Efficacy of Sodium Hypochlorite Activated With Laser in Intracanal Smear Layer Removal: An SEM Study

Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite activated with laser in removing of the smear layer in the apical, middle, and coronal segments of root canal walls by scanning electron microscopy analysis.Methods: Sixty single-rooted human mandibular teeth were decoronated to a standardized length. The samples were prepared by using Race rotary system to size 40, 0.04 taper and divided into 4 equal groups (n = 15). Group 1, irrigated with EDTA 17% and 5.25% NaOCl, groups 2, 3 and 4, 1%, 2.5%, and 5% NaOCl activated with Nd:YAG laser, respectively. Teeth were split longitudinally and subjected to scanning electron microscope (SEM). Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney tests. P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Five percent NaOCl LAI (laser-activated irrigation) showed best smear layer removal in test groups and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Control group (EDTA 17% and 5.25% NaOCl irrigation) showed significantly better outcomes in comparative with test groups (P < 0.001). In the apical third, compared to coronal and middle third, the canal walls were often contaminated by inorganic debris and smear layer.Conclusion: All different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite activated with laser have a positive effect on removing of smear layer. Sodium hypochlorite activated with laser removed smear layer more effectively at the coronal and middle third compared to the apical third

Evaluation of Indoleamine 2, 3-Dioxygenase Gene Expression and Activation in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a common skin disorder characterized by the emergence of hives for at least six weeks without any known etiologic agent. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) which catalyzes tryptophan (Trp) to kynorenin (KYN) is an immunomedulatory enzyme and complicated in immunological diseases. In this study, Trp, KYN and IDO gene expression in CSU patients were analyzed. We studied 20 CSU patients (mean age: 28 +/- 6 years, mean duration: 27 +/- 4 months) and 20 healthy individuals (mean age: 28 +/- 9 years). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from both patients and healthy control and stimulated by phytohemmaglutinin (PHA). Real-time PCR was applied to quantify IDO gene expression and its activity was estimated by KYN/Trp ratio in supernatant of PBMCs by HPLC. Our study results showed that the gene expression of IDO was higher in CSU patients (0.33 +/- 0.27) compare to healthy individuals (0.31 +/- 0.6, p=0.02). Amazing, the activity of IDO (KYN/Trp) was decreased in CSU patients (322.5 +/- 432.3) contrast of healthy ones (685.9 +/- 531.7, p=0.02). Previous studies documented the impaired of IDO gene expression in CSU patients, however in the present study we observed a decrease activity of IDO in CSU patients which might suggest the function of this factor is impaired in CSU patients

A Post-Marketing Surveillance Study to Evaluate the Safety Profile of AlvotereⓇ (Docetaxel) in Iranian Patients Diagnosed with Different Types of Cancers Receiving Chemotherapy

Background Docetaxel is a clinically well established antimitotic chemotherapy medication. Labeled docetaxel indications are breast cancer, gastric cancer, head and neck cancer, non–small cell lung cancer, and prostate cancer. Objective This is a Phase IV study to evaluate the safety profile of docetaxel (Alvotere; NanoAlvand, Iran) in Iranian patients diagnosed with different types of cancers receiving chemotherapy regimens with docetaxel. Methods Patients who received Alvotere as a part of their chemotherapy regimen were enrolled in this Phase IV, observational, multicenter, open-label study. Alvotere was administrated as a single agent or in combination with other chemotherapy agents. Safety parameters in each cycle were assessed, and the related data were recorded in booklets. Findings A total of 411 patients with different types of cancers were enrolled from 25 centers in Iran. The most common malignancies among participants were breast cancer (49.88%), followed by gastric cancer (22.63%). Participants’ mean age was 53.33 years, and the mean total dose used in each cycle was 132 mg. According to the results, 341 patients experienced at least 1 adverse event, that the most common was alopecia (41.12%). In total, 92 (22.38%) patients had at least 1 adverse event of grade 3 or 4, and 25 (6.08%) patients showed 54 serious adverse events, which the causality assessment for all was possibly related to Alvotere. There was a significant difference between men and women in the incidence of skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders (55.63% in women vs 41.73% in men; P = 0.009). Also, the incidence of gastrointestinal disorders, nervous system disorders, skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders, hepatic enzymes increase, and fluid retention was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in patients receiving anthracyclines in their chemotherapy regimens. Conclusions The findings of this open-label, observational, multicenter, postmarketing surveillance showed that Alvotere appears to have an acceptable safety profile in Iranian cancer patients receiving chemotherapeutic regimens. (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2022; 82:XXX–XXX) © 2022 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc

Examination of the Factors Affecting the Efficiency of Gas Power Plants

Due to the growing demand for electricity it is inevitable to have new power plants. Given the large share of electricity production in thermal power plants, construction of gas burning power plants have particular importance. Because of the high construction cost of the new plants, it is advisable to start with improvement of the efficiency in the existing and plates. One important index in electricity industry, is the efficiency of power plants which concerns all the powerplants in the world. In order to increase it as much as possible, and reduce the loss of energy to a reasonable degree, this paper examined the performance impact of plant life and obtained 0.07 of electricity coefficient for the variable. We also examined other factors related to efficiency. Among the factors influencing efficiency of this type of power plants, the cost of fuel and average plant life and volume of production of electricity were also important. In this study a panel data from 34 gasplants in Iran was used for a period of 4 years (2008-2011)

Congenital cardiac malformations in congenital hypothyroid patients in Isfahan

BACKGROUND: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) often seems to be associated with other congenital abnormalities, mostly cardiac in nature. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cardiac malformations in patients with CH diagnosed during CH screening program in Isfahan.&#13; METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, cardiac malformations were determined in CH patients were compared to controls using echocardiography. The association between cardiac malformations and mean T4 and TSH concentrations, etiology of CH according to radiologic findings and permanent and transient CH were studied in CH patients.&#13; RESULTS: Overall, 96 and 59 subjects were included in the case and control groups, respectively. Cardiac malformations were present in 30.2% (n = 29) and 15.2% (n = 9) of case and control groups, respectively; i.e. a higher prevalence in CH patients than in controls (P = 0.03). The prevalence of cardiac malformations without patent foramen oval was 6.25% (n = 6) in CH patients and 1.7% (n = 1) in control group (P = 0.1). There was no significant association between the presence of cardiac malformations and the aforementioned variables.&#13; CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of cardiac malformations in CH patients strongly suggests the potential involvement of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of CH. This emphasizes on the necessity of genetic studies involving CH patients.&#13; KEY WORDS: Congenital hypothyroidism, cardiac malformations, genetics

Designing a Model of Critical Success Factors in the Implementation of Business Process Management in Services Cooperative Companies Using Meta-synthesis Approach

The growth of complexity in the organization and the increasing changes in the activity and performance of cooperative company’s service-oriented, it is important to pay attention to the proper implementation of business process management in the relevant companies.The purpose of study is to design a model of critical success factors in implementation of BPM. The current research is a fundamental in terms of purpose and the used method is qualitative and using meta-synthesis approach that its part of the paradigm of interpretiveism. The study is consisting of 113 sample of related studies that was extracted from databases Emerald، Science Direct ،SID،Sage، Springer، Magiran ،Scholar google، Iran.doc & noormags during 2010 to 2020.After screening the relevant studies in terms of title, abstract, content and research methodology, 40 studies were selected by judging sampling, and their results and findings were combined using Maxqda quality software. Initial meta-synthesis results to identify key success factors include7main categories, 21 concepts and 74 index.In the next step, through interviews with managers and experts of service cooperatives company, the results were analyzed and verified with the aim of evaluating the validity of extractive categories, and according to the evaluation of texts related to these indicators, the final comprehensive model was enumerated. The research findings showed that the main categories were including of process architecture design, human resource management, strategic planning, culture, management style, leadership style and organization in the field of BPM implementation and 21 concepts that finally, it was explained in 3 categories: Micro,Meso and Macro level

COVIDSpread: real-time prediction of COVID-19 spread based on time-series modelling

A substantial amount of data about the COVID-19 pandemic is generated every day. Yet, data streaming, while considerably visualized, is not accompanied with modelling techniques to provide real-time insights. This study introduces a unified platform, COVIDSpread, which integrates visualization capabilities with advanced statistical methods for predicting the virus spread in the short run, using real-time data. The platform uses time series models to capture any possible non-linearity in the data. COVIDSpread enables lay users, and experts, to examine the data and develop several customized models with different restrictions such as models developed for a specific time window of the data. COVIDSpread is available here: http://vafaeelab.com/COVID19TS.html