Izolati streptokoka grupe B u mokraći i njihova antimikrobna osjetljivost u skupini iranskih žena: učestalost i sezonske razlike

Streptococcus agalactiae is one of the uropathogens responsible for urinary tract infections (UTI ) in children, pregnant women, and elderly people with chronic underlying diseases. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of urinary tract isolates of group B streptococci (GBS) in a group of females referred to a referral University Hospital in Iran. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, urine analysis and urine culture results of all female subjects referred to the laboratory of the Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran in 2010 were reviewed. Bacteriuria, colony count, pyuria and demographic data of patients were also evaluated. In this study, 10,256 females were investigated; 2061 (20.1%) of them had positive urine cultures. GBS was the isolated microorganism in 184 (8.92%) cases, yielding a prevalence of 1.79% in total study population. The mean age of subjects with positive GBS cultures was 48.24}18.8 years, with a higher prevalence recorded in the 51-60 and 21-30 age groups. The highest rates of cultures positive for GBS were seen in December and January. GBS was found to be sensitive to the following antibiotics: cephalothin (100%), norfloxacin (96.9%), ampicillin (96%), nitrofurantoin (95.5%), and vancomycin (95%). In this study, GBS showed greatest resistance to tetracycline (81.6%) and co-trimoxazole (68.9%). In conclusion, the prevalence of GBS in females with suspected UTI is relatively low; however, attention to the age and susceptibility pattern of antibiotic treatment for UTI caused by this microorganism is necessary.Streptococcus agalactiae je jedan od uropatogena odgovornih za infekcije mokraćnog sustava kod djece, trudnica i starijih osoba s kroničnim osnovnim bolestima. Cilj ove studije bio je utvrditi učestalost izolata streptokoka grupe B u mokraćnom sustavu skupine žena upućenih u referentnu Sveučilišnu bolnicu u Iranu. U ovoj retrospektivnoj studiji obrađeni su rezultati analize mokraće i kulture mokraće svih ženskih osoba upućenih u laboratorij Bolnice Rasoul-e-Akram u Teheranu, Iran tijekom 2010. godine. Obrađeni su i podaci o bakteriuriji, broju kolonija, piuriji, te demografski podaci svih bolesnica. Od ukupno 10.256 ispitanih žena pozitivna kultura mokraće utvrđena je u 2061 (20,1%) žene. Streptokok grupe B bio je izolirani mikroorganizam u 184 (8,92%) slučajeva, dok je njegova ukupna učestalost u čitavoj ispitivanoj populaciji bila 1,79%. Srednja dob žena s pozitivnom kulturom streptokoka grupe B bila je 48,24}18,8 godina, s većom učestalošću u dobnim skupinama od 51-60 i 21-30 godina. Najviše stope pozitivnih kultura streptokoka grupe B zabilježene su u prosincu i siječnju, a mikroorganizam je pokazao osjetljivost na slijedeće antibiotike: cefalotin (100%), norfloksacin (96,9%), ampicilin (96%), nitrofurantoin (95,5%) i vankomicin (95%). U ovoj studiji je streptokok grupe B pokazao najveću otpornost na tetraciklin (81,6%) i kotrimoksazol (68,9%). Zaključuje se kako je učestalost streptokoka grupe B kod žena sa sumnjom na infekciju mokraćnog sustava relativno niska, međutim, pozornost treba posvetiti dobi bolesnice i profilu osjetljivosti antibiotske terapije za infekciju mokraćnog sustava uzrokovanu ovim mikroorganizmom

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

Encapsulation of curcumin using electrospun almond gum nanofibers: fabrication and characterization

In this study, the fabrication of almond gum/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite nanofibers loaded with curcumin or its β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (βCDIC) using electrospinning process was studied. The preparation of inclusion complex was done using freeze drying method. The characterization of electrospun nanofibers was studied by FESEM, XRD, TGA and FTIR analysis. FESEM results showed that the fiber diameters were in the range of 98–169 nm. XRD analysis indicated the crystalline aggregates of curcumin in the fiber matrix, whereas curcumin-βCDIC did not show crystalline aggregates. Thermal stability of nanofibers increased after incorporation of curcumin and curcumin-βCDIC into them. FTIR analysis confirmed the formation of the complex between curcumin and βCD. The solubility of curcumin and curcumin-βCDIC incorporated into nanofibers were increased up to 70 and 160 times compared with pure curcumin, respectively. The results showed that almond gum nanofibers can be used as a suitable carrier for hydrophobic compounds to enhance their solubility for application in the food and pharmaceutical industries

Normalizing the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test for 4 to 7 Years Old Children of Tehran, Iran

Objective Bender-Gestalt is one of the well-known neurocognitive tests designed by Lorta Bender to evaluate perceptual-motor development level in children. Besides its principle application in evaluation of cerebral damage, Bender test has other important applications, such as evaluating children for entering school, anticipating educational progress, diagnosing children with reading and learning disorders, studying growth retardation, as well as a nonverbal intelligence test to evaluate children’s reading readiness to enroll in elementary school. Because of the importance of this test in many diagnostics aspects, it is necessary to prepare a normalized form of this test. In this study, we tried to provide this form in a more comprehensive and updated form compared to previous studies. Materials & Methods This is a descriptive-analytic research. The study population comprised all preschool children in Tehran. In this research, we surveyed 523 (271 boys and 252 girls) preschool children in 3 groups of 4-5 years old (200 children, 95 boys and 105 girls), 5-6 years old (199 children, 112 boys and 87 girls), and 6-7 years old (124 children, 64 boys and 60 girls) who were selected by cluster sampling method from some preschools centers in south, north, and center of Tehran during the spring of 2012. The inclusion criteria were having normal intelligence quotient and being in the range of preschool age. Obtained protocols were numbered on the basis of expanded Koppitz scoring system, and finally were analyzed using the Chi-squared test. Results Data analysis for 4-5 years old group revealed the result of M(SD) as 14.75(1.82). The most frequent errors belonged to distortion in plans A, 7, and then 8. Also, the least frequent errors belonged to linear drawing of plans 3 and 6. With regard to misproportion error in plan A and repetition error in plan 2, girls made significantly less errors than boys, while with regard to spin errors of plan 7 and misproportion in plan 7, boys got the higher scores. In 5-6 years old group of children, M(SD) was 9.67(4.38). Also, the most frequent errors belonged to distortion in plans 8 and A. Furthermore, the least frequent errors belonged to linear drawing in plan 3, distortion in plan 7, and isproportion of components in plan 5. With regard to inappropriate composition and linear drawing of plan 5, boys made significant higher errors than girls. For children of 6-7 years old, M(SD) was 8.14(4.17). The most common errors in drawing belonged to first distortion errors in plans A and 8, and then spins in plans 7 and 3, and lastly to misproportion in plan 7. The least frequent errors belonged to linear drawing of plans 5 and 3, spin in plans 8 and 1, and finally distortion in plan 1. Male gender was effective in committing errors of wrong composition of plans A and 3, spin in plan 1, figure distortion in plans 6 and 7, also female gender in errors of wrong composition of plan 2, spin in plans 2 and 8. Conclusion Consistent with Koppit’z maturational hypothesis and previous studies (Iranian and foreign), our results showed visual-motor improvement of perceptual performance with increasing age. In conclusion, koppitz scoring system is applicable to Iranian children protocols

Colloidal carriers of almond gum/gelatin coacervates for rosemary essential oil : characterization and in-vitro cytotoxicity

The potential of almond gum and gelatin complex coacervates as a colloidal carrier for rosemary essential oil (REO) was investigated along with in vitro gastrointestinal release and cytotoxicity. The optimum formulation (1 gelatin:2 almond gum and 7% (w/w) REO) was selected based on encapsulation efficiency (43.6%) and encapsulation yield (99.3%). The particle size was 6.9 mu m with a high negative zeta-potential (-37.3 mV). FTIR and XRD data revealed that REO was properly loaded within carriers and there were interactions between gelatin and almond gum. Thermal stability of REO was enhanced after complex coacervation according to TGA. REO released slowly from carriers under simulated gastrointestinal fluid. Cytotoxicity of pure REO and REO-loaded complexes was evaluated on 4 T1 cell lines. Encapsulation of REO caused a reduction in toxicity. Overall, coacervates of gelatin-almond gum could be a promising carrier to enhance the application of bioactives in the food and drug industry with low toxicity

Cannabidiol-Loaded Nanocarriers and Their Therapeutic Applications

Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the most promising constituents isolated from Cannabis sativa, exhibits diverse pharmacological actions. However, the applications of CBD are restricted mainly due to its poor oral bioavailability. Therefore, researchers are focusing on the development of novel strategies for the effective delivery of CBD with improved oral bioavailability. In this context, researchers have designed nanocarriers to overcome limitations associated with CBD. The CBD-loaded nanocarriers assist in improving the therapeutic efficacy, targetability, and controlled biodistribution of CBD with negligible toxicity for treating various disease conditions. In this review, we have summarized and discussed various molecular targets, targeting mechanisms and types of nanocarrier-based delivery systems associated with CBD for the effective management of various disease conditions. This strategic information will help researchers in the establishment of novel nanotechnology interventions for targeting CBD