Knowledge of Dental Residents at Shahid Beheshti Dental School about COVID-19

Objectives After the onset of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019, it turned out to be one of the most important issues in public health, and the healthcare community must have adequate knowledge about it; therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge level of dental residents at Shahid Beheshti Dental School about COVID-19. Methods The knowledge level of 104 dental residents at Shahid Beheshti Dental School about COVID-19 was evaluated with a standardized questionnaire that was developed, and its reliability and validity were confirmed. The questionnaire had 4 parts of (I) virology, basic information, and epidemiology, (II) clinical and oral manifestations, (III) prevention of virus transmission and vaccination, and (IV) diagnosis and treatment. The questionnaires were administered in both printed and online forms. Results The overall response rate was 72%. The mean number of correctly answered questions was 7.2 ± 2.6 out of 14. Correct answers were 44.5% in virology, basic information, and epidemiology, 49.2% in clinical and oral manifestations, 48,5% in prevention of virus and vaccination, and 69% in diagnosis and treatment. The knowledge level of dental residents was weak in 12%, average in 52%, and good in 36%. Conclusion The majority of dental residents had average knowledge about COVID-19. Considering the importance of adequate knowledge for proper diagnosis and management of COVID-19, it is suggested to arrange educational programs for dental residents’ knowledge enhancement

Breaking Barriers to Creative Expression: Co-Designing and Implementing an Accessible Text-to-Image Interface

Text-to-image generation models have grown in popularity due to their ability to produce high-quality images from a text prompt. One use for this technology is to enable the creation of more accessible art creation software. In this paper, we document the development of an alternative user interface that reduces the typing effort needed to enter image prompts by providing suggestions from a large language model, developed through iterative design and testing within the project team. The results of this testing demonstrate how generative text models can support the accessibility of text-to-image models, enabling users with a range of abilities to create visual art.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

A preservative with bleaching and emulsifying effects

In cosmetic products, additives are substances that aren’t consumed as main ingredients, actually, they are added to these products in the processes of preparation, packaging or storage in order to make them safer, improve their appearance, help to present a stable, attractive and easier to apply the product, without being stricken by environmental conditions [1, 2]. The protection and quality of toiletries or medicine products are important elements in regards to the health of the consumers. Adding preservatives to the formulations helps the cosmetic manufacturer achieve the first objective of products i.e. meeting the requirements of the users while being safe under normal conditions of use. Despite advances in manufacturing conditions (raw materials with exhaustive bacteriological controls and manufacturing in sterile areas), and the containers used (single-dose ampoules, opaque and hermetic bottles which are used for precise amount), there is still the possibility of colonizing cosmetics without a preservative in their composition. Principally adding extra compounds as emulsifier and blanching agent causes more noxious compounds in the products, which should be avoided. Hence, it is desirable that some components of the formulation fulfill this function [3]. In our study, a combination of sodium thiosulfate and Citric acid contains emulsifiers and bleaching substances. When this mixture was added to Azadirachta indica (Neem) gum or Acacia Senegal (Gum Arabic), besides the above-mentioned properties, turned these gums into a thickener and stabilizer agent. This formulation can prevent the spreading of microorganisms. It will be shown from the findings and results that this formula can be used as a preservative agent in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry with significant emulsifying and bleach potential. The rare side effect of this additive is mild skin hypersensitivity reaction only in sensitive individuals. Objective: The purpose of the study was to develop a powerful preservative based on synthetic and naturalingredients, with bleaching and emulsifying effects

The Prevalence of Human Papilloma Virus Infection and Its High Risk Genotypes among Healthy Women in 28 Provinces in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Human Papilloma Virus infection (HPV) high-risk genotypes are responsible for up to 70% of invasive cervical cancers. It was aimed to determine the national and provincial prevalence of the total HPV and its high-risk genotypes including HPV genotype 16 (HPV16) and HPV genotype 18 (HPV18), and HPV genotypes other than genotypes of 16 and 18 (HPV other genotypes) among Iranian healthy women. Methods: Iran with 28 provinces locates at latitude and longitude of 32° 00' north and 53° 00' east. All Persian and English studies reporting HPV infection based on cervical specimens were selected through searching the PubMed, Magiran, Scopus, Irandoc databases, and Google Scholar research search engine. Sample size and event rates were used to compute the overall event rates and 95% confidence interval (95% C.I); Fixed or random effects model, heterogeneity indices including Q-statistics (p-value), and degree of heterogeneity (I2) were reported. The search was done up to February 29, 2022. Comprehensive Meta-analysis 2.2.064 and ArcGIS 10.8.2 software tools were used at a significance level of <0.05. Results: The meta-analysis included nineteen studies with 258839 participants. The national meta-analysis resulted in a total HPV prevalence of 0.025 (95% C.I 0.016, 0.039); those of HPV16, HPV18, and HPV other genotypes were 0.032 (95% C.I 0.019, 0.051), 0.028 (95% C.I 0.019, 0.040), and 0.048 (95% C.I 0.033, 0.069), respectively. The provincial meta-analysis showed that the total HPV prevalence was highest in Zanjn and Kerman (0.323 and 0.240, respectively); that of HPV16 was highest in Boushehr and Khozestan (0.298 and 0.253, respectively); that of HPV18 was highest in Tehran (0.089) and that of HPV other genotypes was highest in Khozestan (0.542). Conclusion: The current results would help policymakers and health managers accentuate on further implementation of screening strategies and health services in needier areas such as Zanjan, Kerma, Khozestan, and Tehran

A new therapeutic strategy for gastroesophageal reflux disease resistant to conservative therapy and monotherapy in preterm neonates: a clinical trial

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common problems in neonates. The main clinical manifestations of GERD are frequent regurgitation or vomiting associated with irritability, anorexia or feeding refusal, failure to thrive, Sandifer posturing, apnea, bradycardia and stridor in infants. Since the clinical manifestations of GERD are often non-specific in preterm infants, it has been described as the clinical syndrome responding to anti-reflux treatment. Aims: To our knowledge, no clinical trial has compared the efficacy of histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in preterm infants, nor has any study assessed the effect of adding a prokinetic agent to an acid suppressant and compared them together in these infants, so the present study was conducted. Study design: This study was performed on 58 preterm newborns (mean age, 9.72 ± 6.78 days, 43.2% boys and birth weight of 1,571.9 ± 596.59 grams) with GERD resistant to conservative therapy and monotherapy hospitalized in neonatal wards and NICUs of Shariati and Bahrami Children Hospitals during 2014-2016. Neonates were randomly assigned to a double-blind trial with either oral metoclopramide plus omeprazole (group A) or oral metoclopramide plus ranitidine (group B). After one week and one month, their symptoms and signs were evaluated again. The response rate in each group was the primary outcome and the side effect of drugs in each group was the secondary outcome. Results: Our study showed that both regimens were effective in the treatment of GERD resistant to conservative therapy and monotherapy in premature infants. The response rate of “omeprazole plus metoclopramide” was significantly higher than the response rate of “ranitidine plus metoclopramide” (91.37 ± 7.5 vs. 77.06 ± 3.38, respectively; p = 0.04) (primary outcome). There were no drug-related complications of drugs in both groups in our study (secondary outcome). Conclusion: This study showed that combined therapy led to the response rate of > 70% in each group, but it was significantly higher in group A (> 90%). Both combination therapies led to higher response rate in comparison with conservative therapy and monotherapy used before intervention

Domestic elder abuse and associated factors in elderly women in Tehran, Iran

OBJECTIVES Elderly people are often abused in many ways, with serious and lasting consequences. Elder abuse remains one of the most hidden forms of family conflict, and its frequency is anticipated to be rising in many countries that are rapidly experiencing population aging. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of domestic elder abuse in elderly women in Tehran, Iran and to identify associated factors. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 among 260 women aged 60 and over, selected through multistage random sampling. Information on abuse and its risk factors was collected through interviews with the elderly in their homes. In order to measure domestic elder abuse, the validated Domestic Elderly Abuse Questionnaire was used. The ordinal logistic test was used in Stata version 12 to identify factors related to elder abuse. RESULTS Overall, 90.4% of the subjects had experienced at least 1 type of abuse, among which authority deprivation (68.5%) was the most common and rejection (11.2%) the least common. The ordinal logistic analysis showed that the likelihood of experiencing more severe severe abuse was significantly higher in elderly people over 72 than in those aged 60-62 years (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 4.17). CONCLUSIONS Domestic elder abuse was found to be common in older women. Old age was an important risk factor for domestic elder abuse in elderly women in Tehran. Managing and preventing elder abuse is an important issue that needs to be addressed

The relationship of myocardial and liver T2* values with cardiac function and laboratory findings in transfusion-dependent thalassemia major patients: A retrospective cardiac MRI study

Introduction: Cardiac complications are the leading cause of death in thalassemia patients. It is assumed that progressive iron accumulation results in myocyte damage. Myocardial T2* measurement by cardiac MRI quantifies iron overload. We aimed to study the association between left and right ventricular (LV and RV) function and iron deposition estimation by cardiac MRI T2* in a sample of Iranian patients. Methods: Cardiac MRI exams of 118 transfusion-dependent thalassemia major patients were evaluated retrospectively. Biventricular function and volume and myocardial and liver T2* values were measured. The demographic and lab data were registered. Poisson and chi-square regression analyses investigated the correlation between the T2* value and ventricular dysfunction. Results: The study participants’ mean (SD) age was 32.7y (9.02), and 47.46% were female. Forty-nine cases (41.52%) revealed at least uni-ventricular dysfunction. LV dysfunction was noted in 20 cases, whereas 47 patients revealed RV dysfunction. The risk of LV dysfunction was 5.3-fold higher in patients with cardiac T2* value less than 10msec (RR=5.3, 95% CI=1.6, 17.1, P<0.05). No association was found between age, liver T2* value, serum ferritin level, and chelation therapy with the risk of LV and RV dysfunction. Conclusion: Cardiac MRI T2* measure is a good indicator of LV dysfunction. Moreover, MRI parameters, especially RV functional measures, may have a substantial role in patient management. Therefore, cardiac MRI should be included in beta-thalassemia patients’ management strategies

BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTS AND PROCESS ENGINEERING EGFP reporter protein: its immunogenicity in Leishmania-infected BALB/c mice

Abstract Optical reporter genes such as green fluorescent protein (GFP) and luciferase are efficiently and widely used in monitoring and studying the protective/therapeutic potential of candidate agents in leishmaniasis. But several observations and controversial reports have generated a main concern, whether enhanced GFP (EGFP) affects immune response. To address this issue, we studied the immunogenicity of EGFP in vivo by two lines of stably transfected parasites (Leishmania major EGFP or L. major EGFP-LUC ) in BALB/c model and/or as a recombinant protein (rEGFP) produced in vitro by bacteria in parallel. Disease progression was followed by footpad swelling measurements and parasite burden in draining lymph nodes using microtitration assay and real-time PCR, and immune responses were also evaluated in spleen. EGFP-expressing parasites generated larger swellings in comparison with wild-type (L. major) while mice immunized with rEGFP and challenged with wild-type parasite were quite comparable in footpad swelling with control group without significant difference. However, both conventional and molecular approaches revealed no significant difference in parasite load between different groups. More importantly, no significant inflammatory responses were detected in groups with higher swelling size measured by interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-10, IL-5, and nitric oxide against frozen and thawed lysate of parasite as stimulator. Altogether, these results clearly revealed that EGFP protein expressed in prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts is not an immunological reactive molecule and acts as a neutral protein without any side effects in mice. So, EGFP expressing Leishmania could be a safe and reliable substitution for wildtypes that simplifies in situ follow-up and eliminates the animal scarification wherever needed during the study

The unfinished agenda of communicable diseases among children and adolescents before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Communicable disease control has long been a focus of global health policy. There have been substantial reductions in the burden and mortality of communicable diseases among children younger than 5 years, but we know less about this burden in older children and adolescents, and it is unclear whether current programmes and policies remain aligned with targets for intervention. This knowledge is especially important for policy and programmes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to use the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 to systematically characterise the burden of communicable diseases across childhood and adolescence. METHODS: In this systematic analysis of the GBD study from 1990 to 2019, all communicable diseases and their manifestations as modelled within GBD 2019 were included, categorised as 16 subgroups of common diseases or presentations. Data were reported for absolute count, prevalence, and incidence across measures of cause-specific mortality (deaths and years of life lost), disability (years lived with disability [YLDs]), and disease burden (disability-adjusted life-years [DALYs]) for children and adolescents aged 0-24 years. Data were reported across the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and across time (1990-2019), and for 204 countries and territories. For HIV, we reported the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) as a measure of health system performance. FINDINGS: In 2019, there were 3·0 million deaths and 30·0 million years of healthy life lost to disability (as measured by YLDs), corresponding to 288·4 million DALYs from communicable diseases among children and adolescents globally (57·3% of total communicable disease burden across all ages). Over time, there has been a shift in communicable disease burden from young children to older children and adolescents (largely driven by the considerable reductions in children younger than 5 years and slower progress elsewhere), although children younger than 5 years still accounted for most of the communicable disease burden in 2019. Disease burden and mortality were predominantly in low-SDI settings, with high and high-middle SDI settings also having an appreciable burden of communicable disease morbidity (4·0 million YLDs in 2019 alone). Three cause groups (enteric infections, lower-respiratory-tract infections, and malaria) accounted for 59·8% of the global communicable disease burden in children and adolescents, with tuberculosis and HIV both emerging as important causes during adolescence. HIV was the only cause for which disease burden increased over time, particularly in children and adolescents older than 5 years, and especially in females. Excess MIRs for HIV were observed for males aged 15-19 years in low-SDI settings. INTERPRETATION: Our analysis supports continued policy focus on enteric infections and lower-respiratory-tract infections, with orientation to children younger than 5 years in settings of low socioeconomic development. However, efforts should also be targeted to other conditions, particularly HIV, given its increased burden in older children and adolescents. Older children and adolescents also experience a large burden of communicable disease, further highlighting the need for efforts to extend beyond the first 5 years of life. Our analysis also identified substantial morbidity caused by communicable diseases affecting child and adolescent health across the world. FUNDING: The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence for Driving Investment in Global Adolescent Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The global, regional, and national burden of adult lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancer in 204 countries and territories:A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Importance Lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancers are important contributors to cancer burden worldwide, and a comprehensive evaluation of their burden globally, regionally, and nationally is crucial for effective policy planning.Objective To analyze the total and risk-attributable burden of lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) and other pharyngeal cancer (OPC) for 204 countries and territories and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) using 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study estimates.Evidence Review The incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to LOC and OPC from 1990 to 2019 were estimated using GBD 2019 methods. The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate the proportion of deaths and DALYs for LOC and OPC attributable to smoking, tobacco, and alcohol consumption in 2019.Findings In 2019, 370 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 338 000-401 000) cases and 199 000 (95% UI, 181 000-217 000) deaths for LOC and 167 000 (95% UI, 153 000-180 000) cases and 114 000 (95% UI, 103 000-126 000) deaths for OPC were estimated to occur globally, contributing 5.5 million (95% UI, 5.0-6.0 million) and 3.2 million (95% UI, 2.9-3.6 million) DALYs, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, low-middle and low SDI regions consistently showed the highest age-standardized mortality rates due to LOC and OPC, while the high SDI strata exhibited age-standardized incidence rates decreasing for LOC and increasing for OPC. Globally in 2019, smoking had the greatest contribution to risk-attributable OPC deaths for both sexes (55.8% [95% UI, 49.2%-62.0%] of all OPC deaths in male individuals and 17.4% [95% UI, 13.8%-21.2%] of all OPC deaths in female individuals). Smoking and alcohol both contributed to substantial LOC deaths globally among male individuals (42.3% [95% UI, 35.2%-48.6%] and 40.2% [95% UI, 33.3%-46.8%] of all risk-attributable cancer deaths, respectively), while chewing tobacco contributed to the greatest attributable LOC deaths among female individuals (27.6% [95% UI, 21.5%-33.8%]), driven by high risk-attributable burden in South and Southeast Asia.Conclusions and Relevance In this systematic analysis, disparities in LOC and OPC burden existed across the SDI spectrum, and a considerable percentage of burden was attributable to tobacco and alcohol use. These estimates can contribute to an understanding of the distribution and disparities in LOC and OPC burden globally and support cancer control planning efforts