Examining Metabolic Profiles in Opioid-Dependent Patient

Background: Drug abuse is a social burden and a public health disorder. Previous evidencesuggested numerous illicit substances (e.g., opioids, amphetamines, cocaine, & cannabis)affect immune system functions, oxidative stress mechanisms, inflammatory cytokines, andreactive oxygen species production.This study aimed to determine the extent of these metabolic parameters in opioid-dependentpatients. We also compared these patients with a healthy control group.Methods: This study was conducted in Amirie Clinic, Kashan, Iran. Plasma and serumsamples from 50 illicit opioid users (study group) and 50 non-opioid users (control group)were studied. Metabolic levels for MDA, NO, TAC, GSH, Insulin, HOMA-IR, and hs-CRPwere assessed in both research groups (N=100).Results: There was a significant difference in the status of MDA (P=0.003), NO (P=0.01), TAC(P=0.003), GSH (P=0.001), insulin (P=0.04), HOMA-IR (P=0.02), and hs-CRP (P=0.001)between the study and control groups. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation amongthe duration of illicit opioid use and MDA concentrations (r=-0.424, P=0.002), as well as TAClevels (r=0.314, P=0.02).Conclusion: The study results suggested metabolic profiles were impaired in the study group,compared to the controls

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Using Broth Micro Dilution Method in Iran: A Meta-Analysis (2007-2016)

Background:      Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most signifuicant pathogens in Iran; it is one of the WHO-declared microbial resistance emergencies; and also one of the most important challenges facing the prevalence of resistance. The aim of this study was to detect MRSA using Broth Micro Dilution method and meta-analysis in Iran from 2007 to 2016. Methods:       Persian databases (including Magiran, Irandoc, and SID) and International databases (including pubmed, science direct, and scopus) were searched during this period (2007-2016), such that the high heterogeneity (50% < I2) in this study was analyzed using the DerSimonian Laird method. Data were categorized into subgroups based on year of study and province. Due to the high validity of the diagnosis of organisms and quantitative results, antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) was used to detect MRSA. Data analysis was performed using statsdirect software. Results:      Based on the available data in medical databases, 678 articles were selected. In total, 29 remaining studies entered the meta-analysis phase. In this study, the overall prevalence of MRSA using MIC is 53% (95% CI: 0.42.31, 63.90); in 2016 it was 77.56% (95% CI: 76.07, 78.99) and in 2007 was 57.49% (95% CI: 53.17, 61.72). The heterogeneity was estimated to be 98.5% (95% CI: 98.4, 98.6). Conclusion:    Based on the results, there is an increasing prevalence of MRSA in Iran. These may be due to the failure or lack of infection control activities and antimicrobial selection pressure

Global variations in diabetes mellitus based on fasting glucose and haemogloblin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but may identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening had elevated FPG, HbA1c, or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardised proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed, and detected in survey screening, ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the agestandardised proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global gap in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance.peer-reviewe

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 Novel Proportional Navigation Based Method for Robotic Interception Planning with Final Velocity Control

This paper presents a new method for robot interception planning based on the proportional navigation. Guidance laws are basically developed for aerospace applications where a pursuer impacts a target using these methods, however in the robotic application it is required to have a smooth grasp between the robot and the goal. In this method, a new term is considered for longitude axis to have the control on the final approaching velocity. The proposed method not only ensures the position and velocity match (also referred to as rendezvous) but also can be used to set the final closing velocity to any desired value. Approaching velocity can be zero for grasping the goal or a specific known velocity for hitting it in a controlled manner. It is shown that the capture region of the proposed approach is wider that other proportional navigation based methods. The proposed method is implemented on Qbot-2 and its performance is experimentally validated.Scopu

Comparing P53 expression and genome-wide transcriptome profiling to Comet assay in lymphocytes from melanoma patients and healthy controls

Abstract This study compared the expression of TP53 in lymphocytes from malignant melanoma (MM) patients with positive sentinel nodes to healthy controls (HCs) following exposure to various doses of UVA radiation. The Lymphocyte Genome Sensitivity (LGS) assay indicated significant differences in DNA damage in lymphocytes between MM patients and HCs. qPCR data demonstrated an overall 3.4-fold increase in TP53 expression in lymphocytes from MM patients compared to healthy controls, following treatment with 0.5 mW/cm2 UVA radiation. Western blotting confirmed that p53 expression was increased in MM lymphocytes following UVA exposure compared to healthy individuals. Genome transcriptome profiling data displayed differences in gene expression between UVA-treated lymphocytes from MM patients and HCs. Peripheral lymphocytes from MM patients are more susceptible to the genotoxic effects of UVA compared to healthy individuals. Our previous studies showed that UVA exposure of various intensities caused significant differences in the levels of DNA damage between lymphocytes from cancer patients compared to HCs through the LGS assay. The present study’s results provide further credibility to the LGS assay as a screening test for cancer detection. Peripheral lymphocytes could be a promising blood biopsy biomarker for staging of carcinomas and prevention of carcinoma progression at early stages

Occurrence of bovine TB in Iranian cattle herds of Khuzestan, a laboratory study on postmortem specimens from tuberculin-positive cows

Khuzestan is a southwestern province of Iran with proximity to the Persian Gulf and the international border with Iraq where harsh climate seriously affects this oil-rich region. In a search for causative agents of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), slaughterhouse specimens (lymph nodes) from 32 tuberculin-positive cows originating from 17 farms were cultured on Lowenstein–Jensen slopes. This was further extended with bacterial culture of postmortem material from 6 trapped feral mice straying on the same farm premises. Twenty-five bovine and 2 murine acid-fast isolates were consequently obtained with all of them confirmed as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex bacteria by IS6110-PCR experiment. Spoligotyping and RD4 typing of the 2 murine and some of the collected bovine isolates left no doubt that Mycobacterium bovis is the principle and possibly the single culprit in bTB in this region. It does not come as a surprise as previous exhaustive works have shown in the Iranian environment other members of MTB complex than M. bovis are very unlikely to have any role in the epidemiology of bTB