Physiological and Morphological Responses of the ‘Dargazi’ Pear (Pyrus communis) to in vitro Salinity

Salinity is one of the most important factors limiting growth and production of plants worldwide. Improving tolerance to salinity in plants is the most effective way to increase performance. Influence of salinity on growth, physiological and biochemical responses of Pyrus communis ‘Dargazi’ explants was investigated in in vitro conditions. Explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 1 mg L-1 BAP (6-banzyl amino purine) and 0.1 mg L-1 NAA (Naphthaline acetic acid) supplemented with different sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations 0 (control), 40, 80, 120 and 160 mM. With increased salinity, the fresh weight, dry weight, the number of leaves, shoot length, chlorophyll index, multiplication index, leaf relative water content and total protein decreased. In contrast, proline, soluble sugar and activity of catalase increased

Physiological and Morphological Responses of the ‘Dargazi’ Pear (Pyrus communis) to in vitro Salinity

Salinity is one of the most important factors limiting growth and production of plants worldwide. Improving tolerance to salinity in plants is the most effective way to increase performance. Influence of salinity on growth, physiological and biochemical responses of Pyrus communis ‘Dargazi’ explants was investigated in in vitro conditions. Explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 1 mg L-1 BAP (6-banzyl amino purine) and 0.1 mg L-1 NAA (Naphthaline acetic acid) supplemented with different sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations 0 (control), 40, 80, 120 and 160 mM. With increased salinity, the fresh weight, dry weight, the number of leaves, shoot length, chlorophyll index, multiplication index, leaf relative water content and total protein decreased. In contrast, proline, soluble sugar and activity of catalase increased

Multiple sclerosis and air pollution exposure: Mechanisms toward brain autoimmunity

The association between neurodegenerative diseases and environmental exposures, in particular air pollution, has been noticed in the last two decades, but the importance of this environmental factor in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis has not been considered extensively. However, recent evidence suggests that major mechanisms involved in MS pathogenesis, such as inflammatory factors expression, free radicals overproduction, the blood brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, neuroinflammation, vitamin D deficiency and mitochondrial dysfunction could also occur due to exposure to air pollutants. A prospective hypothesis is suggested here in which exposure to air pollutants may initiate destructive mechanisms inducing inflammatory-oxidative cascades, reduction of immunological self-tolerance and neurodegeneration leading to brain autoimmunit

Distribution of Mortality among 1-59 Month-Old Children Across Iranian Provinces in 2009: The National Mortality Surveillance System

Objective: To determine the distribution of mortality in 1 59 month-old children across Iranian provinces in a national mortality surveillance system. Methods: This national survey was conducted in 2009. A questionnaire was designed and standardized for collecting mortality data of children aged 1 - 59 months. The project team, consisting of collaborators from the whole 40 medical universities, filled in the questionnaires and returned them to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME). Results: The mortality in 1 - 59 month-old children was unequally distributed across provinces. The mortality was higher among children of less- educated mothers than in children of more- educated mothers. There was a reverse association between 1 - 59 months mortality and socioeconomic status across Iran as a whole and within most provinces. Conclusions: Our results suggest that socioeconomic distribution in mortality of 1 - 59 month-old children favors the better-off in Iran as a whole and in most of its provinces. Investigating why mortality is higher in some provinces deserves special attention. Furthermore, it is advisable to conduct provincially-representative surveys to provide update estimates of different health situations and to allow their monitoring over time

Prevalence study of clinical disorders in 6-year-old children across Iranian provinces: Findings of Iranian national health assessment survey

Objective: To assess the national prevalence of clinical disorders in 6-year-old Iranian children before school entry using a national health assessment survey. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional nationwide survey, all Iranian children entering public and private elementary schools were asked to participate in a mandatory national screening program in Iran in 2009 in two levels of screening and diagnostic levels. Results: The study population consisted of 955388 children (48.5% girls and 76.1% urban). Of the whole children, 3.1% of the 6-year-old children had impaired vision. In addition, 1.2, 1.8, 1.4, 10, 10.9, 56.7, 0.7, 0.8 and 0.6% had color blindness, hearing impaired, speech disorder, height to age retardation, body mass index extremes, decayed teeth, having disease with special needs, spinal disorders, and hypertension, respectively. The distribution of these disorders was unequally distributed across provinces. Conclusions: Our results confirmed that the prevalence of clinical disorders among 6-year-old children across Iranian provinces was not similar. The observed burden of these distributions among young children needs a comprehensive national policy with evidence-based province programs to identify the reason for different distribution among provinces

Mortality inequality in 1-59 months children across Iranian provinces: National Hospital Medical Records System

Objective: To determine inequality in mortality in 1-59 months children across Iranian provinces using hospital medical records system. Methodology: After designing and examining a national questionnaire in hospitals for mortality data collection of children 1-59 months, 40 Medical Universities were asked to fill in the questionnaires and return to the main researcher in the health ministry in 2009. Results: Mortality in 1-59 months children was unequally distributed across Iranian hospitals. Cough, drowsiness, and eating and drinking problem were the most important reasons of hospitalization in both genders. There were significant differences between boys and girls in vomiting (p=0.005), drowsiness (p=0.024), and bleeding (p=0.004). Most of the patients had very bad and not suitable situation at entrance (p=0.211). There was a significant difference between two sexes in vaccination (p=0.019). There was no significant difference between boys and girls on first weight in hospital, last weight, breaths per minute, and pulse rate per minute (p > 0.05). The first five most important diagnosis were congenital, accident (girls) pulmonary (boys), cardiovascular, CNS and metabolic diseases. Conclusions: Our results suggest that inequality in 1-59 months mortality based on hospital medical records system needs more attention in Iran as a whole and in most of its provinces by policy-makers. Investigating why inequality is higher in some provinces deserves special attention. In addition, it is advisable to conduct provincial representative surveys to provide recent estimates of heath inequalities and to allow monitoring over time

Growth Disorders Among 6-Year-Old Iranian Children

Background: Sociodemographic factors are important determinants of weight disorders. National representative studies provide a view on this health problem at national and regional levels. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the distribution of growth disorders in terms of body mass index (BMI) and height in 6-year-old Iranian children using geographical information system (GIS). Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional nationwide survey, all Iranian children entering public and private elementary schools were examined in a mandatory national screening program in 2009. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate the prevalence of underweight, overweight, obesity, and short stature. Then, ArcGIS software was used to draw the figures. Results: The study population consisted of 955388 children (48.5% girls and 76.5% urban). Overall, 20% of children were underweight, and 14.3% had high BMI, consisted of 10.9% overweight and 3.4% obese. The corresponding figure for short stature was 6.6%; however, these growth disorders were not equally distributed across various provinces. Conclusions: Our results confirmed unequal distribution of BMI and height of 6-year-old children in Iran generally and in most of its provinces particularly. The differences among provinces cannot be fully explained by the socioeconomic pattern. These findings necessitate a comprehensive national policy with provincial evidence-based programs

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

A Comparison of Clinic Care and Home Care Regarding Costs of Treatment for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Background: The problems associated with cerebral palsy and their socio-economic burden impose a large pressure on families with children suffering from cerebral palsy. This study aimed to compare clinic care and home care regarding costs of treatment for children with cerebral palsy. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 56 children with cerebral palsy. Data were collected by direct costs through medical and non-medical checklists and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, and standard deviation) and T-test. Results: The cost of home care was less than clinic care (P>0.01). Price differences in home and clinic care was significant in all types of cerebral palsy. In both groups of the children, the highest average fee belonged to those who were not covered by any insurance. The average cost of care in clinic was 8,543,000 Rials while it was 5,497,000 Rials for home care. The average total cost of care was 19,786,000 Rials at home and 27,980,000 Rials at the clinic (P>0.05). Conclusion: The cost of clinic care was higher than home care. Therefore, home care is recommended as the appropriate and more cost-effective strategy for children with cerebral palsy. Considering the Problems of home care, it is essential to facilitate implementation of this strategy by improving insurance coverage and informing families with cerebral palsy children

Breast Cancer Status in Iran: Statistical Analysis of 3010 Cases between 1998 and 2014

Background. Breast cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death in Iranian women. This study analyzed 3010 women with breast cancer that had been referred to a cancer research center in Tehran between 1998 and 2014. Methods. In this retrospective study, we analyzed 3010 breast cancer cases with 32 clinical and paraclinical attributes. We checked the data quality rigorously and removed any invalid values or records. The method was data mining (problem definition, data preparation, data exploration, modeling, evaluation, and deployment). However, only the descriptive analyses’ results of the variables are presented in this article. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive study on breast cancer status in Iran. Results. A typical Iranian breast cancer patient has been a 40–50-year-old married woman with two children, who has a high school diploma and no history of abortion, smoking, or diabetes. Most patients were estrogen and progesterone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor (HER) negative, and P53 negative. Most cases were detected in stage 2 with intermediate grade. Conclusion. This study revealed original findings which can be used in national policymaking to find the best early detection method and improve the care quality and breast cancer prevention in Iran.Peer Reviewe