Efficacy of intrauterine infusion of granulocyte colony stimulating factor on patients with history of implantation failure: A randomized control trial

Background: Although pregnancy rate in in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles has been increased over the preceding years, but the majority of IVF-ET cycles still fail. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) is a glycoprotein that stimulates cytokine growth factor and induces immune system which may improve pregnancy rate in women with history of implantation failure. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate GCSF ability to improve pregnancy rate in women with history of implantation failure Materials and Methods: 0.5 ml (300 μg/ml) GCSF was infused intrauterine in intervention group. Pregnancy outcomes were assessed based on clinical pregnancy. Results: The mean age of participants was 31.95±4.71 years old. There were no significant differences between demographic characteristics in two groups (p>0.05). The pregnancy outcome in GCSF group was improved significantly (p=0.043). Conclusion: GCSF can improve pregnancy outcome in patients with history of implantation failur

Prediction of 2 years-survival in patients with stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer utilizing (18)F-FDG PET/CT SUV quantification.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the correlation between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), size of primary lung lesion, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in 2 years follow-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS. Forty-nine patients with stage I–II NSCLC were included in this study. Pre-surgical 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron-emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) study was performed for all patients. The relationship between SUVmax, tumour size and clinical outcome was measured. The cut-off value for SUVmax and tumour size with the best prognostic significance, probability of DFS and the correlation between SUVmax and the response to therapy were calculated. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant correlation between SUVmax and DFS (p = 0.029). The optimal cut-offs were 9.00 for SUVmax (p = 0.0013) and 30mm for tumour size (p = 0.0028). Patients with SUVmax > 9 and primary lesion size > 30 mm had an expected 2years-DFS of 37.5%, while this rose to 90% if the tumour was <30 mm and/or SUVmax was <9. CONCLUSIONS: In stage I-II, SUVmax and tumour size might be helpful to identify the subgroup of patients with high chance for recurrence

Characterizing a lytic bacteriophage infecting methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (Mrsa) isolated from burn patients

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant threat to human health. It is a multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen capable of causing a variety of diseases. Also, MRSA is one of the most important nosocomial pathogens in burn infection. As a treatment strategy against MRSA infections, phage therapy has the potential of becoming an alternative remedy. Objectives: The present study aimed to isolate and characterize a lytic bacteriophage from hospital sewage to be effective against burn wound-infecting MRSA isolates. Methods: Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated from hospitalized burn patients. The strains were confirmed as MRSA by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method using penicillin, methicillin, and oxacillin, as well as the PCR assay for the mecA gene. The phage was isolated from the hospital sewage and tittered by the double layer agar (DLA) method. The spot test was used for host range determination. The latent period and burst size were estimated from a one-step growth curve. The phage morphology was observed by electron microscopy. The nature of the nucleic acid of the isolated bacteriophages was confirmed by Rnase A, Dnase I, and six restriction enzymes. Results: The titer, latent period, and burst size of the isolated phage were determined to be 1 � 109 PFU/mL, 20 min, and 190 PFU per infected cell, respectively. It displayed a broad host range for MRSA bacteria by the spot test (27 out of 30 isolates). Electron microscopy observation demonstrated that the phage belonged to the Myoviridea family. Digestion profiles of Rnase A, Dnase I, and six restriction enzymes in 1 agarose gel electrophoresis showed that the genome of the isolated phage was a double-stranded DNA with a size of &lt; ~ 23 kbp. Conclusions: The isolated phage (MH-1) was active against a wide range of MRSA strains recovered from burn patients. Its specificity and remarkable lytic effects on MRSA strains emphasized that it could be a suitable candidate for use in prophylaxis and treatment of these clinical infections. © 2020, Archives of Clinical Infectious Diseases

Correlation of Circulating Omentin-1 with Bone Mineral Density in Multiple Sclerosis: The Crosstalk between Bone and Adipose Tissue

BACKGROUND: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Adipose tissue-derived adipokines may play important roles in the osteoimmunology of MS. In order to determine whether omentin-1 and vaspin may be related to bone health in MS patients, we compared circulating levels of these recently identified adipokines, between MS patients and healthy controls. METHODS: A total of 35 ambulatory MS patients with relapsing-remitting courses were compared with 38 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Bone mineral density (BMD) was determined for the lumbar spine (L2-L4) and the proximal femur using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Circulating omentin-1, vaspin, osteocalcin, osteopontin, osteoprotegerin, the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand, matrix metalloproteinase 9, C-reactive protein and 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were evaluated by highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding bone-related cytokines, adipocytokines, and the BMD measurements of patients with MS and the healthy controls. However, in multiple regression analysis, serum omentin-1 levels were positively correlated with BMD at the femoral neck (β = 0.49, p = 0.016), total hip (β = 0.42, p = 0.035), osteopontin (β = 0.42, p = 0.030) and osteocalcin (β = 0.53, p = 0.004) in MS patients. No correlations were found between vaspin, biochemical, and BMD measures in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated omentin-1 serum levels are correlated with BMD at the femoral neck and the serum levels of osteocalcin and osteopontin in MS patients. Therefore, there is crosstalk between adipose tissue and bone in MS

Analysis of Tp53 Codon 72 Polymorphisms, Tp53 Mutations, and HPV Infection in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Non-melanoma skin cancers are one of the most common human malignancies accounting for 2-3% of tumors in the US and represent a significant health burden. Epidemiology studies have implicated Tp53 mutations triggered by UV exposure, and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection to be significant causes of non-melanoma skin cancer. However, the relationship between Tp53 and cutaneous HPV infection is not well understood in skin cancers. In this study we assessed the association of HPV infection and Tp53 polymorphisms and mutations in lesional specimens with squamous cell carcinomas.We studied 55 cases of histologically confirmed cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and 41 controls for the presence of HPV infection and Tp53 genotype (mutations and polymorphism).We found an increased number of Tp53 mutations in the squamous cell carcinoma samples compared with perilesional or control samples. There was increased frequency of homozygous Tp53-72R polymorphism in cases with squamous cell carcinomas, while the Tp53-72P allele (Tp53-72R/P and Tp53-72P/P) was more frequent in normal control samples. Carcinoma samples positive for HPV showed a decreased frequency of Tp53 mutations compared to those without HPV infection. In addition, carcinoma samples with a Tp53-72P allele showed an increased incidence of Tp53 mutations in comparison carcinomas samples homozygous for Tp53-72R.These studies suggest there are two separate pathways (HPV infection and Tp53 mutation) leading to cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas stratified by the Tp53 codon-72 polymorphism. The presence of a Tp53-72P allele is protective against cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and carcinoma specimens with Tp53-72P are more likely to have Tp53 mutations. In contrast Tp53-72R is a significant risk factor for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and is frequently associated with HPV infection instead of Tp53 mutations. Heterozygosity for Tp53-72R/P is protective against squamous cell carcinomas, possibly reflecting a requirement for both HPV infection and Tp53 mutations

Statistical and integrative system-level analysis of DNA methylation data

Epigenetics plays a key role in cellular development and function. Alterations to the epigenome are thought to capture and mediate the effects of genetic and environmental risk factors on complex disease. Currently, DNA methylation is the only epigenetic mark that can be measured reliably and genome-wide in large numbers of samples. This Review discusses some of the key statistical challenges and algorithms associated with drawing inferences from DNA methylation data, including cell-type heterogeneity, feature selection, reverse causation and system-level analyses that require integration with other data types such as gene expression, genotype, transcription factor binding and other epigenetic information

The prevalence of antibiotic resistance and exfoliative toxin A gene in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from patients and healthy individuals

Staphylococcus aureus is a ubiquitous pathogen which causes infections both in healthy individuals as well as in hospitalized patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and exfoliative toxin A (eta) gene in S. aureus strains isolated from patients and healthy individuals in northern Iran. In this cross-sectional study from November 2014 to 2015, a total of 63 S. aureus isolates from patients and 63 isolates of 262 nasal swabs from healthy individuals were collected. S. aureus isolates were identified by standard microbiologic tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out by disk diffusion method. The presence of eta gene was determined by PCR method. Among both the patients and healthy individuals, the highest antibiotic resistance was noted toward penicillin G. In clinical isolates of S. aureus, 22 (34.9) MRSA and 41 (65.1) MSSA were detected. Among healthy individuals isolates, 2 (3.2) MRSA and 61 (96.8) MSSA were found. The prevalence of eta gene in isolates from patients and healthy individuals were 22 (34.9) and 18 (28.6), respectively. In summary, as the first study report of the prevalence of exfoliative toxin A in our region, we found a lower rate compared to other parts of the country. Also, the presence of eta gene in all types of clinical samples must be considered as a serious health problem and demand effective infection control policy. © 2019 Elsevier Inc

Maintenance policy selection considering resilience engineering by a new interval-valued fuzzy decision model under uncertain conditions

Different maintenance policies, including preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance, are introduced to enhance the execution of systems. Maintenance professional experts have faced numerous challenges with distinguishing the proper maintenance policy, among which causes of failure, accessibility, and the capability of maintenance should be regarded seriously. Moreover, most organizations do not have a deliberate and compelling model for evaluating maintenance policies under uncertainty to deal with real-world conditions. The aim of this paper is to introduce a new interval-valued fuzzy (IVF) decision model for the selection of maintenance policy based on order inclination with comparability to ideal solutions by Monte Carlo simulation. This paper introduces novel separation measures and a new IVF-distinguish index via possibilistic statistical concepts (PSCs) which can assist maintenance decision makers to rank maintenance policy candidates. Also, resilience engineering (RE) factors are considered along with conventional evaluation criteria. Finally, the steps of the proposed IVF model-based PSCs are applied to survey a real case in manufacturing industry. Results of the presented model are compared with the recent literature and could help maintenance personnel in identifying the best policy systematically