Experiences with vaccines against cutaneous leishmaniasis: of men and mice

The need for a vaccine(s) against cutaneous leishmaniasis and the populations at risk for whom such vaccines should be developed are briefly discussed. The current human vaccine studies are reviewed, as are some experimental mouse studies with emphasis on Leishmania major infection relevant to vaccine development. Based on the information available from the mouse model and those data which are being sought in human studies, the benign nature of the cutaneous disease, the ease with which L. major can be manipulated to yield the required material, and the ongoing practice of leishmanization which allows rapid evaluation of candidate vaccine(s), it is suggested that a vaccine, at least against L. major, is imminent in the not too distant futur

Immunological stimulation for the treatment of leishmaniasis: A modality worthy of serious consideration

Instead of relying on drugs to reduce the parasite burden of leishmaniasis, and waiting for the effector immune response to develop in time to control the parasites, immunotherapy in conjunction with chemotherapy can rapidly induce the effector immune response. With a safe and potent drug plus an affordable therapeutic vaccine (immunostimulant), which remains to be developed, a single visit by patients with visceral or cutaneous leishmaniasis might be sufficient to induce a quick and lasting recovery. Drug toxicity and the emergence of resistance could also be dramatically reduced compared with present long-term monotherapy. Immunotherapy could be an effective addition to chemotherapy for leishmaniasi

The Effect of Spiritual and Religious Group Psychotherapy on Suicidal Ideation in Depressed Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: Suicide is a great economical, social and public health problem. It is prevalent worldwide and has a lot of negative effects on individuals, families and society. Depression is often prelude to Suicide. An important part of the treatment of the mentally ill patients is spiritual-religious psychotherapy which should be done after physical treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of spiritual and religious group psychotherapy on suicidal ideation in depressed patients. Methods: 51 depressed patients with suicidal ideation from Razi hospital (Tabriz, Iran) participated in this clinical trial. To collect Data questionnaire was used which included demographic and Beck Suicide Scale Ideation. Experimental group participated in 10 sessions of group psychotherapy. Each section lasted 1 hour. Two weeks after the last section post test was done. Statistical software SPSS ver 13 was used for data analysis. Results: Results of independent t-test revealed no difference between two groups in terms of suicidal ideation before intervention but after study there is a statistical difference. Also the results of ANCOVA test showed a significant relationship between spiritual group therapy and decrease in suicidal ideation, so that this intervention can make 57% of variance in suicidal ideation of experimental group.Conclusion: Regarding positive effect of spiritual and religious group psychotherapy on decreasing suicidal ideation of depressed patients, we suggest this intervention to be held in Psychiatric Wards and also more study on depression and other psychiatric patients with greater sample size would be helpful

C3G mediated suppression of malignant transformation involves activation of PP2A phosphatases at the subcortical actin cytoskeleton

In previous work, we demonstrated that C3G suppresses Ras oncogenic transformation by a mechanism involving inhibition of ERK phosphorylation. Here we present evidences indicating that this suppression mechanism is mediated, at least in part, by serine/threonine phosphatases of the PP2A family. Thus: (i) ectopic expression of C3G or C3GΔCat (mutant lacking the GEF activity) increases specific ERK-associated PP2A phosphatase activities; (ii) C3G and PP2A interact, as demonstrated by immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation experiments; (iii) association between PP2A and MEK or ERK increases in C3G overexpressing cells; (iv) phosphorylated-inactive PP2A level decreases in C3G expressing clones and, most importantly, (v) okadaic acid reverts the inhibitory effect of C3G on ERK phosphorylation. Moreover, C3G interacts with Ksr-1, a scaffold protein of the Ras-ERK pathway that also associates with PP2A. The fraction of C3G involved in transformation suppression is restricted to the subcortical actin cytoskeleton where it interacts with actin. Furthermore, the association between C3G and PP2A remains stable even after cytoskeleton disruption with cytochalasin D, suggesting that the three proteins form a complex at this subcellular compartment. Finally, C3G- and C3GΔCat-mediated inhibition of ERK phosphorylation is reverted by incubation with cytochalasin D. We hypothesize that C3G triggers PP2A activation and binding to MEK and ERK at the subcortical actin cytoskeleton, thus favouring ERK dephosphorylation. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This work was supported by grants SAF2003-04177 andGEN2003- 20239-C06-02 from MEC, Spain, FIS-FEDERPI030651, PI041324 and PI061274 from ISCIII,MSC, Spain, as well as institutional support from Redes Temáticas (C03/10 and RD06/0020/0000) de investigación en cáncer from ISCIII, MSC, Spain. S. M-E is a postodoctoral fellow supported by grant GEN2003-20239-C06-02. C.G. was supported by the Ramón y Cajal Program from the Spanish Ministry of Education.Peer Reviewe

Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility Policies in a Developing Country-A Study of Iran

The scant literature on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in developing countries where CSR is relatively underdeveloped, has recently suggested that CSR in developing countries is different and reflects specific social and political background. So far, empirical research on this topic has been scarce. The purpose of this thesis is to discover how CSR practices can be implemented in a developing country such as Iran by exploring the role of the economy, state and societal culture. Qualitative research and semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers of some of the largest publicly held companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. The analysis of data established that in developing countries, such as Iran, markets are imperfect and incomplete with lack of competition and strong government interference. This thesis also revealed that good-law-on-the-books does not necessarily ensure economic development but rather economic development comes before the rule of law. Other mechanisms such as competition, trust, legal compliance level and government interference level are more influential. The results of these data also provided that stakeholders have very limited impact upon the decision-making process in Iranian companies and the attitude of the managing director is the most important driver of CSR policies. It was recognized that Western style of economic development may not happen in Iranian business environments. Business strategies that depend on influencing the strengths of the existing market environment outperform those that focus on overcoming its weaknesses. The interesting finding was that despite the strong agreement amongst the interviewees on weak performance of the government in all aspects and constant call for lowering its interference level, all of them believed that the government plays the most important roll in promoting CSR policies. Finally it was concluded that Iran is not still ready and does not have necessary economic and cultural level for promotion of CSR policies

Investigation of photocatalytic nitrate reduction over different nanomaterials

Nitrate contamination in water sources poses serious environmental and health risks, such as eutrophication and methemoglobinemia. Conventional nitrate removal technologies often face limitations, including high operational costs and byproduct management challenges, highlighting the need for effective and sustainable alternatives. This study investigates photocatalytic nitrate reduction (PNR) using silver-modified titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO₂) nanomaterials, evaluating their efficiency, selectivity, and reusability under varying conditions, including light intensity, pH, initial nitrate concentration, catalyst loading, and hole scavenger presence. Seven photocatalysts were screened, with 0.5%, 2%, and 10% Ag/TiO₂ demonstrating the highest nitrate removal efficiencies. Complete nitrate reduction was achieved under optimized conditions, with 0.5% Ag/TiO₂ exhibiting superior performance at lower light intensities (200), while 2% Ag/TiO₂ required higher intensities (600). The results highlight the critical role of an acidic environment in promoting nitrate reduction and show that formic acid, as a hole scavenger, enhances efficiency likely by generating CO₂•⁻ radicals and reducing charge recombination. Dissolved oxygen was found to inhibit the process, emphasizing the importance of argon purging. Product selectivity varied with experimental parameters: 0.5% Ag/TiO₂ favored nitrogen (N₂) formation (up to 96% selectivity), whereas 2% Ag/TiO₂ produced more ammonium (NH₄⁺) (68%). The 0.5% Ag/TiO₂ retained 70% activity over three reuse cycles. These findings underscore the potential of Ag/TiO₂ photocatalysts for sustainable nitrate removal, balancing high efficiency with minimal harmful byproducts. Future research should explore scalability, competing anion effects, and optimization of higher Ag loadings

Propofol-Remifentanil Combination for Management of Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

Electroconvulsive therapy can be effective in severe or treatment resistant neuroleptic malignant syndrome patients. Anesthesia and use of muscle relaxant agents for electroconvulsive therapy in such patients may encounter anesthesiologists with specific challenges. This case report describes successful management of anesthesia in 28-year-old male patient undergoing eight electroconvulsive therapy sessions for treatment of neuroleptic malignant syndrome

Reducing chronic medical complications due to failure of patient safety using Standardized Plant Analysis Risk-Human Reliability Analysis (SPAR-H) method

BACKGROUND: Human errors in the medical profession can lead to irreparable errors in people's lives, damage, and heavy costs. Among health care workers, nurses spend more time with patients compared to other personnel; hence, they are more prone to human error. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and evaluate human errors using the Standardized Plant Analysis Risk-Human Reliability Analysis (SPAR-H) method in nursing staff of a general hospital in Qazvin Province, Iran.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a general hospital in Qazvin during last 6 months of 2016 and first 6 months of 2017. The target population in the present study was nursing groups based on their highest work experience, from each section in hospital. The SPAR-H method was used to investigate human error in the population and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS software.RESULTS: The highest error related to inappropriate venipuncture with probability of 0.7, and the least probable error related to error in entering the numbers of vital signs with the probability of 0.0045.CONCLUSION: Due to the sensitivity of the role of nurses in hospitals, the need for increased workforce, the use of people with higher work experience in sensitive sectors, reducing overtime even for those who volunteered to work overtime, scientific scheduling of the personnel’s work shifts, and providing practical training such as stress control methods in case of emergencies can be effective in reducing the probability of an error

Competitiveness of Indonesia’s export products with IJEPA cooperation framework

Bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) is a form of bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Japan that carries the concept of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). With one of IJEPA's goals in the form of capacity building, Bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) is a form of bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Japan that carries the concept of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). With one of IJEPA's goals in the form of capacity building, IJEPA provides space for both parties to collaborate in order to increase the competitiveness of Indonesian producers. Problems in trying to maximize the impact of the IJEPA agreement on increasing domestic product product industries have encouraged Indonesia to be able to determine what products are worthy of being superior products in the context of international trade conducted with Japan. This study analyzes the trade and competitiveness of Indonesian products using Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) and Product Mapping.The results of the product mapping analysis show that there are 3 commodities that are included in the top five highest comparative advantage in 2003, 2013 and 2021, namely HS 11 commodities (Milling Industrial Products; Malt; Starch; Inulina; Wheat Gluten) HS code 21 (Extracts, essences and concentrates, from coffee, tea or mate and preparations with a basis of these products or with a basis of coffee, tea or mate) and HS code 25 (Salt; Sulfur; Soil and Stone; Plaster, Cal and Cement). This shows that these three products can be used as specialization products for Indonesia's trade with Japan