Brave New Worlds: Transcending the Humanities/STEM Divide through Creative Writing

Creative writing offers a critical and innovative form of inquiry promoting integrative learning that transcends disciplinary barriers. Authors first provide an overview of the scholarship on creative writing pedagogy, its unique capacity to engage a range of knowledge domains, and its significance for honors education. They then offer primary examples of incorporating creative writing projects into two honors classes that bridge STEM fields and the humanities. Analyses of student reflections (n = 35) in relation to learning outcomes strongly suggest that creative writing helps students explore course concepts through several ways of knowing—critical, situational, and affective—while fostering new perspectives on these concepts, their interconnections, and their implications. The value of creative writing as a platform for self-directed and interdisciplinary learning within the transdisciplinary context of honors is discussed

Dental Management of a Patient with Amelogenesis Skeletal Class III Multidisciplinary Malocclusion & Anterior Open bite; A Case Report

Objectives Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) comprises a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of conditions that affects the dental enamel, occasionally in conjunction with other dental, oral, and extra oral tissues. The purpose of this case report was to describe the necessity of the multidisciplinary approaches taken to treat a young patient diagnosed with hypocalcified-type of amelogenesis imperfecta along with skeletal class III jaws relationship and anterior open bite.Case A 19 year-old female was presented to the department of orthodontics, School of Dentistry at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Tehran, IRAN) with the chief complaints of dental sensitivity to hot and cold, teeth discoloration leading to esthetic concerns. On examination the patient was confirmed as skeletal CL III with a long face syndrome and severe anterior open bite. The patient reported difficulty with mastication and poor self-image due to teeth appearance .Interdisciplinary team approach was proposed in a three phase treatment plan: pre-surgical treatment, surgical treatment, postsurgical treatment. This approach enabled the team to successfully improve the patient’s facial profile, resolve malocclusion, and normalize the aesthetic.Conclusion This case management revealed the importance of having a coordinated team approach consist of orthodontist, oral surgeon, and prosthodontist as a necessary key to a successful treatment. This approach is essential for successful management of structural, aesthetic, and functional issues as well as an achievement of high patient’s satisfaction

Increased Demand for Blood Transfusion in Cardiac Surgery: Simple but Unsolved Common Problem

Background: Despite the general concern about the safety of blood transfusion and mounting evidence exist for more restrictive practice; there is no national consensus guideline and uniformity of institutions for blood transfusion associated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Iran. The aim of this study is an assessment of current transfusion practice and compares it with one decade ago.Method: The authors retrospectively analyzed the data of all patients undergoing elective surgery (first time operation) during one year, in two different decade interval (2003 and 2015) in a tertiary heart center.Results: A total of 801 patients were evaluated and compared (n=249 in 2015, n=552 in 2003). There is a significant increase in use of blood transfusion in both operating room and at ICU than the last decade (60.6% vs. 42.4%, P<0.001, and 54.4% vs. 39.9%, P <0.001, respectively). The incidence of preoperative anemia was four times higher in patients who received transfusion, compared to those who did not, in both groups. With compared to the past, the patients are older, have less preoperative hematocrit, more diabetic, more need to intra-aortic balloon pump, shorter operation time, and less postoperative bleeding .Conclusion: With advanced knowledge about transfusion complications and conservative approach to transfusion practice, the need to blood transfusion is increased in current cardiac operations in our center, due to association of more co-morbidities

Comparison of the Personality Dimensions in Male Cigarette Smokers and non-smokers

The aim of this study was to compare temperament and character dimensions according to the Cloninger’s seven-factor model of personality in cigarette smokers and non-smokers. The research was causal-comparative and statistical population consisted of male college students of Tehran University, from which two-hundred persons were selected purpose. The research tools were Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS; Shiffman et al, 2004) and the short form of Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-56)(1994). The data were analyzed using Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and logistic regression by means of version 22 of SPSS.  The results showed the significant difference between two groups in only two factors of temperament and character of subjects: Novelty-Seeking (NS) and Self-Directedness (SD) (p<0/001). In other words, non-smokers earned more scores in novelty-seeking and smokers earned more scores in directedness.  Further studies are required to confirm these results on larger sample including both genders

The effect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease’s severity on complications after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Background and aims: Smoking is an important etiologic factor for cardiac and pulmonary diseases. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is common in candidates for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery. Severity of COPD is determined with spirometry. The aim of this study was comparison of complications after CABG in COPD patients with different severity and without COPD. Methods: This study is a cross sectional research. We divided 125 CABG patients more than 40 years old based on preoperative spirometry to four groups: without COPD (60), mild (29), moderate (24) and severe (12). Spirometry was done using spirometer MIR, made in Italia. Mortality and postoperative complications including cardiovascular and respiratory were recorded until 30 days after the surgery. Data were analyzed by SPSS, fisher exact test and 2χ, and P˂0.05) was considered significant. Results: Complications with significant difference between groups were atrial fibrillation (AF) and delirium. Frequency of AF was: Without COPD 6 (10%), mild COPD 6 (20.70 %), moderate COPD 7 (29.20%), and severe COPD 5 (41.70%) (P=0.02), and delirium was: Without COPD 3 (5%), mild COPD 1 (3.40%), moderate COPD 3 (12.5%), and severe COPD 5 (41.70%) (P=0.003). Conclusion: Based on our results, COPD even moderate and severe is not contraindication of CABG. These patients should be carefully evaluated before surgery and must be treated preoperative completely by the specialist. Under this condition, patients can tolerate and benefit from surgery with acceptable risk

Evaluation of Response Inhibition in the Face of Cognitive and Emotional Stimuli in Patients with Frontal Lobe Tumors before and after Surgery

Introduction: The functions of specialized brain parts undoubtedly influence emotional inhibition. Numerous studies have considered the prefrontal cortex of the brain’s two hemispheres to be responsible for this behavior. However, few studies have addressed the question of to what degree a change in this brain unit can affect response inhibition and reaction time in the face of emotional stimuli. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate emotional behavior in patients with frontal lobe gliomas. Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental research, the Integrated Visual and Auditory (IVA) test and affective Go/No-Go task in the areas of happiness and anger, focusing on response accuracy and reaction time were performed for 16 patients with frontal lobe lesions and 20 healthy individuals. These tests were repeated three months after surgery. The t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, Mann-Whitney, and their related equivalence test were applied for statistical analysis. Results: The results revealed that following surgery, there was an improvement in the patients’ reaction times and response accuracy to both emotional stimuli especially against the stimulus of anger exist. The IVA results showed the significant improvement in neurocognitive condition of all patients following surgery. Conclusion: Toward improving the emotional conditions, lesion resection surgery could significantly help these patients regain their normal cognitive function. However, a difference was seen between patients and healthy individuals

The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress, Reappraisal Emotion-Regulation Strategy and Suppression Emotion-Regulation Strategy in the Relationship between Domestic Violence and Cognitive Functions in Female Victims of Violence

The purpose of this study was to provide a model for the relationship between domestic violence and cognitive functions by examining the mediating role of psychological distress and emotion-regulation strategies in female victims of violence through a path analysis. The statistical population of this study consisted of female victims of violence who visited different branches of Tehran Forensic Medicine Center in 2018. Considering the relationship between research variables in such sample, the research method was descriptive-correlative type. The relationship between the variables was analyzed according to the research goals. After obtaining subjects’ informed consent, 200 abused women were selected by a purposive sampling method, based on entry-exit criteria. Then they were asked to fill out questionnairs including Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) (Gross and John 2003), Domestic Violence Questionnaire (Pournaghash Tehrani, 2005), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (2005) and the short-form version of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) (1995). Results showed that the proposed modified empirical model has good fit indices. According to this model, domestic violence has direct and indirect effects on cognitive functions. In addition, psychological distress, reappraisal emotion-regulation strategy and suppression emotion-regulation strategy had a mediating role in the relationship between domestic violence and cognitive functions

Risk of endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Although several studies have evaluated the risk of gynecological cancers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), there are controversies regarding it. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association of PCOS with endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancers. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases based on MESH terms using the combination of the appropriate keywords were searched to retrieve observational studies on endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancers in PCOS women, published from inception to April 2020. This meta-analysis was performed to determine the pooled odds ratio (OR) of these cancers in women with PCOS. Publication bias was assessed by using Begg’s test. Results: Of 1347 records retrieved by searching the databases, a total of 14 articles were included in the study. Overall, the pooled OR of the composite outcome, including endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancers in women with PCOS was higher than that of women with no PCOS (pooled OR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0-1.9). The pooled OR of endometrial (pooled OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.03-4.7) and ovarian (pooled OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0-1.8) cancers in women with PCOS was higher than the control group, whereas the pooled OR of breast cancer was not significantly higher than that of the control group. Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicated an increased risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers in women with PCOS. Key words: Polycystic ovary syndrome, Endometrial cancer, Ovarian cancer, Breast cancer

Molecular Investigation of Glutaric Aciduria Type1 in Iran

Glutaric Acidemia, Type I (GA I), was first described in 1975. The disease is caused by a genetic deficiency of the enzyme, Glutaryl-CoA Dehydrogenase (GCD), which leads to the buildup of Glutaric acid in the tissues and its excretion in the urine of affected patients. GCD is involved in the catabolism of the amino acids, Lysine, Hydroxylysine, and Tryptophan. Over 200 cases of GA I have been reported in the medical literature. GA I is one of the most common organic acidemias and has an estimated incidence of about 1 in 50,000 live births.Because of the initial slow progression of clinical symptoms, GA I is frequently undiagnosed until an acute metabolic crisis occurs. A total of 25 unrelated patients suspected to GA1 were investigated in our study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells of the 25 probands whom were biochemically and/or clinically and/or neuro-radiologically suspected to GA1. 15 of them had elevated glutaric acid in the urine organic acid test.PCR and direct sequencing of all 11 exons and their flanking region of the GCDH gene were examined.Some of them were investigated for known mutation in the other their family members. Fifteen patients had homozygous mutations and 10 patients were normal for GCDH gene. Our Results Showed:• 60% Known mutation were found in our 15 patients• 80% can be detected by 4 exons sequencing so for molecular investigatins exon 6, 7, 8, 10 are good choice for beginning of analysis• 33% was mutation in exon 7, so because of the cost of genetic diagnosis we suggest that investigation begin with this exon.• Pro 348 Leu was most detected 20%.• 40% are new mutations wich will be investigated for phenotype Genotype Correlations

A 53-Year-Old Man with Intermittent Colicky Abdominal Pain due to Fasciola Incarceration in Common Bile Duct: A Case

Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease caused by liver flukes of the genus Fasciola, as F. hepatica, and F. gigantica, mainly affecting the liver and biliary system during the chronic phase. These trematodes migrate through biliary ducts results in mild inflammation, when it is difficult to distinguish from obstructive lesions. Here we describe a 53-yr-old man from Golpayegan, a city in Isfahan Province, Iran, in year 2015, with occasional fever and chills, and also frequent colicky abdominal pain mainly on the right upper quadrant, with tenderness at that part. There was no jaundice and elevated bilirubin, but increased alkaline phosphatase was detected. Dilated common bile duct on abdominal sonography, without any visible lesion at its end and also dilated intra- and extrahepatic biliary ducts on abdominal CT-scan were seen. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) detected incarceration of parasites behind Oddi's sphincter and also in common bile duct and serologic test (ELISA) confirmed fascioliasis. However, Iran is one of the most affected countries by Fasciola, being aware of rare symptoms and presentations of this disease can aid the physicians to make timely and accurate diagnosis and therefore reduce the consequent morbidities