Evaluation of miR-122 levels in chronic HBV and liver cirrhosis patients

Background: MicroRNA is a type of small RNA of about 22 nucleotide length. Most popular miRNAs are found in the liver and are extensively important in determining the biological and clinical functions. MicroRNA, in host cells, may impact the replication of viruses either positively or negatively. In this study the miR-122 expression was examined and compared in three groups, two sample groups of patients with chronic hepatitis and hepatitis B virus-associated cirrhosis, and a healthy control group.Materials and Methods: In this study, 108 samples of whole blood were taken from each participant. Then the miRNA expression evaluation was conducted through relative real time PCR.Results: The results indicated that miR-122 expression was elevated in patients with chronic hepatitis B and HBV related cirrhosis about 1.8 times (P<0.05) more than control group which is statistically significant.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, measuring the miR-122 expression levels may be used as a biomarker and an indicator of the disease progression of chronic hepatitis B to HBV related cirrhosis to HCC, but needs more investigations and more samples

Microbiological quality of traditional ice cream and homemade juices in Gorgan and its relationship with health conditions of workers and environment

Background and Aims: Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of food poisoning. Owing to the high consumption of fruit and ice cream, this study was carried out to examine the contamination of traditional ice cream and homemade juices to gram positive bacteria.  Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Gorgan during the summer months. Totally, 25 distinct sites producing handmade traditional juice and ice cream were included in this study.  Ice cream (100 g) as well as carrot and cantaloupe juices (100 cc) were sampled in sterile containers. Collected samples were then transported to the relevant laboratory in due time, where they were analyzed using methods specified for different types of microbes and bacteria. All the Operators participated in the study were completed informed consent form.Results: Results showed that traditional ice cream samples were contaminated to S. aureus (56%), yeast (44%), B. cereus (28%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (16%), Listeria (12%), Bacillus subtilis (8%), Bacillus licheniformis (4%) and actinomycetes (4%). Furthermore, respectively 14.8, 33.3, 28.57, 4.76, 14.28, 4.28 and 0 percent infection was traced to contaminated homemade juices (carrot juice and cantaloupe). Conclusion: The  findings of this study revealed the contamination of traditional ice cream and juice to Staphylococcus aureus and various other microorganisms. Therefore, the more surveillance of health care centers, promoting personal hygiene through health education, and enhancing sanitary conditions is required. The continuous sampling from corporate units should be noticed as well.   Key words: Traditional Ice Cream, Juice, Staphylococcus Aureu

Развитие научных основ новых методов интенсификации процессов тепломассообмена в рабочих средах воздействием силовых полей периодической интенсивности

Проведено оглядовий аналіз результатів досліджень, виконаних у відділі високотемпературної теплотехніки ІГТМ НАНУ з впливу вібраційних полів на тепломассоперенос в рідких робочих середовищах у великому об'ємі, каналах і пористих структурах.Results of research performed in the department of high-temperature heat engineering of IGTM NAS of Ukraine on the effect of vibration on the heat and mass transfer in liquid working media, in a large volume in channels and in porous structures are reviewed

Comparison Mother-Child Relationship between ADHD and Normal Children

ABSTRACT: Mother-child relationship can affect children's personality, and cause, change or reinforce positive or negative behavioral characteristics. How mothers' treat their children, can have long-term effects on children's behavior, performance, expectations and finally their personality in the future. The purpose of this study is to examine mother-child relationship in hyperactive children and compare it with normal children. To conduct this research, 34 elementary school boys, aging from 6 to 12 suffering from hyperactivity disorder and normal ones were convenience sampled from the elementary schools of Roudan in 2012. They were given the child-parent questionnaire and also the hyperactivity checklist. Method: this is a qualitative-descriptive and Ex post facto research. The results showed that hyperactivity has a positive correlation with parents' over supportiveness and child acceptance; and negative correlation with child rejection and leniency

Assessment and Molecular Docking of SARS-CoV-2 NSP3 and NSP12 Mutants in Iranian Patients in Golestan Province

Background: Molecular analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genome is important to predict viral pathogenicity. In addition to transmission, replication is a key factor in pathogenicity of the virus. Notably, mutations in non-structural proteins (NSP3 and NSP12) can affect host immune response and viral replication. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate different mutations of SARS-CoV-2 NSP3, and NSP12 during different waves of COVID-19 infection.Methods: We recruited 57 NGS sequences including 8 NGS sequences from Golestan SARS-CoV-2 RNA samples, obtained as part of clinical testing in different referral centers of Iran. After obtaining sequences from the global initiative on sharing all influenza data (GISAID), and evaluating and processing data, all sequences were aligned to the Wuhan variant genome (NC_045512.2) using MEGA6. The HDOCK server was used for molecular docking.Results: In NSP3, mutations in positions (nts 315, 545, 2666, 3264) were more frequent and among them mutation in positions including nt 545 (aa182) and nt 2666 (aa889) were associated with an increase in codon usage. In the term of NSP12, mutations in positions such as nts 406 (aa137), 965 (aa323), 1233, 1653, 1836, 2733 were more frequent. The molecular docking results showed more affinity in some variants of NSP3 and NSP12 as well.Conclusion: This study has assessed mutation in SARS-CoV-2 Nsp3, and NSP12 which are viral protease, and viral polymerase (RdRp). The mutations reported in this study may help this virus to replicate faster and evade the pharmaceutical agents which target viral polymerase activity and be very effective in viral pathogenesis. In addition, this study highlights the importance of ongoing genomic variation studies to be performed on SARS-CoV-2 variants

Symmetry and order parameter dynamics of the human odometer

Bipedal gaits have been classified on the basis of the group symmetry of the minimal network of identical differential equations (alias cells) required to model them. Primary bipedal gaits (e.g., walk, run) are characterized by dihedral symmetry, whereas secondary bipedal gaits (e.g., gallop-walk, gallop- run) are characterized by a lower, cyclic symmetry. This fact has been used in tests of human odometry (e.g., Turvey et al. in P Roy Soc Lond B Biol 276:4309–4314, 2009, J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 38:1014–1025, 2012). Results suggest that when distance is measured and reported by gaits from the same symmetry class, primary and secondary gaits are comparable. Switching symmetry classes at report compresses (primary to secondary) or inflates (secondary to primary) measured distance, with the compression and inflation equal in magnitude. The present research (a) extends these findings from overground locomotion to treadmill locomotion and (b) assesses a dynamics of sequentially coupled measure and report phases, with relative velocity as an order parameter, or equilibrium state, and difference in symmetry class as an imperfection parameter, or detuning, of those dynamics. The results suggest that the symmetries and dynamics of distance measurement by the human odometer are the same whether the odometer is in motion relative to a stationary ground or stationary relative to a moving ground

Evaluation of Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 N and S Genes on the Proteins Stability, Immunogenicity, and Pathogenicity in Iranian Patients from Golestan Province

Background: Natural selection such as mutations is known as a constant process for viral fitness and selective adaptation. Understanding the effects of each mutation, especially on structural proteins in the viral life cycle, is important in tracking the viruses behavior. Here, we evaluated the effects of mutations in SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein (N) and spike (S) genes on the protein stability, immunogenicity, and pathogenicity in Iranian COVID-19 patients from Golestan province. Methods: In this study, 8 SARS-CoV-2 RNA samples were enrolled from referral hospitals in Golestan province. These samples were confirmed using a real-time RT-PCR assay targeting the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein (N) and ORF1ab genes (Pishtazteb, Iran). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was done on samples and subsequent sequences were retrieved from Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) EpiCoV database. Structural analysis was performed between wild type (Wuhan accession number: NC_045512.2) and mutant N and S proteins to evaluate their stability, immunogenicity, and pathogenicity via bioinformatics servers such as Dynamut, Prodigy, IEDB, and software’s (Mega XI and Pymol II.V.II visualizer). Results: Amino acid codon changes in N and S proteins show that mutations could alter the translation efficiency. Normal Mode Analysis (NMA) by Dynamut server shows that stability and flexibility are changed by the mutations of these proteins. Immunogenicity analysis indicates the potential effects of some mutations such as P681H, Q675R, L699I, and D3L on immune escape. Interaction complex binding energy and affinity are higher in the mutant type compared to the Wuhan wild type, indicating higher pathogenicity. Conclusion: The results indicate that there are some important mutations in N and S genes that affect the virus behavior in the infectivity. Regarding the sample size limitation and various mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants, other studies using whole-genome sequencing with larger sample sizes will be required. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the SARS-CoV-2 genome seems important

The effect of escitalopram in treating mild to moderate depressive disorder and improving the quality of life in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting – a double-blind randomized clinical trial

IntroductionChronic depression and anxiety can be a risk factor for coronary aArtery bypass grafting (CABG) and is an emerging factor after coronary artery disease when the patient is admitted to the hospital and after surgery. We aimed to assess the effect of Escitalopram in treating mild to moderate depressive disorder and improving the quality of life in patients undergoing CABG.MethodsIn this randomized clinical trial, 50 patients undergoing CABG referred to Tehran Heart Hospital from January 2021 to May 2021 and were suffering from mild to moderate depression were randomly assigned to one of the two groups of Escitalopram or placebo. The level of depression was assessed based on Beck’s depression inventory and the quality-of-life status and its domains were assessed based on the SF-36 questionnaire in 2 groups. Measurements were obtained at baseline and at four and eight weeks after treatment. Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, paired, and Wilcoxon tests or ANOVA were used as appropriate.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the level of depression between the two study groups at baseline (P=0.312). There was no significant difference between the quality of life and its domains in the two study groups at baseline (P=0.607). However, the most important effect of Escitalopram was reducing depression scores in the intervention group at weeks 4 and 8 after treatment compared to the placebo group (P<0.001). The quality of life and its domains were significantly higher in the Escitalopram group eight weeks after treatment (P=0.004). The amount of drug side effects at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment had no significant difference between the groups (P>0.05).ConclusionEscitalopram was effective in treating mild to moderate depressive disorder and improving quality of life in patients undergoing CABG.Clinical trial registrationhttps://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/, identifier IRCT20140126016374N2

Opium use and risk of lung cancer : A multicenter case-control study in Iran

Opium use was recently classified as a human carcinogen for lung cancer by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. We conducted a large, multicenter case-control study evaluating the association between opium use and the risk of lung cancer. We recruited 627 cases and 3477 controls from May 2017 to July 2020. We used unconditional logistic regression analyses to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) and measured the association between opium use and the risk of lung cancer. The ORs were adjusted for the residential place, age, gender, socioeconomic status, cigarettes, and water pipe smoking. We found a 3.6-fold risk of lung cancer for regular opium users compared to never users (95% CI: 2.9, 4.6). There was a strong dose-response association between a cumulative count of opium use and lung cancer risk. The OR for regular opium use was higher for small cell carcinoma than in other histology (8.3, 95% CI: 4.8, 14.4). The OR of developing lung cancer among opium users was higher in females (7.4, 95% CI: 3.8, 14.5) than in males (3.3, 95% CI: 2.6, 4.2). The OR for users of both opium and tobacco was 13.4 (95% CI: 10.2, 17.7) compared to nonusers of anything. The risk of developing lung cancer is higher in regular opium users, and these results strengthen the conclusions on the carcinogenicity of opium. The association is stronger for small cell carcinoma cases than in other histology.Peer reviewe

Opium use and risk of bladder cancer : A multi-centre case-referent study in Iran

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is the 10th most common type of cancer worldwide and the fourth most common type of cancer in Iran. Opium use is considered as one of the risk factors for BC. We aim to assess the association between various parameters of opium use, which in Iran is mainly ingested or smoked in various forms, and the risk of BC. Method: In this multi-centre case-referent study in Iran, 717 BC cases and 3477 referents were recruited to the study from May 2017 until July 2020. Detailed histories of opium use (duration, amount, frequency) and potential confounders were collected by trained interviewers. Multivariable unconditional logistic regression models were used to measure adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The ORs were adjusted for age, gender, place of residence and pack-years of cigarette smoking. Results: Regular opium consumption was associated with an increased risk of BC (OR 3.5, 95% CI: 2.8, 4.3) compared with subjects who never used opium. Compared with continuous users, the risk decreased to one-Third for those who stopped opium more than 10 years ago. The adjusted OR for those who used both crude opium (teriak) and opium juice was 7.4 (95% CI: 4.1, 13.3). There was a joint effect of opium and tobacco (OR for users of both opium and tobacco 7.7, 95% CI: 6.0, 9.7). Conclusions: Regular opium use is associated with an approximately 4-fold risk for BC. The OR decreases along with the increasing time since stopping opium use.publishedVersionPeer reviewe