Cloning, fusion and expression of recombinant Bacillus anthracis protective antigen domain 4 with cholera toxin B-subunit in E. coli

زمینه و هدف: ترکیب یا اتصال ژنتیکی آنتی ژن ها با زیر واحد B کلرا توکسین =cholera toxin B) (ctB پاسخ آنتی‌بادی موکوسی قوی ای را ایجاد می‌کند. هدف از این مطالعه اتصال ctB به ژن کد کننده ناحیه 4 آنتی ژن حفاظت کننده (Protective antigen Domain 4=PaD4) به منظور بیان پروتئین کایمریک به عنوان کاندیدا واکسن علیه بیماری سیاه زخم می باشد. روش بررسی: در این تحقیق تجربی آزمایشگاهی واکنش PCR با پرایمرهای اختصاصی برای ژن های ctBو PaD4 انجام شد و ژن های تکثیر شده به طور جداگانه در PGEM-T easy vector کلون شدند. سپس ژن PaD4 به انتهای '3 ژن ctB با روش هضم آنزیمی متصل شد و ژن امتزاج شده ctB-PaD4 در PET28a زیر همسانه سازی گردید. سویه BL21 باکتری E.coli توسط وکتور نوترکیب ترانسفورم شد و بیان پروتئین کایمر تحت القای ایزوپروپیل- بتا-D-1-گالاکتوپیرانوزید IPTG)) قرار گرفت و به وسیله تکنیک SDS.PAGE و وسترن بلات مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفت. یافته ها: ژن امتزاج شده ctB-PaD4 ساخته شد و با تکنیکPCR و تعیین توالی مورد تأیید قرار گرفت. این ژن در باکتری E.coli سویه BL21در دمای بهینه 37 درجه سانتیگراد بیان گردید و پروتئین کایمر با موفقیت تولید شد. باند مربوط به این پروتئین با تکنیک SDS.PAGE و وسترن بلات تأیید گردید. نتیجه گیری: این پروتئین نوترکیب بعد از بررسی ایمنی زایی می‌تواند به عنوان واکسن زیر واحدی کایمر جدید و موثر علیه باکتری باسیلوس آنتراسیس به صورت خوراکی یا استنشاقی استفاده شود

\u3cem\u3eIn vitro\u3c/em\u3e Effect of Graphene Structures as an Osteoinductive Factor in Bone Tissue Engineering: A Systematic Review

Graphene and its derivatives have been well‐known as influential factors in differentiating stem/progenitor cells toward the osteoblastic lineage. However, there have been many controversies in the literature regarding the parameters effect on bone regeneration, including graphene concentration, size, type, dimension, hydrophilicity, functionalization, and composition. This study attempts to produce a comprehensive review regarding the given parameters and their effects on stimulating cell behaviors such as proliferation, viability, attachment and osteogenic differentiation. In this study, a systematic search of MEDLINE database was conducted for in vitro studies on the use of graphene and its derivatives for bone tissue engineering from January 2000 to February 2018, organized according to the PRISMA statement. According to reviewed articles, different graphene derivative, including graphene, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with mass ratio ≤1.5 wt % for all and concentration up to 50 μg/mL for graphene and GO, and 60 μg/mL for RGO, are considered to be safe for most cell types. However, these concentrations highly depend on the types of cells. It was discovered that graphene with lateral size less than 5 µm, along with GO and RGO with lateral dimension less than 1 µm decrease cell viability. In addition, the three‐dimensional structure of graphene can promote cell‐cell interaction, migration and proliferation. When graphene and its derivatives are incorporated with metals, polymers, and minerals, they frequently show promoted mechanical properties and bioactivity. Last, graphene and its derivatives have been found to increase the surface roughness and porosity, which can highly enhance cell adhesion and differentiation

Explaining the Unwillingness of the Homeless to Use Municipal Homeless Shelters in Tehran City, Iran: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Some citizens are deprived from shelter, which is one of the basic needs of human. In this study, some barriers for the homeless in the use of municipal homeless shelters in Tehran City, Iran, were studied and then on the basis of them, the guidelines and recommendations were presented. Method: This study was undertaken using qualitative content analysis methodology. According to the purposive sampling and theoretical saturation criterion, 20 homeless people who were reluctant to use the shelters, and 10 employees working in the shelters and municipal emergency social services were participated in this study. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Results: Through data analysis, 2 main themes were extracted, “escape framework and maintaining a distinct identity” (being free outside of the shelters, shelter use as an indication of weakness and antithetical to the conventions of the street life,…), and “dysfunctional shelter” (the unfavorable conditions in shelters, dissatisfaction of employees working in the shelters and lack of trust on them,...). Conclusion: The results showed that the homeless people in Tehran require planning and providing services and facilities based on the actual conditions, so that they can return to the social cycle; and only building a temporary shelter for them to stay at night, cannot be useful for these people. Keywords: Homeless persons, Emergency shelter, Municipalities, Qualitative researc

Screening performance of Ultrasonographic B-lines in Detection of Lung Contusion following Blunt Trauma; a Diagnostic Accuracy Study

Introduction: Chest ultrasonography is routinely used in evaluation of chest trauma for diagnosis of pulmonary injury. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of B-Lines for diagnosing lung contusion in patients with blunt trauma of the chest. Methods: Trauma patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study and underwent ultrasonography by trained emergency medicine residents. Ultrasound results were recorded in terms of number of B-lines and the existence of peripheral parenchymal lesion (PPL). After ultrasound, the patient underwent chest x-ray and chest CT scan (as reference test) and screening performance of B-lines and PPL were evaluated.Results: 147 patients underwent chest ultrasound. The mean age of the patients was 40.74 ± 18.6 (78.9% male). B-lines˃3 had 94.0% (95% CI: 83.45-98.75) sensitivity and 57.7% (95% CI: 47.3-67.7) specificity, B-lines˃6 had 90.0% (95% CI: 78.2-96.7) sensitivity and 93.81% (95% CI: 87.0-97.7) specificity, and PPL had 34.0% (95% CI: 21.2-48.8) sensitivity and 100% (95% CI: 96.3-100.0) specificity. Composite findings of B-lines˃6 + PPL had 92.0% (95% CI: 80.8-97. 8) sensitivity and 93.8% (95% CI: 87.0-97.7) specificity in the diagnosis of lung contusion.Conclusion: PPL and B-Lines˃6 had the highest accuracy in detecting lung contusion. B-Line˃6 had high sensitivity and specificity and was easy to perform; thus, it seems that B-Line˃6 could be considered as an alternative screening tool in detection of lung contusion

MicroRNA-127 and MicroRNA-132 Expression in Patients with Methamphetamine Abuse in East Azerbaijan, Iran: A Case-Control Study

Background: Addiction is a personal and social problem worldwide, and has physical and psychological effects on consumers’ health. Recently, miRNAs have been described as noninvasive biomarkers. Currently, methamphetamine abuse (MA) is mainly diagnosed by chromatography. This study aimed to investigate the expression and diagnostic value of miR-127 and miR-132 in blood samples of patients with MA and non-user healthy controls. Methods: A total of 60 patients with MA (case group) and 60 non-user healthy individuals (control group) were selected from Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, Iran. Peripheral blood was obtained and total RNA was extracted. Then, cDNA synthesis was performed and miR-127 and miR-132 expression was evaluated using real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Findings: The results of this study demonstrated that miR-127 was significantly lower (0.042-fold change) in patients with MA than in the control group (P<0.05). However, miR-132 was significantly higher (7.1-fold change) in patients with MA than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: In general, expression of miR-127 and miR-132 may alter in patients with MA. Further studies are needed to identify underlying molecular mechanisms in patients with MA

A Rare Case Report of Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy of Childhood

Background: Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy in childhood (ANEC) is a kind of fast growing illness accompanied with progressive Encephalopathy. The aim of this article is to report a rare case of ANEC in a 4-year-old boy with bilateral thalamic necrosis and a nonfatal outcome. Case Report: The patient was a 4-year-old Iranian boy who had no prior history of health problems and hospitalization except for a period of jaundice and phototherapy as a neonate. In the neurological consultation a brain MRI was requested for the patient to analyze the possibility of brain damage, which showed the involvement of cerebellum, thalamus and the existence of  basal ganglia which led to the diagnosis of ANEC. Conclusion: In conclusion, although ANEC is a rare disease, it should not be underestimated

The Accreditation of Human Resources and Physical Space of the Iranian Heart Centre: Comparison to the national and international standards

Objective: Standardization of hospital resources and physical space can be an important strategy to increase productivity and effectiveness of services. The study was conducted with the aim of comparative accreditation of human resources and physical space in Mazandaran heart centre compared with the standards. Method: This comparative descriptive study was carried out in Sari city (centre of Mazandaran province) during 2016-2017. The data collection tool consists of two checklists for investigating the physical space and human resources of the hospital. To evaluate the quality of the content, a checklist was distributed to 5 experts from Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. After corrections the checklist was applied. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16 and descriptive statistics. Findings: The total number of nurses in this hospital was 288 and the total number of beds was 171. The human resources in the nursing, nutrition, operating room, anaesthesia departments were not standard. The ratio of total human resource to the number of beds was also estimated as 4.04. Results showed that the physical conditions in the hospital were moderately standard. The physical conditions of the hospital in most dimensions based on checklist, except the physical location of hospital and the features of its doors, were in accordance with the standard requirements. Conclusion: Considering the inappropriate distribution of human resource in the hospital and the non-standard design of physical space for providing services with better quality and increasing patients' satisfaction, it is recommended that experts control more carefully standard requirements

Estimation and prediction of avoidable health care costs of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes through adequate dairy food consumption: a systematic review and micro simulation modeling study

Background: Recent evidence from prospective cohort studies show a relationship between consumption of dairy foods and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This association highlights the importance of dairy foods consumption in prevention of these diseases and also reduction of associated healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to estimate avoidable healthcare costs of CVD and T2D through adequate dairy foods consumption in Iran. Methods: This was a multistage modelling study. We conducted a systematic literature review in PubMed and EMBASE to identify any association between incidence of CVD and T2DM and dairy foods intake, and also associated relative risks. We obtained age- and sex-specific dairy foods consumption level and healthcare expenditures from national surveys and studies. Patient level simulation Markov models were constructed to predict the disease incidence, patient population size and associated healthcare costs for current and optimal dairy foods consumption at different time horizons (1, 5, 10 and 20 years). All parameters including costs and transition probabilities were defined as statistical distributions in the models, and all analyses were conducted by accounting for first and second order uncertainty. Results: The systematic review results indicated that dairy foods consumption was inversely associated with incidence of T2DM, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. We estimated that the introduction of a diet containing 3 servings of dairy foods per day may produce a $0.43 saving in annual per capita healthcare costs in Iran in the first year due to saving in cost of CVD and T2DM treatment. The estimated savings in per capita healthcare costs were$8.42, $39.97 and$190.25 in 5, 10 and 20-years’ time, respectively. Corresponding total aggregated avoidable costs for the entire Iranian population within the study time horizons were $33.83,$661.31, $3,138.21 and$14,934.63 million, respectively. Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrated that increasing dairy foods consumption to recommended levels would be associated with reductions in healthcare costs. Further randomized trial studies are required to investigate the effect of dairy foods intake on cost of CVD and T2DM in the population

Neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality and morbidity burden in the Eastern Mediterranean region: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study

Objectives Although substantial reductions in under-5 mortality have been observed during the past 35 years, progress in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) has been uneven. This paper provides an overview of child mortality and morbidity in the EMR based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Methods We used GBD 2015 study results to explore under-5 mortality and morbidity in EMR countries. Results In 2015, 755,844 (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 712,064–801,565) children under 5 died in the EMR. In the early neonatal category, deaths in the EMR decreased by 22.4%, compared to 42.4% globally. The rate of years of life lost per 100,000 population under 5 decreased 54.38% from 177,537 (173,812–181,463) in 1990 to 80,985 (76,308–85,876) in 2015; the rate of years lived with disability decreased by 0.57% in the EMR compared to 9.97% globally. Conclusions Our findings call for accelerated action to decrease child morbidity and mortality in the EMR. Governments and organizations should coordinate efforts to address this burden. Political commitment is needed to ensure that child health receives the resources needed to end preventable deaths

Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders during 1990-2015 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background Comparable data on the global and country-specific burden of neurological disorders and their trends are crucial for health-care planning and resource allocation. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study provides such information but does not routinely aggregate results that are of interest to clinicians specialising in neurological conditions. In this systematic analysis, we quantified the global disease burden due to neurological disorders in 2015 and its relationship with country development level. Methods We estimated global and country-specific prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLLs), and years lived with disability (YLDs) for various neurological disorders that in the GBD classification have been previously spread across multiple disease groupings. The more inclusive grouping of neurological disorders included stroke, meningitis, encephalitis, tetanus, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, migraine, tension-type headache, medication overuse headache, brain and nervous system cancers, and a residual category of other neurological disorders. We also analysed results based on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a compound measure of income per capita, education, and fertility, to identify patterns associated with development and how countries fare against expected outcomes relative to their level of development. Findings Neurological disorders ranked as the leading cause group of DALYs in 2015 (250.7 [95% uncertainty interval (UI) 229.1 to 274.7] million, comprising 10.2% of global DALYs) and the second-leading cause group of deaths (9.4 [9.1 to 9.7] million], comprising 16.8% of global deaths). The most prevalent neurological disorders were tensiontype headache (1505 9 [UI 1337.3 to 1681.6 million cases]), migraine (958.8 [872.1 to 1055.6] million), medication overuse headache (58.5 [50.8 to 67.4 million]), and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (46.0 [40.2 to 52.7 million]). Between 1990 and 2015, the number of deaths from neurological disorders increased by 36.7%, and the number of DALYs by 7.4%. These increases occurred despite decreases in age-standardised rates of death and DALYs of 26.1% and 29.7%, respectively; stroke and communicable neurological disorders were responsible for most of these decreases. Communicable neurological disorders were the largest cause of DALYs in countries with low SDI. Stroke rates were highest at middle levels of SDI and lowest at the highest SDI. Most of the changes in DALY rates of neurological disorders with development were driven by changes in YLLs. Interpretation Neurological disorders are an important cause of disability and death worldwide. Globally, the burden of neurological disorders has increased substantially over the past 25 years because of expanding population numbers and ageing, despite substantial decreases in mortality rates from stroke and communicable neurological disorders. The number of patients who will need care by clinicians with expertise in neurological conditions will continue to grow in coming decades. Policy makers and health-care providers should be aware of these trends to provide adequate services.Peer reviewe