Macrophage migration inhibitory factor -173 G > C polymorphism and risk of tuberculosis

The aim of the present meta-analysis was to find out the impact of MIF -173 G > C polymorphism on risk of tuberculosis (TB). We conducted a search of case–control studies on the associations of -173 G > C variant of MIF with susceptibility to tuberculosis in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus. We extracted the data from eligible studies and achieved a meta-analysis to examine the relationship between MIF -173 G > C polymorphism and the risk of TB. Odds ratios (ORs) with the corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled to find out the impact of MIF -173G > C promoter polymorphism on TB risk. The pooled ORs were calculated for the codomi- nant, dominant, recessive, and allelic model comparison. The findings revealed that MIF -173 G > C variant increased the risk of TB in codominant (OR = 1.54, 95 %CI = 1.26-1.88, p C variant is associated with the risk of TB. More case-control studies with well-designed in different ethnic groups and larger sample size are needed to confirm the findings

The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and its Predictors among Iranians’ Housewives

ABSTRACT Background and aims: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among housewives. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of MSDs and its predictors among a group of Iranian housewives. Methods: This cross-sectional study carried out on 600 Iranian housewives in 2014 that were selected using multistage random sampling from three cities including Karaj, Kashan and Yazd. The data were collected using Nordic questionnaire and were analyzed in SPSS software using chi-square and multiple linear regressions with Hosmer-Lemshow method. Results: The total prevalence of MSDs was 53 and was not different in three cities (P>0.05). The highest prevalence of pain was found to be in the back region (51.33), followed by neck (51) and shoulder (41.5) and least at wrist (40.5). The possibility of pain in neck was related to husband’s job (governmental compared to self-employed OR=1.6, CI 95:1.09-2.63), older age (OR=1.06, CI 95:1.01-1.11), higher height (OR=1.09, CI 95:1.03-2.09), and more marriage duration (OR=1.08, CI 95:1.01-2.05). The possibility of pain in back was related to educational level guidance (OR=0.38, CI 95%:0.15-0.95) and high school (OR=0.31, CI 95%:0.13-0.94) compared to primary school and heavier weight (OR=1.07, CI 95%:1.04-2.19), and finally the possibility of pain in shoulder was related to dominant hand right hand compared to both hand (OR=4.6, CI 95%:1.2-17.8). Conclusion: Present study showed that the prevalence of MSDs in Iranian housewives is high and the educational level, height, weight and having husband with governmental job are as important predictors of MSDs among housewives. However, ergonomic training and informing the housewives about the risk factors of MSDs could prevent and postponed the occurrence of these disorders

The Statistical Fingerprints of Quantum Gravity

In this thesis some equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical methods are implied on two different versions of non-perturbative quantum gravity. Firstly, we report a novel statistical mechanics in which a class of evolutionary maps act on trivalent spin network in randomly chosen initial states and give rise to Self-organized Criticality. The result of continuously applying these maps indicate an expansion in the space-time area associated. Secondly, a previously unknown statistical mechanics in quantum gravity is introduced in the framework of two dimensional Causal Dynamical Triangulations. This provides us a useful and new tools to understand this quantum gravity in terms of effective spins. This study reveals a correspondence between the statistics of Anti-ferromagnetic systems and Causal Dynamical quantum gravity. More importantly, it provides a basis for studying anti-ferromagnetic systems in a background independent way. Thirdly, two novel properties of area operator in Loop Quantum Gravity are reported: 1) the generic degeneracy and 2) the ladder symmetry. These were not known previously for years. The first one indicates that corresponding to any eigenvalue of area operator in loop quantum gravity there exists a finite number of degenerate eigenstates. This degeneracy is shown to be one way for the explanation of black hole entropy in a microscopic way. More importantly, we reproduce Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of black hole by comparing the minimal energy of a decaying frequency from a loop quantum black hole and the extracted energy from a perturbed black hole in the highly damping mode. This consistency reveals a treasure model for describing a black hole in loop quantum gravity that does nor suffer from the restrictions of an isolated horizon. The second property indicates there exists a ladder symmetry unexpectedly in the complete spectrum of area eigenvalues. This symmetry suggests the eigenvalues of area could be classified into different evenly spaced subsets, each called a `generation.' All generations are evenly spaced; but the gap between the levels in any every generation is unique. One application of the two new properties of area operator have been considered here for introducing a generalized picture of horizon whose area cells are not restricted to the subset considered in quantum isolated horizon theory. Instead, the area cells accepts values from the complete spectrum. Such horizon in the presence of all elements of diffeomorphism group contains a number of degrees of freedom independently from the bulk freedom whose logarithm scales with the horizon area. Note that this is not the case in quantum isolated horizon when the complete elements of diffeomorphism applies. Finally, we use a simple statistical method in which no pre-assumption is made for the essence of the energy quanta radiated from the hole. We derive the effects of the black hole horizon fluctuations and reveal a new phenomenon called "quantum amplification effects" affecting black hole radiation. This effect causes unexpectedly a few un-blended radiance modes manifested in spectrum as discrete brightest lines. The frequency of these modes scales with the mass of black hole. This modification to Hawking's radiation indicates a window at which loop quantum gravity can be observationally tested at least for primordial black holes

COVID-19 AND FEAR, WHICH COMES FIRST?

Today people have a few unanswered questions in their mind, such as "Do negative emotions will co-survive with the COVID-19 pandemic? Which one is worse? Which one will disappear quicker? Is there any connection between negative emotions and being infected by COVID-19 or the severity of infected individual\u27s symptoms ? How are we supposed to live with COVID-19 and adapt our emotional system to the virus for more than one upcoming year? These uncertainties could result in massive pressure on people. While there is no clear consensus regarding what establishes psychological stress on an individual, the effect of negative affect and psychological stress on increased susceptibility to disease due to altered immune functions is well established. Here we are going through the possible effect of emotions associated with the present pandemic on COVID-19 course of disease and severity of symptoms

Assessing Service Quality of Library and Medical Information Center Based on Users’ Perceptions: A Case Study of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Academic libraries must continuously evaluate the quality of their services. This research investigated the quality of services in the libraries of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences from the perspective of users according to gap analysis models (LiveQual, DigiQual, and SERVQUAL). Methods: This research is an applied, cross-sectional study. The statistical population includes 9916 active members in the portal of the central library of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2023, by random sampling with a sample size of 407. The data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics (paired t-test and non-parametric Wilcoxon test) using SPSS version 26 software. Results: Based on Wilcoxon’s non-parametric test, there were seven areas with an average difference >12 in assessing the gap between the quality of existing services and what was expected. In the hypothesis under consideration, namely, the mean difference in quality of available services with users' expectations, a significant difference was reported in most dimensions (p<0.001). The most significant service gap was in the online service sector with an average difference of (-24.92), followed by educational programs (-21) and physical space (-15). Conclusion: There was a considerable gap between users’ expectations and service quality at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences library centers, necessitating a serious review of the services. Current services provided fail to satisfy users. To stay pertinent and effective within the educational system, libraries must adapt to evolving user needs by embracing modern technologies and improving physical spaces, equipment, and access to information

Prenatal Risk Factors of Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Congenital Visual and Hearing Loss: A Case-Control Study

Objectives: Relations exist between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and visual and hearing loss (VL/HL). This study evaluated the prenatal risk factors specific to ASD compared to VL/HL. Materials & Methods: This case-control study recruited individuals with ASD to compare with individuals with VL/HL as controls from special schools. Parents completed a questionnaire containing questions about demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, family history of neurological or psychological disorders, and problems during the pregnancy. Results: Five hundred thirty-six participants were enrolled in the study, of which 238 (44.4%) had ASD, 198 individuals had HL (36.9%), and 100 had VL (18.7%). Seven (2.9%) participants in the ASD group were male, significantly (p<0.001) lower than the proportion of males in the HL/VL group (99, 33.2%). In the final regression model, higher educational levels of parents and gestational hypertension were associated with a higher risk of ASD (p<0.05). However, female gender, parents not living together, and cousin marriage were associated with a higher risk of HL/VL (p<0.05). Conclusion: This preliminary study determined the factors more associated with ASD than HL/VL. Believably, the study’s results could shed more light on the exclusive risk factors of AS

COVID-19 AND FEAR, WHICH COMES FIRST?

Today people have a few unanswered questions in their mind, such as "Do negative emotions will co-survive with the COVID-19 pandemic? Which one is worse? Which one will disappear quicker? Is there any connection between negative emotions and being infected by COVID-19 or the severity of infected individual\u27s symptoms ? How are we supposed to live with COVID-19 and adapt our emotional system to the virus for more than one upcoming year? These uncertainties could result in massive pressure on people. While there is no clear consensus regarding what establishes psychological stress on an individual, the effect of negative affect and psychological stress on increased susceptibility to disease due to altered immune functions is well established. Here we are going through the possible effect of emotions associated with the present pandemic on COVID-19 course of disease and severity of symptoms

Comparing the Efficacy of NCPAP and NIPPV in Infants with RDS after Extubation; A Randomized Clinical Trial

peer reviewe

Expression and enzyme activity of MnSOD and catalase in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from multiple sclerosis patients

Background: It is evident that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). Dysregulation of antioxidant enzymes have been implicated in demylination and neuronal loss in MS. The aim of this study was to evaluate mRNA expression and activity of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), and catalase in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and healthy controls.Materials and Methods: We recruited 20 RRMS patients and 20 age-and sex-matched healthy subjects. PBMCs were isolated, RNA was extracted and real time-PCR was used to evaluate mRNA expression of MnSOD and catalase. Enzyme activity of MnSOD and catalase were measured using colorimetric assays.Results: We found a significant increase in mRNA expression and activity of catalase in PBMCs from patients compared with controls, which was accompanied by reduced activity and expression of MnSOD in MS patients.Conclusion: It appears that impaired antioxidant enzymes in term of high activity of catalase and decreased activity of MnSOD are involved in MS pathogenesis, however further studies are needed to establish this concept