Cementoblastoma of the Mandible: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Objectives Cementoblastoma is a rare benign odontogenic tumor which is linked to the root of a vital tooth. This tumor is usually accompanied by pain and swelling, and its most common site is the left mandibular first molar. General dentists’ inattention to oral lesions, especially tooth-related radiopacities, is problematic in some cases and results in delayed or missed diagnosis.Case Our patient was a 31-year-old woman who presented to our clinic complaining of dull pain in the left mandibular first molar. Root canal therapy was performed for the patient but the pain continued for the next 2 years. The patient was referred to a surgeon. Panoramic radiography revealed a radiopaque mass of approximately 2 x 1 cm in diameter attached to the root of the mandibular left first molar. The lesion together with the involved tooth was removed by excisional biopsy. Histopathological diagnosis was cementoblastoma.Conclusion Dentists’ knowledge of pulpal, periapical and periodontal lesions is usually satisfactory, but their inattention to oral lesions, especially tooth-related radiopaque lesions, is problematic in some cases. Pain from cementoblastoma may be mistaken for endodontic pain

A comparative analysis of the Sharif University of Technology's scientific productions in the Web of Science and Scopus

This study's primary purpose was to investigate the Sharif University of Technology's scientific publications in the Web of Science and Scopus citation databases. The research data were analyzed using a scientometric approach by the HistCite and Excel software. The research population consists of scientific products indexed in the Scopus database on June 24, 2018, and in the Web of Science database on May 14, 2018, for ten years from 2008 to 2017. The research findings show that the number of researchers' productions in both databases has been increasing. The majority of articles published in the Web of Science database were in the subject areas of electrical and electronic engineering. Those published in the Scopus database were mostly in the field of engineering. With 335 documents and 17,220 citations, Akbar Jafari was the most productive and influential researcher at the Sharif University of Technology. Among the most cited authors, Hesam al-Din Arfa'i, with 4722 citations, was the most influential researcher in the period. Qualitative analysis of articles with Q index showed that 37.32 % of the conducted publications were published in the first (Q1) and second (Q2) quartiles, which indicates the publications' quality. Researchers have published more documents in high-impact journals, and publishing articles in high-ranked journals often makes it possible to take more citations. Note that 79 publications conducted with the scientific collaboration of 54 countries and 382 organizations were indexed in Web of Science as the Highly Cited Papers in 40 subject areas. Twenty out of 79 Highly Cited Papers were in the field of physical chemistry

Long-term Outcome of Limbal Stem Cell Transplantation for Management of Total Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency due to Chemical Burn

 Purpose: To evaluate the long-term outcome of limbal stem cell transplantation for management of total limbal stem cell deficiency due to chemical burn. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective cross sectional study; records of patients with history of severe (grade III to IV) chemical burns who underwent limbal stem cell transplantation in Labbafinejad Medical Center, Tehran, Iran between 2006 and 2016 were reviewed and data including demographic characteristics, visual acuity, surgical interventions and outcomes were reported. Results: Fifty eyes of fifty patients with a history of conjunctival limbal autograft (N = 24) or keratolimbal allograft (N = 26) with at least 12-months follow-up were included. The overall 1-year and 5-year survival was 100 % and 84.1 % for conjunctival limbal autograft and 80.4 % and 40 % for keratolimbal allograft, respectively (P = 0.037). Corneal transplantation was performed after limbal stem cell transplantation in 20 eyes after conjunctival limbal autograft and 25 eyes after keratolimbal allograft. The 1-year and 5-year corneal graft survival was 93.3 % and 63.8 % after conjunctival limbal autograft and 92 % and 38.4 % after keratolimbal allograft (P = 0.005 for five year survival). There was a significant improvement in LogMAR BCVA (1.79 versus 2.17, P < 0.001) in all patients with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Severe chemical burn is associated with significant ocular morbidity and long-term prognosis is poor. Graft survival rate was significantly better in conjunctival limbal autograft compared to keratolimbal allograft when comparing the Long-term outcome of limbal stem cell transplantation for management of total limbal stem cell deficiency due to chemical burn.Keywords: Limbus Cornea, Stem Cell, Transplantation, Cornea, Eye Burns   

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coastal sediments from urban and industrial areas of Asaluyeh Harbor, Iran: distribution, potential source and ecological risk assessment

The distribution and toxicity levels of 16 EPA priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the sediments of Asaluyeh shore, Iran were investigated. The total concentrations of the PAHs in surface sediments ranged from 1,054 to 17,448 ng/g dry weights with a mean concentration of 8,067 ng/g. The spatial distribution of PAHs showed that PAH levels are much higher in the industrial areas in comparison with urban areas. Based on diagnostic ratios, pyrogenic activities were dominant sources of PAHs pollution in sediments comparing petroleum sources. The toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQ Carc) of PAHs ranged from 172 to 2,235 ng TEQ/g with mean value of 997.9. Toxicity levels were evaluated using sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and toxic equivalent factors. Samples were collected from industrial and urban stations in Asaluyeh shores. According to SQGs, ΣPAHs concentrations in sediments of urban areas were below the ERL (effects range low), but the industrial samples had ΣPAHs concentrations between ERL and ERM (effects range median). Furthermore, ΣHPAHs (heavy PAHs) and some individual PAHs in some industrial stations exceeded ERM, indicating adverse ecological risk effects frequently occur. Findings demonstrate that the surface sediment from Asaluyeh shore is highly to very highly contaminated with PAHs

Designing a Model for Explaining Media Literacy in the Secondary Education System of Iran (Research Based on Grounded Theory)

The promotion of media literacy is due to its scientific and organized research. The main role that media literacy plays in this is the main topic of the present article, which has been done in order to provide a model for explaining media literacy in high school. The research method is document mining and theory based on data (basic theory) and applied research, and qualitative in terms of data type in terms of descriptive implementation. The statistical population of the present study consists of two groups: first, media literacy specialists, educational planners and media literacy teachers who participated in specialized meetings, from which interviews were conducted to determine the elements for designing the desired model, and second, media literacy experts used. Sample size was used for interviewing 12 people for model validation of 35 people. The analysis method consists of three stages of open, axial and selective coding and is organized in the form of basic theory in the form of a network of basic themes. Findings show that the model includes a comprehensive theme and 7 organizing mechanisms. Which is emphasized in education and programming of media literacy book.1-Management mechanisms,2-Education and teaching mechanisms, 3-Structure reform mechanisms,4-Mechanisms of necessary competencies to create change in media literacy, 5-Learning mechanisms, 6- Mechanism for paying attention to the quality of education and 7- Mechanisms of developments and challenges facing media literacy education. Findings indicate that media literacy has two important themes ,which are considered as influential factors in the lives of audiences

Energy, Environment, and Economy Interactions in Iran with Cointegrated and ECM Simultaneous Model

Nobody on the planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change. This study aims to arrange the various socioeconomic elasticities of environmental pollution in order of priority, depending on the length of time period, to establish the most effective policy. We employed a simultaneous equations system to find out the various socioeconomic elasticities in the long run and short run in Iran during 1974-2012. Based on the results, per capita CO2 emissions, GDP, energy consumption show the strongest interactions (relationships and elasticities) in the equations system as a whole in the long run. Moreover, it is the trade openness, labour force, financial development, and urbanization which show the most decisive effects in the short run. So the effectiveness of the system variables depends on the time period. Trade openness, labour force, and financial development play the most leading role in the short run, notwithstanding their limited role in the long run. However, energy consumption elasticity of CO2 emissions and urbanization elasticity of energy consumption are among the largest elasticities both in short run and long run. Therefore, energy consumption, economic growth and urbanization should be reduced and financial sector should be grown to decrease the environmental pollution. Moreover, economic growth is an effective factor for the long run; and trade openness and financial development are effective for the short run but urbanization and energy consumption are influential for both the long run and short run policies

The Benefits of Problem-Based Learning as Active Learning in Theoretical Physiology of Autonomic Nervous System Course for Medical Students

Background: Traditional teaching methods such as lectures alone cannot meet educational needs in the medical sciences. It is necessary to supplement lectures with additional methods in order to prepare the students for problem solving in real situations. Objectives: The present study aimed at employing the problem-based learning (PBL) method in the theoretical physiology of autonomic nervous system (ANS) course for medical students and comparing the results with the customary method of lectures. Methods: In 2014, first-year medical students enrolled in the neurology curricular block at Tehran University of Medical Sciences were randomly assigned to two groups. One group participated in classes with lectures, while the other group was divided into subgroups of 10 for PBL sessions. In the first session of PBL, a scenario pertaining to ANS was presented, and then the students were asked to expand the scenario and discuss it using brainstorming method. The first session was held on introducing a reference for studying. In the second session, students in each group presented the results of their individual studies, and a representative from each group gave a report in line with the educational objectives of the class. Finally, a short-answer final test and survey were administered. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-test and Levene’s test. Results: Based on results, mean scores of students in the PBL group (15.20 ± 3.31) were significantly higher than those of students in the lecture group (12.38 ± 4.49) (P < 0.001). Based on the survey, students preferred PBL to lectures. Conclusions: PBL promotes motivation, self-confidence, and communication skills, all of which contribute to the better learning of the students who attended the theoretical physiology of ANS course. Keywords: Lectures, Problem-Based Learning, Physiology, Autonomic Nervous System, Students of Medicin

Genetics and molecular mechanisms of resistance to powdery mildews in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and its wild relatives

Powdery mildews (PMs) cause disease in a wide range of plant species including important crops. Taking tomato as an example, here we review findings on the genetic basis and mechanisms of plant resistance to PMs. First, we present a summary of our research on tomato resistance to two PM species, with the focus on Oidium neolycopersici. We discuss the genetics of resistance to this pathogen in tomato. Then, we compare different forms of resistance mediated by different resistance genes based on molecular and cytological data. Also, we provide a comparison between these resistance genes in tomato with those in barley, Arabidopsis and wheat, in order to present a model for the genetic basis of resistance to PMs in plants. We try to accommodate these resistance mechanisms in the current model of plant innate immunity. At the end we discuss possibilities to translate these findings to practical approaches in breeding for resistance to PMs in crops

The Influence of Aging on Perceptual Grouping in Haptic Search

Perceptual grouping speeds up haptic search. This has particularly been shown for grouping of distractors by similarity and good continuation [1]. Here, we investigated the effect of aging on grouping in haptic search. We reasoned that because older adults have less cognitive resources available for processing perceptual information, they would benefit more from grouping as compared to younger adults. We tested this hypothesis in a haptic search task in which proximity, similarity and good continuation of the distractors were manipulated. We found that older adults indeed show a larger effect of distractor similarity on search times as compared to younger adults, where similar dis- tractors were processed faster than dissimilar distractors. However, older adults showed an opposite effect of grouping by proximity, where items that were further apart were processed faster. This may be caused by a strong bowed spatial position effect in older adults: stimuli that are closer to each other are more difficult to discriminate. We conclude that haptic perceptual grouping by similarity has larger benefits in elderly as compared to younger adults

Association of PAI-1 rs1799889 Polymorphism with Susceptibility to Ischemic Stroke: a Huge Meta-Analysis based on 44 Studies

Background: the PAI-1 rs1799889 polymorphism has been reported to be associated with susceptibility to ischemic stroke. However, the results of previous studies have been inconsistent or controversial. Hence, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association of PAI-1 rs1799889 polymorphism with ischemic stroke risk. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, CNKI, and CBD databases up to November 05, 2019. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to access the strength of this association in fixed- or random-effects model. Results: A total of 44 case-control studies with 8,620 cases and 10,260 controls were selected. Pooled data showed a significant association between PAI-1 rs1799889 polymorphism and ischemic stroke risk in the overall populations (GG vs. AA: OR = 0.791, 95% CI 0.633-0.988, p = 0.039; GA vs. AA: OR = 0.807, 95% CI 0.683-0.953, p = 0.012; and GG+GA vs. AA: OR = 0.795, 95% CI 0.637-0.993, p = 0.043). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity revealed a significant association in Asian and Mixed populations, but not in Caucasians. Moreover, stratified analysis by country of origin revealed an increased risk of ischemic stroke in Chinese populations, but not among Dutch (Netherlands) and Swedish. Conclusions: This meta-analysis result suggested that PAI-1 rs1799889 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, especially in Asian and Mixed populations. Keywords: PAI-1 gene; cerebrovascular accident; ischemic stroke; meta-analysis; polymorphism; rs1799889