Comparison of Gene Expression of Different Isoforms of Osteopontin in Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis of Human Dental Pulp

Introduction: Osteopontin (OPN), plays an important role in immune system modulation. OPN can activate osteoclasts, thus causing resorption of bone. In addition, it might have a protective function against polymicrobial endodontic infections. Since different isoforms of OPN might have diverse roles, the aim of the present study was to compare gene expression of different isoforms of osteopontin in symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and normal pulps of the human dental pulp. Materials and Methods: Pulps were taken from 20 teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis as the case group and from 20 intact premolars scheduled for extraction as the control group. After RNA extraction and synthesis of complementary DNA (cDNA), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the evaluation of gene expression of OPN, OPN2 and OPN3. The Mann-Whitney U, t and Chi-square tests were used to analyze differences between the groups. Results: Mean values of OPN, OPN2 and OPN3 in normal pulps were 0.695±0.295, 0.656±0.298 and 0.816±0.422, respectively. Mean values of OPN, OPN2 and OPN3 in symptomatic irreversible pulpitis were 2.52±1.82, 1.99±0.899 and 1.816±0.954, respectively. Unlike OPN and OPN2, OPN3 exhibited significantly higher expression in normal pulps (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present case- control study showed that some variants of OPN are upregulated during pulpitis and it might be due to their prominent modulatory roles in dental pulps

The Role of Urban Morphology Design on Enhancing Physical Activities and Public Health

Along with environmental pollutions, urban planning has been connected to public health. The research indicates that the quality of built environments plays an important role in reducing mental disorders and overall health. The structure and shape of the city are considered as one of the factors influencing happiness and health in urban communities and the type of the daily activities of citizens. The aim of this study was to promote physical activity in the main structure of the city via urban design in a way that the main form and morphology of the city can encourage citizens to move around and have physical activity within the city. Functional, physical, cultural- social, and perceptual-visual features are regarded as the most important and effective criteria in increasing physical activities in urban spaces based on literature review. The environmental quality of urban spaces and their role in the physical activities of citizens in urban spaces were assessed by using the questionnaire tool and analytical network process (ANP) of structural equation modeling. Further, the space syntax method was utilized to evaluate the role of the spatial integration of urban spaces on improving physical activities. Based on the results, the consideration of functional diversity, spatial flexibility and integration, security, and the aesthetic and visual quality of urban spaces plays an important role in improving the physical health of citizens in urban spaces. Further, more physical activities, including motivation for walking and consequently, the sense of public health and happiness, were observed in the streets having higher linkage and space syntax indexes with their surrounding texture

A Comparative Study of 25 (OH) Vitamin D Serum Levels in Patients with metabolic syndrome and healthy individuals

Background: The incidence of metabolic syndrome has been rising in the Iran population. In parallel, vitamin D deficiency has also been increasing in Iran. This study aims to explore the association of vitamin D serum concentrations with metabolic syndrome and its components in the Iranian population.  Materials and Methods: A case-control study was managed. We enrolled 110 metabolic syndrome patients, according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria as a case group and 130 healthy individuals as a control group. The serum level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25 (OH)D), lipid profile, and fasting blood glucose(FBS) status were determined using a commercially available ELISA method. Enzymatic methods determined total cholesterol (Chol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride (TG) levels.  Results: In case group, the prevalence rate of 25 (OH)D deficiency (<10 ng/mL) was 10%, 25 (OH)D insufficiency (10–29 ng/mL) was 71.0%, and 25 (OH)D sufficiency (>30 ng/mL) was 19.0%. A non-significant association between Chol level and age was noted (p=0.46, p=0.124). The levels of FBS and TG were significantly higher, and the levels of 25 (OH)D, LDL, and HDL were significantly lower in the case of the group compared to the control group. Conclusion: We found that the serum level of 25 (OH)D in patients with metabolic syndrome is lower than in the healthy group, and a low level of 25 (OH)D is related to increased risk of metabolic syndrome and its components. &nbsp

THE INFLUENCE OF EFFECTIVE TAX RATE ON THE DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF ACCEPTED COMPANIES IN TEHRAN STOCK EXCHANGE

Tax is one of the most major political tools of governments and the most important source of their incomes and costs supplement. The dependency to the oil incomes can be reduced to zero by prevention of tax evasion. For decreasing the dependency to the oil incomes, we are needful to increase the levies in country. The optimized levies and actual taxes not only increase the government's tax incomes but lead to a tax justice. The disclosure of accounting information was notified as one of the most important subjects for researchers from long time ago and the final product is considered as an accounting system. Actually, the final purpose of accounting system is providing information for benefited persons in the form of in and out-organization reports and the complete information disclosure can be an underlie of fiscal justice. This study surveys the relationship between the influences of effective tax rate and the level of financial statements disclosure of accepted companies in Tehran Stock Exchange. In this research, the multi variable regression analysis according to the panel data in order to survey the relationship of effective tax rate with the level of financial statements disclosure during the years of 2011 to 2015. The study sample is included of 94 listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange for a temporal duration of 5 years. The results show that there is a reverse meaningful relationship between the effective tax rate and the level of mandatory financial statements disclosure; means, as effective tax rate gets higher, the level of mandatory disclosure gets lower and also there isn't any meaningful relationship between effective tax rate and the level of voluntary financial statements disclosure. JEL: G15, E44, O16, H25  Article visualizations

Reference Interval for Fasting Blood Sugar, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, Low-Density Lipoprotein, and High-Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol in Healthy Babolian Individuals

Background and Aim: Sugar and Lipid disorders are the main risk factors for vascular abnormalities. Due to the gender and age, other variables can influence serum Fasting blood sugar and lipid levels, certifying the determination of population-specific reference interval. This study was designed to investigate the age- and gender-specific reference values for serum Fasting blood sugar (FBS), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL) in healthy Babolian adults. Methods: FBS, TC, TG, and HDL were calculating applying the colorimetric method. The Friedewald equation (LDL=TC−HDL−TG/5) was used to calculate LDL concentrations in individuals. After using the exclusion parameters, 519 participants (199 men and 320 women) aged ≥23 years were included. The Clinical Chemistry guidelines of the International Federation applied for characterizing the reference values for samples. Results: Reference values for serum FBS, TG, TC, LDL, HDL were 77.01-107.69 mg/dL, 35.34-204.38 mg/dL, 117.97-242.81 mg/dL, 47.6-137.16 mg/dL and 33.29-67.13 mg/dL in men. In women, reference values for serum FBS, TG, TC, LDL, HDL were 75.03-107.99, 27.49-192.33 mg/dL, 125.84-244.32 mg/dL, 44.08-139.48 mg/dL and 36.66-81.1 mg/dL. FBS, TG, and LDL parameters were higher in men, and TC and HDL parameters were higher in women. Conclusion: Reference values for serum FBS, TC, TG, LDL, HDL in healthy Babolian adults were specified, and these data could supply a clear pathway for better decision making in both clinical settings and prevention. *Corresponding Author: Negar Yavari; Email: [email protected] Please cite this article as: Gholami Bahnemiri M, Amiri M, Khanicheragh M, Safizadeh F, Mohammadi Tahroodi F, Akbari Javar A, Aram H, Mir SM, Yavari N. Reference Interval for Fasting Blood Sugar, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, Low-density Lipoprotein, and High-density Lipoprotein-cholesterol in Healthy Babolian Individuals. Arch Med Lab Sci. 2019;5(4):14-20. https://doi.org/10.22037/amls.v5i4.2992

Prevalence of enterotoxin-encoding genes among diverse Shigella strains isolated from patients with diarrhea, southwest Iran

Shigella spp. are a major cause of bacillary dysentery, particularly among children in developing countries such as Iran. This study aimed to investigate the presence of two important Shigella enterotoxins (ShET-1 and ShET-2), encoded by the set and sen genes, respectively, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay among Shigella species isolated from children affected by shigellosis in Ahvaz, southwest of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, from June 2016 to April 2017, altogether 117 Shigella isolates were collected from fecal specimens of children aged <15 years with diarrhea in Ahvaz, southwest Iran. All isolates were identified by standard microbiological and molecular methods. The presence of enterotoxin genes was determined by PCR. The most prevalent isolate was Shigella flexneri (47.9%), followed by Shigella sonnei (41%) and Shigella boydii (11.1%), respectively. Shigella dysenteriae was not detected in patients’ samples. The frequencies of set1A, set1B, and sen genes were 5.1% (6/117), 15.4% (18/117), and 76.9% (90/117), respectively. This study provides initial background on the prevalence and distribution of the Shigella enterotoxin genes in Shigella isolates in southwest of Iran. In addition, this study revealed a high prevalence of sen enterotoxin gene in Shigella species

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good