The changes in TVN and histamin of kilka within the different preservation methods

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the quality of preserved kilka for human consumption. The different preservation methods (CSW and crushed ice) were used and the results were compared with the traditional method. Two main parameters (TVN and Histamine) of collected samples were measured in different preservation-time, namely: a) Time zero (after fishing), b) T5 and T10 (5 and 10 hours duration from fishing ground to processing room). The mean value of Histamine of T10 (10 hours after fishing) for traditional, CSW and crushed ice methods were determined 10.3, 2.2 and 1.5mg/100, respectively. On the other hand, the measured TVN values above mentioned methods were 22.3, 19.0 and 17.0 mg/100, respectively. The results showed a significant difference between the traditional method and two other methods (P<0.05) but (here was no significant between CSW and crushed ice methods. Since, the preserved kilkas in the CSW showed higher quality, therefore, it is proposed that tor using kilka as human consumption, they showed be preferably preserved in chilled sea water after fishing

Acinetobacter baumannii producing ESBLs and carbapenemases in the Intensive Care Units developing fosfomycin and colistin resistance

Acinetobacter baumannii is responsible for causing difficult-to-treat healthcare-associated infections globally, owing to its resistance to antibiotics. The intensive care unit (ICU) settings mediate spread of multidrug resistance (MDR) strains. This research aimed to evaluate non-susceptible colistin and fosfomycin A. baumannii, harboring extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and carbapenemases in ICU setting. During the period of 2019-2021, this study obtained 200 A. baumanni isolates out of 1410 burns samples from an ICU setting. The antibiotic sensitivity, ESBLs and carbapenemase production were determined using clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI) 2020. The colistin (mcr-1 and mcr-2) and fosfomycin (fosA3) resistance genes was amplified. The highest resistance was to ceftazidime (98%), cefepime (86%), tetracycline (84%), levofloxacin (78%) and piperacillin-tazobactam (76%), while the highest sensitivity was to meropenem (63%) and tigecycline (62%). ESBL production was determined in 94% and carbapenemases were observed in 54% of A. baumannii. Four isolates (2%) were found to carry the mcr-1 gene, and three isolates (1.5%) were found to carry the mcr-2 gene. Moreover, the fosA3 was not detected in the isolates. This study showed that MDR A. baumannii was high in ICU settings. The spread of antibiotics considered the last line of defense against infections is a concern that necessitates surveillance and control measures

Biosystematic study of (Clupeidae) Alosa in Mazandaran and Golestan province coastal waters

This survey is part of identification and determination of clupeidae (Genus Alosa), in southern Caspian Sea, Mazandaran and Golestan Province coastal waters during 1997-99. In this study, total of 336 fish samples were studied. The results showed that 4 species of clupeidae, belong to: Alosa brashnikowii (Borodin, 1904), A. caspia (Eichwald, 1983), A. saposchnikowii (Grimm, 1887) and A. kessleri (Grimm, 1887). For species identification two morphometric and morphomerestic factors were used. One of the important factors of morphometric is gill rakers and, A. braschnikowii had 20-40 with average of 30.93±6.11, A. caspia had 110-125 with average of 118.3±5.23, A. kessleri had 60-73 with average of 66.82±3.31 and A. saposchnikowii had 20-48 with of average of 32.83 ±4.93 percent gill rakers. Another important morphometric factors are percent ratio of eye diameter to total length. A. braschnikowii had 2.9-5.82 and average of 4.72±0.53 percent, A. caspia had 5.73-7.46 and average of 6.21±0.52, A. saposchnikowii had 6-9.33 and average of 7.3±1.8 percent and finally, A. kessleri had 4.27-6.48 and average of 5.46 ±0.71 percent

The Psychological Impact of Referral for Mammography Screening for Breast Cancer Among Women in Muscat Governorate: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: Breast cancer constitutes the majority of diagnosed cancers in Oman’s females, accounting for 19.2%, which prompted the introduction of a breast cancer screening programme into the Omani healthcare system. There are rising international concerns about the effectiveness of mammography as a screening tool and its psychological impact. The current study aimed to determine the social, emotional and physical dysfunction caused by the waiting time from the day of scheduling the appointment until the day of screening and explore associated risk factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and December 2017 at Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Oman, using a two-part self-administered questionnaire. Part one of the questionnaire collected clinical and demographic data. Part two consisted of the Psychological Consequences Questionnaire (PCQ) and focused on psychological consequences, measuring the effect of mammographic screening on emotional, physical and social functions. Results: A total of 300 women aged ≥40 years old participated in this study (response rate: 100%). Results revealed that there was a minimal negative psychological impact from screening using mammograms. All PCQ domains were significantly impacted for participants who reported a family history of cancer (P = 0.007). The social score was significantly higher among women between 40–50 years old (P = 0.008). Scores of emotional and social functions were significantly affected by participants’ employment status; employed women were more affected than those who were not (P = 0.043 and 0.012, respectively). However, women’s levels of literacy did not affect any of the domains. Conclusion: The psychosocial impact of the waiting period between scheduling and undergoing mammography screening was minimal in the current sample. Future research should evaluate the psychosocial impact on patients at different recall times.Keywords: Breast Cancer; Mammography; Psychological Factors; Depression; Anxiety; Oman

The study of relationship between serum levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 and soluble fibrinogen-like protein 2 with delayed graft function after kidney transplantation

Delayed graft function (DGF) is a transplant complication which means a need to dialysis throughout the first week after transplantation. This study aimed to ascertain the relationship between the two immunomodulatory factors of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and soluble fibrinogen-like protein 2 (sFGL-2) with DGF after transplantation. This case-control study was done in 2 groups of 58 kidney transplant patients with and without DGF. The control group included the patients who didn't show DGF symptoms. Then, serum levels of sFlt-1and sFGL-2 in all blood samples were measured by ELISA. Serum sFlt-1 and sFGL-2 levels were significantly higher in the DGF group compared to those in the control group (p�0.001). sFlt-1 and sFGL-2 serum levels significantly affect DGF (p<0.001) in such a way that they may be diagnostic factors of DGF. This study showed a significant relationship between sFlt-1 as well as sFGL-2 and DGF. Therefore, plasma levels of sFlt-1 and sFGL-2 may be used as diagnostic tools to determine the risk of DGF. © August 2019, Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol

An analysis of adherence to the World Health Organisation guidelines pertaining to drug promotional literature by pharmaceutical firms

Background: Pharmaceutical companies used Drug Promotion Literatures (DPLs) as a major tool to advertise their new products. World Health Organization (WHO) has set some guidelines for promotion of drug literature. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate various DPLs for their accuracy and credibility as per WHO ethical criteria.Methods: This was an observational and cross-sectional study. Total 100 drugs advertisements published in various medical journals were collected from the library of the college. Advertisements were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected advertisements were evaluated based on the WHO ethical criteria for drug promotion.Results: From 100 advertisements, 73 were single drug whereas 27 were fixed drug combinations. Antimicrobials (16%) were the most promoted advertisements. Only 28% of the advertisements carried references to support their claim. Out of which majority (91.78%) were from journal articles. The generic name, brand name, names of active ingredients, manufacturer, distributor and dosage regimen were mentioned in majority of advertisements. Drug interactions (12%), contraindications (22%), precautions (24%) and side effects (22%) were least mentioned in the advertisements.Conclusions: It was observed that none of the advertisement followed all the guidelines laid down by WHO. Pharmaceutical companies should follow ethical regulatory measures to promote their product in various journals. The regulatory authority must ensure the pharmaceutical companies to follow ethical guidelines for publishing various drug promotional literatures

The Ferromagnetic and half metallic behaviors of Fe- and Co- doped SnO2 within Local Density Approximation and Self-Interaction-Corrected

Using ab-initio calculation based on the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Coherent Potential Approximation (KKR-CPA) method in connection with the local density approximation without and within self-interaction-corrected (LDA and LDA-SIC), we represent a theoretical study of the SnO2 doped system with transition metals (TM) which are Iron (Fe) and Cobalt (Co). In this system, the stability of the ferromagnetic state compared with the spin-glass state is investigated by comparing their total energies. The Ferromagnetic and half metallic behaviors was observed and conformed with the local-moment-disordered (LMD) state energy for LDA (local density approximation) and LDA-SIC (local density approximation-self-interaction correction) approximation in [Sn0.95TM0.05(Fe or Co)]O2 . Based on mean field method, the Curie temperature is estimated. To explain the origin of magnetic behavior, we give information about total and atom projected density of states functions of Fe and Co elements and we propose a model which describes magnetic interaction in [Sn0.95TM0.05(Fe or Co)]O2

PTEN and p53 gene expressions in breast cancer specimens and their clinicopathological significance

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer. Discovering molecular biomarkers is necessary for disease management that includes prognosis prediction and preventive treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression value of p53 and PTEN as molecular biomarkers of breast cancer and their relation with clinicopathological characteristics. Methods: In this study, 100 breast cancer and 20 normal samples were subjected to investigation. Total RNA was isolated and we measured RNA expression by real-time RT-PCR. Data were analyzed by REST 2009 and SPSS. Results: Gene expression results showed up-regulation of P53 in 53 breast cancer subjects and PTEN in 52 breast cancer subjects compared with normal controls. However, there was lower P53 expression in 25 breast cancer samples compared to normal tissues. PTEN expression was lower in 26 breast cancer samples than normal tissues. p53 showed a significant relationship to HER2 receptor (P=0.024) and menopausal status (P=0.013); no significant relationships existed with other clinicopathological parameters (P>0.05). PTEN had the only significant correlation with lymphatic invasion (P=0.046) without any relation with other clinicopathological features (P>0.05). PTEN expression had no significant association with p53 expression in the studied population (P=0.074). Conclusion: Combined detection of PTEN and p53 may have the potential to estimate the pathobiological behavior and prognosis of breast cancer. Due to the heterogeneous nature of cancer and the presence of different factors involved in the clinical situation of breast cancer, we suggest a study of a larger population and more biomarkers. © 2018, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Pathotypic and phylogenetic study of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and uropathogenic E. Coli using multiplex polymerase chain reaction

Background: Acute diarrheal disease and urinary tract infection are leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in the developing world. Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) has been identified as a major etiologic agent of diarrhea worldwide, and urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is one of the most common bacterial infections among human beings. Quick and precise detection of these bacteria help provide more effective intervention and management of infection. Objectives: In this study we present a precise and sensitive typing and phylogenetic study of UPEC and DEC using multiplex PCR in order to simplify and improve the intervention and management of diarrheal and UT infections. Materials and Methods: In total, 100 urinary tract infection samples (UTI) and 200 specimens from children with diarrhea, which had been diagnosed with E. coli as the underlying agent by differential diagnosis using MacConkey�s agar and biochemical study, were submitted for molecular detection. Pathotyping of E. coli pathotypes causing urinary tract infection and diarrhea were examined using a two set multiplex PCR, targeting six specific genes. Phylogenetic typing was done by targeting three genes, including ChuA, YjaA and TspE4C2. Results: Overall, 88 of DEC and 54 of UTI isolates were positive for one or more of the six genes encoding virulence factors. Prevalence of the genes encoding virulence factors for DEC were 62, 25, 24, 13, 7 and 5 for ST (ETEC), LT (ETEC), aggR (EAggEC), daaD (DAEC), invE (EIEC) and eae (EPEC), respectively; whereas, the prevalence rates for the UTI samples were 23, 14, 6, 6 and 4 for aggR (EAggEC), LT (ETEC), daaD (DAEC), invE (EIEC) and ST (ETEC), respectively. No coding virulence factors were detected for eae (EPEC). Group B2 was the most prevalent phylogroup and ST was the most frequently detected pathotype in all phylogroups. Conclusions: ETEC and EAggEC were the most detected E. coli among stool and UTI samples, emphasizing the need to ded cate more health care attention to this group. In addition, our phylogenetic study may be helpful in figuring out the infection origin and for epidemiological studies. Nonetheless, more research studies with larger sample sizes are suggested for confirming our results. © 2016, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences