basis set to extract the phase information associated with the axial positions of the point sources. We show theoretically and experimentally that, in the limit of a zero axial separation, our scheme allows for reaching the quantum Cram\'er-Rao lower bound and thus can be considered as one of the optimal measurement methods. Unlike other superresolution schemes, this scheme does not require neither activation of fluorophores nor sophisticated stabilization control. Moreover, it is applicable to the localization of a single point source in the axial direction. Our demonstration can be useful to a variety of applications such as far-field fluorescence microscopy.Comment: Comments are welcom

High-dimensional quantum cryptography with twisted light

Quantum key distributions (QKD) systems often rely on polarization of light for encoding, thus limiting the amount of information that can be sent per photon and placing tight bounds on the error that such a system can tolerate. Here we describe a proof-of-principle experiment that indicates the feasibility of high-dimensional QKD based on the transverse structure of the light field, allowing for the transfer of more than 1 bit per photon. Our implementation uses the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of photons and the corresponding mutually unbiased basis of angular position (ANG). Our experiment uses a digital micro-mirror device for the rapid generation of OAM and ANG modes at 4 kHz, and a mode sorter capable of sorting single photons based on their OAM and ANG content with a separation efficiency of 93\%. Through the use of a 7-dimensional alphabet encoded in the OAM and ANG bases, we achieve a channel capacity of 2.05 bits per sifted photon. Our experiment shows that, in addition to having an increased information capacity, QKD systems based on spatial-mode encoding will be more tolerant to errors and thus more robust against eavesdropping attacks

Controlled laser texturing of titanium results in reliable osteointegration

We have developed a laser-textured superhydrophilic Ti-6Al-4V surface with unique surface chemistry and topography that substantially promotes osteoblast adhesion in culture. Here we investigate the osteointegration of laser-textured implants in an ovine model. Our hypothesis was that laser-textured implants, without any surface coating (LT), would encourage comparable amounts of bone-implant contact and interfacial strength when compared with widely accepted hydroxyapatite (HA) coated implants. Additionally, we hypothesized that LT would significantly increase bony integration compared with machine-finished (MF) and grit-blasted (GB) implants. Forty-eight tapered transcortical pins were implanted into six sheep. Four experimental groups (LT, HA, MF, and GB) were investigated (n = 12) and implants remained in vivo for 6 weeks. Bone apposition rates, interfacial shear strength, and bone-implant contact (BIC) were quantified. The interfacial strength of LT and HA implants were found to be significantly greater than GB (p = 0.032 and p = 0.004) and MF (p = 0.004 and p = 0.004, respectively), but no significant difference between LT and HA implants was observed. Significantly increased BIC was measured adjacent to HA implants when compared with both LT and GB implant surfaces (p = 0.022 and p = 0.006, respectively). No significant difference was found when LT and GB implants were compared. However, all surface finishes encouraged significantly increased BIC when compared with the MF surface. Maximizing implant fixation to host bone is vital for its long-term success. The production of an LT surface is a simple and cheap manufacturing process and this study demonstrated that laser-textured implants are a very promising technical development that warrants further research. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res

The effects of quercetin supplementation on lipid profiles and inflammatory markers among patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aims: This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to determine the effect of quercetin administration on lipid profiles and inflammatory markers among patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and related disorders. Methods: We searched systematically online databases including Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science to identify the relevant RCTs until November 2018. Q-test and I2 statistics were applied to assess heterogeneity among included studies. Data were combined using fixed- or random-effects model and presented as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95 confidence interval (CI). Results: Out of 591 citations, 16 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled findings showed that quercetin consumption significantly decreased total-cholesterol (SMD = �0.98; 95 CI, �1.48, �0.49; p < 0.001; I2: 94.0), LDL-cholesterol (SMD = �0.88; 95 CI, �1.35, �0.41; p < 0.001; I2: 92.7) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (�0.64; 95 CI, �1.03, �0.25; p = 0.001; I2: 90.2). While, quercetin supplementation did not significantly affect triglycerides (TG) (SMD = �0.32; 95 CI, �0.68, 0.04; p = 0.08; I2: 84.8), HDL-cholesterol (SMD = 0.20; 95 CI, �0.20, 0.24; p = 0.84; I2: 70.6), interleukin 6 (IL-6) (SMD = �0.69; 95 CI, �1.69, 0.31; p = 0.17; I2: 94.5) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels (SMD = �0.06; 95 CI, �0.25, 0.14; p = 0.58; I2: 35.6) Conclusions: In summary, the current meta-analysis demonstrated that quercetin supplementation significantly reduced total-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and CRP levels, yet did not affect triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, IL-6 and TNF-α among patients with MetS and related disorders. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

The effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on lipid profiles among patients with coronary artery disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background Chronic inflammation and increased oxidative stress significantly contribute in developing coronary artery disease (CAD). Hence, antioxidant supplementation might be an appropriate approach to decrease the incidence of CAD. This systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed to determine the effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation on lipid profile, as one of the major triggers for CAD, among patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Methods EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for studies prior to May 20th, 2018. Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool was applied to assess the methodological quality of included trials. I-square and Q-tests were used to measure the existing heterogeneity across included studies. Considering heterogeneity among studies, fixed- or random-effect models were applied to pool standardized mean differences (SMD) as overall effect size. Results A total of eight trials (267 participants in the intervention group and 259 in placebo group) were included in the current meta-analysis. The findings showed that taking CoQ10 by patients with CAD significantly decreased total-cholesterol (SMD -1.07; 95% CI, − 1.94, − 0.21, P = 0.01) and increased HDL-cholesterol levels (SMD 1.30; 95% CI, 0.20, 2.41, P = 0.02). We found no significant effects of CoQ10 supplementation on LDL-cholesterol (SMD -0.37; 95% CI, − 0.87, 0.13, P = 0.14), lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels (SMD -1.12; 95% CI, − 2.84, 0.61, P = 0.20) and triglycerides levels (SMD 0.01; 95% CI, − 0.22, 0.24, P = 0.94). Conclusions This meta-analysis demonstrated the promising effects of CoQ10 supplementation on lowering lipid levels among patients with CAD, though it did not affect triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and Lp(a) levels. Keywords: Coenzyme Q10 Lipid profiles Coronary artery disease Meta-analysi

The effectiveness of information literacy online tutorials on student learning: A systematic review

Background and Objectives:Despite the emergence and advancement of new technologies and, consequently, the change in lifestyle in recent decades, education systems have maintained the same traditional method of education and have not changed according to the characteristics of the digital generation. Meanwhile, digital generation features have been effective in learning-teaching approaches. One of the most important and recent developments in the field of modern technologies is the use of gamification, that is, the use of game elements in non-game contexts. Gamification is using game mechanics, game aesthetics, and game thinking to engage people, motivate them, and promote learning, and problem-solving. The use of game elements in educational environments has been found in developed countries and even in developing countries as a special place to face current educational problems. The purpose of this study was to review the studies in the field of ‘Gamification in e-learning’ and to present the content analysis of this field and its effectiveness in education. Methods: A systematic search of articles was done in February 2018. After searching the databases Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and Emerald with keywords Gamification, gamify, and gameful and also online, web, tutorial, module, e-learning, electronic, and e-course, and based on input criteria, 60 relevant articles were selected in this study. The selected articles were analyzed in terms of game elements, gamified e-learning courses, and the purpose of the articles. Findings: Target population in this reviewed article included high school, secondary school, and elementary school students, and also university students from a variety of disciplines, including Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, Business Management, Building Engineering, Computer, Informatics, Library and Information Sciences, Psychology, Journalism, Construction Engineering, Nursing, and Tourism. In these studies, the effectiveness of gamification on learning various educational topics such as the programming languages, English language, data structure and algorithm, mathematics, economy and politics, psychology, informatics, physics, German language, medicine, and biology, have been studied. The effectiveness of gamification on participation/engagement, learning, motivation, anxiety, peer assessment, collaboration, website optimization, cost reduction, and faculty load were among the subject areas studied in these articles. Effectiveness of game elements on behaviors such as leaderboard on anxiety, point on motivation, leaderboard on learning and engagement, half-anonymity avatar on motivation and engagement and, avatar on motivation are among other topics covered in these studies. Furthermore, a few research has been done on determining the game elements affecting learning and motivation, the possibility of predicting the game elements suitable for different users, and gender differences in dealing with gamification. The game element point, leaderboard, badge, levels, challenge, and feedback were used more than other elements. Other elements of the game used in educational environments include avatar, progress bar, social sharing, unexpected rewards, time limit, freedom to fail, currency, missions, and rules/goals. The number of game elements used in these studies varies. In some studies, only one element of the game has been used, and in other studies, two, three, or even more elements of the game have been used and evaluated. Conclusion: The results indicated the effectiveness of gamified e-learning environments to increase learning, engagement, and motivation of learners. This result is due to the features that are at the heart of gamification; because gamification leads to a change in behavior and extensive learning experiences.   ===================================================================================== COPYRIGHTS  ©2020 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.  ====================================================================================