Behavioral feasibility of the clinical nursing information system

Background: Analysis of humanitarian issues affecting the implementation time of information systems to increase the acceptance of these systems is essential. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the behavioral feasibility of the clinical nursing information system. Methods: An applied cross-sectional study was conducted with 348 nurses in 2015. Data were collected by face to face interviews and a questionnaire containing 33 questions, which were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed, and its reliability was estimated 0.90 through Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests and t-test. Results: An average score of behavioral feasibility was 67.44. The rate of supply provided for implementing the clinical nursing information system was 55.2, which was in a semi-favorable level. The necessity of system deployment in the clinical nursing sector had the highest frequency (88.2) and interference of redesigning structures with the current work had the lowest frequency (43.6). Conclusion: The possibility of implementation of the clinical nursing information system in a behavioral dimension is at a semi-favorable level. To increase the acceptance of the system, presenting a new system as a positive change and further training of the nurses is recommended. © 2019 Jeddi et al

Epitope Mapping of Tetanus Toxin by Monoclonal Antibodies: Implication for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Design

Tetanus as a life-threatening disease is characterized by muscle spasm. The disease is caused by the neurotoxin of Clostridium tetani. Active form of tetanus neurotoxin is composed of the light chain (fragment A) and the heavy chain. Fragment A is a zinc metalloprotease, which cleaves the neuronal soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive attachment receptor (SNARE) protein, leading to the blockade of inhibitory neurotransmitter release and subsequent generalized muscular spasm. Two functional domains of the heavy chain are fragment C, which is required for neuronal cell binding of the toxin and subsequent endocytosis into the vesicles, and fragment B, which is important for fragment A translocation across the vesicular membrane into the neuronal cytosol. Currently, polyclonal immunoglobulins against tetanus neurotoxin obtained from human plasma of hyper-immunized donors are utilized for passive immunotherapy of tetanus; however, these preparations have many disadvantages including high lot-to-lot heterogeneity, possibility of transmitting microbial agents, and the adverse reactions to the other proteins in the plasma. Neutralizing anti-tetanus neurotoxin monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) lack these drawbacks and could be considered as a suitable alternative for passive immunotherapy of tetanus. In this review, we provide an overview of the literature discussing epitope mapping of the published neutralizing MAbs against tetanus toxin. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

The lifelong maintenance of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons by Nurr1 and engrailed

Specific vulnerability and degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the midbrain is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. A number of transcription factors regulate the birth and development of this set of neurons and some remain constitutively expressed throughout life. These maintenance transcription factors are closely associated with essential neurophysiological functions and are required ultimately for the long-term survival of the midbrain dopaminergic neurons. The current review describes the role of two such factors, Nurr1 and engrailed, in differentiation, maturation, and in normal physiological functions including acquisition of neurotransmitter identity. The review will also elucidate the relationship of these factors with life, vulnerability, degeneration and death of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in the context of Parkinson’s disease

The effect of Setarud (IMOD�) on angiogenesis in transplanted human ovarian tissue to nude mice

Background: One of the promising methods in fertility preservation among women with cancer is cryopreservation of ovarian cortex but there are many drawbacks such as apoptosis and considerable reduction of follicular density in the transplanted ovary. One solution to reduce ischemic damage is enhancing angiogenesis after transplantation of ovarian cortex tissue. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Setarud, on angiogenesis in transplanted human ovarian tissue. Materials and Methods: In this case control study, twenty four nude mice were implanted subcutaneously, with human ovarian tissues, from four women. The mice were randomly divided into two groups (n=12): the experimental group was treated with Setarud, while control group received only vehicle. Each group was divided into three subgroups (n=4) based on the graft recovery days post transplantation (PT). The transplanted fragments were removed on days 2, 7, and 30 PT and the expression of Angiopoietin-1, Angiopoietin-2, and Vascular endothelial growth factor at both gene and protein levels and vascular density were studied in the grafted ovarian tissues. Results: On the 2nd and 7th day PT, the level of Angiopoietin-1 gene expression in case group was significantly lower than that in control group, while the opposite results were obtained for Angiopoietin-2 and Vascular endothelial growth factor. These results were also confirmed at the protein level. The density of vessels in Setarud group elevated significantly on day 7 PT compared to pre-treatment state. Conclusion: Our results showed that administration of Setarud may stimulates angiogenesis in transplanted human ovarian tissues, although further researches are needed before a clear judgment is made. � 2015, Research and Clinical Center for Infertitlity. All rights reserved

Effects of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection on Fertility; A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, Chlamydia trachomatis is known as a causative agent of infertility. Because of, asymptomatic nature of infection, many may suffer from its lasting complications such as infertility. This study was performed in Tehran during April 2007 to April 2008 to compare the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in fertile and infertile women using ELISA and PCR methods. METHODS: Overall, 234 infertile and 223 pregnant women, as the fertile group, participated in this hospital-based case-control study. After completing an informed consent form and the questionnaire, first catch urine and blood sample were obtained for PCR and ELISA (IgG, IgM) tests, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to control possible confounding factors, and determine adjusted odds ratio of infertility due to the infection. RESULTS: PCR results revealed that 29 (12.4%) of the infertile and 19 (8.5%) of the fertile women were positive for C. trachomatis infection (p = 0.440). IgG was positive in 21 (9.0%) of the infertile and 11 (5.0%) in the fertile group (p = 0.093). IgM assays identified that 2 (0.9%) of the infertile and 4 (1.8%) of the fertile women were positive for the micro-organism (p = 0.375). CONCLUSION: We found no significant differences among fertile and infertile women for Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Nevertheless, molecular techniques which are more sensitive, more specific and non-invasive can be used to detect C. trachomatis infection

Genetic diversity and population structure of Leishmania infantum from Southeastern France : evaluation using Multi-Locus Microsatellite Typing

In the south of France, Leishmania infantum is responsible for numerous cases of canine leishmaniasis (CanL), sporadic cases of human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and rare cases of cutaneous and muco-cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL and MCL, respectively). Several endemic areas have been clearly identified in the south of France including the Pyrenees-Orientales, Cevennes (CE), Provence (P), Alpes-Maritimes (AM) and Corsica (CO). Within these endemic areas, the two cities of Nice (AM) and Marseille (P), which are located 150 km apart, and their surroundings, concentrate the greatest number of French autochthonous leishmaniasis cases. In this study, 270 L. infantum isolates from an extended time period (1978-2011) from four endemic areas, AM, P, CE and CO, were assessed using Multi-Locus Microsatellite Typing (MLMT). MLMT revealed a total of 121 different genotypes with 91 unique genotypes and 30 repeated genotypes. Substantial genetic diversity was found with a strong genetic differentiation between the Leishmania populations from AM and P. However, exchanges were observed between these two endemic areas in which it seems that strains spread from AM to P. The genetic differentiations in these areas suggest strong epidemiological structuring. A model-based analysis using STRUCTURE revealed two main populations: population A (consisting of samples primarily from the P and AM endemic areas with MON-1 and non-MON-1 strains) and population B consisting of only MON-1 strains essentially from the AM endemic area. For four patients, we observed several isolates from different biological samples which provided insight into disease relapse and re-infection. These findings shed light on the transmission dynamics of parasites in humans. However, further data are required to confirm this hypothesis based on a limited sample set. This study represents the most extensive population analysis of L. infantum strains using MLMT conducted in France

Kinetics of murine decidual dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen presenting cells (APC) capable of induction of primary immune responses as well as immunologic tolerance. Myeloid and lymphoid subsets of murine DCs are able to shift cytokine responses of T cells toward Th2 and Th1 profiles respectively. Thus, DCs would be suitable candidates to mediate the balance of maternal immune responses to conception. We analyzed pregnancy-related variations in uterus and splenic DCs in a murine model. C57BL/6-mated Balb/c female mice with vaginal plugs were scarified at early, middle, and late pregnancy. Frozen sections of uterus and spleen at each stage of pregnancy were immunostained with CD11c- and MHC-II-specific antibodies. Two-color immunohistochemistry was also carried out using anti-CD11c and one of the antibodies against CD11b, CD8α, CD86, and DEC-205. Using morphometric analysis, the average density of DCs and relative percentage of myeloid (CD11c+, CD11b+) and lymphoid DCs (CD11c+, CD8α+) were determined at each stage. Our results showed that DCs are present throughout the pregnancy in decidua. The average density of decidual DCs at early pregnancy was significantly higher relative to middle and late gestation or to those of endometrial DCs of non-pregnant mice. Interestingly, the average density of decidual and splenic DCs, followed the same variations at different stages of pregnancy. The relative percentage of decidual lymphoid DCs (LDC) was significantly higher at mid-gestation when compared with other stages of pregnancy or non-pregnant mice. Inversely, the frequency of myeloid DCs (MDC) and the MDC/LDC ratio were statistically lower at the middle stage of pregnancy. A majority of decidual DCs expressed MHC-II and CD86. At early pregnancy, DCs were more concentrated subadjacent to the luminal epithelial layers, whereas at mid- or late gestation, DCs were randomly distributed in the stroma and around the epithelium. Mid-pregnancy period was a critical point with regard to splenic DCs kinetics, as both the average density of DCs and the frequency of MDCs decreased significantly when compared with early or late pregnancy, although the relative percentage of splenic LDCs did not change. Our data suggest that the balance of MDC and LDC is finely tuned throughout pregnancy, pointing an eminent immunoregulatory role of DCs in the maintenance of pregnacy. © 2007 Society for Reproduction and Fertility

Epidemic assessment of bacterial agents in osteomyelitis and their antibiotic resistance pattern determination

The aim of the present study was to determine the causative agents of osteomyelitis and specifying their antibiotic resistance pattern in patients referred to pediatrics ward of Imam Khomeini Hospital. This study has been performed in Tehran during January to December 2006. In this study, Synovial fluid was taken from 90 patients who referred to pediatrics ward of Imam Khomeini. Samples were examined by direct test, culture and biochemical tests. In next step, antibiogram by disk diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer Test) was established on each positive sample and finally, the results were analyzed. Of 90 examined samples, 27 bacterial cases were isolated; Staphylococcus aureus with 55.9 was the most epidemic agent and Klebsiella sp., coagulase negative Staphylococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterobacter sp. were the next common agents, respectively. However, it was revealed that more than 40 Staphylococcus aureus are sensitivity to Vacomycin, Gentamicin, Sulfamethoxazole and Erythromycin and most of gram negative Rods isolated of were sensitivity to Amikacin, Ampicillin and Cephalothin (50-100). The most of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative Staphylococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterobacter sp.) were sensitive to Vancomycin, gentamicin and Cephalothin. Similar to previous results, it was proved either in our study that Staphylococcus aureus is the main agent of osteomyelitis and gram negative bacteria with coagulase negative Staphylococci and Streptococci are other agents. Also, it was observed that the most isolated bacteria had high antibiotic resistance to common drugs. © 2008 Asian Network for Scientific Information

Characterization and applications of auto-locked vacuum-sealed diode lasers for precision metrology

We demonstrate the performance characteristics of a new class of vacuum-sealed, autolocking diode laser systems and their applications to precision metrology. The laser is based on adaptations of a design that uses optical feedback from an interference filter and it includes a vacuum-sealed cavity, an interchangeable base-plate, and an autolocking digital controller. A change of the base-plate allows operation at desired wavelengths in the visible and near infrared spectral range, whereas the autolocking ability allows the laser to be tuned and frequency stabilized with respect to atomic, molecular, and solid-state resonances without human intervention using a variety of control algorithms programmed into the same controller. We characterize the frequency stability of this laser system based on the Allan deviation (ADEV) of the beat note and of the lock signal. We find that the ADEV floor of 2 × 10−12 and short-term linewidth of ∼200 kHz are strongly influenced by current noise and vacuum sealing. Reducing the current noise and cavity pressure decreases the ADEV floor and increases the averaging time at which the floor occurs, which is a signature of long-term stability. We also show that evacuating the cavity to ∼1 Torr reduces the range of the correction signal of the feedback loop by approximately one order of magnitude, thereby increasing the lock range of the controller. The long-term stability allows the laser to be incorporated into a commercial gravimeter for accurate measurements of gravitational acceleration at the level of a few parts-per-billion, which are comparable to values obtained with an iodine-stabilized He–Ne laser. The autolocking and pattern-matching features of the controller allow the laser to be tuned and stabilized with respect to a temperature tunable transmission spectrum of a fiber-Bragg grating. This capability may be suitable for the development of a differential absorption LIDAR transmitter that can generate data at both on-line and off-line lock points using a single laser

Abandoned Covid-19 personal protective equipment along the Bushehr shores, the Persian Gulf: An emerging source of secondary microplastics in coastlines

During the Covid-19 pandemic, personal protection equipment (PPE) was widely used to control the virus further spared. In this study, the presence of PPE wastes along the coastline of Bushehr port, the Persian Gulf from nine stations was investigated (4 times during 40 days), and their potential for microplastics (MPs) creation was preliminarily assessed. In total, more than 2380 PPE were collected in the study area. No significant differences were found between various beaches regarding their types and common activities. In addition, the estimated disposal rate of PPE per day and year is 350 and 127,750 items, respectively. More than 10% of the collected PPE from Bushehr's coastal areas on each sampling day were damaged. Based on the microscopic analysis, the left surgical masks and torn plastic gloves in the coastal regions are emerging sources of secondary microfibers and MP particles (mostly fragments and films) in the marine environments, respectively