Assessment of Composite Restorations and Their Unique Features in Forensic Identification of Unidentified Human Beings

Background: Dental identification mainly involves the comparison of antemortem and postmortem records. Keiser-Nielson (1980) recommended restored tooth surfaces as the smallest unit to consider in the comparison of dental restorations for identification purposes. Unique appearance of radiographic images of amalgam has led to their application in dental forensic. The present study aimed to investigate the value of composite restorations and their features in forensic identification.Methods: The antemortem sample included 40 periapical radiographs of anterior teeth with class III composite restorations which had been taken at least one year before the study. Ten randomly selected recent radiographs of the same subjects along with two radiographs from other patients were regarded as postmortem samples. Afterward, 12 dentally trained examiners were asked to match the 12 radiographs of group 2 with those of group 1 and to determine which features of the teeth (e.g. shape, contour, and surface) had helped them.Results: Ten examiners were able to correctly match all of the 12 images. According to kappa coefficient, the inter-rater agreement was high (0.8-1.0). The shape of the restoration was the most useful feature in identification.Conclusion: A composite restoration has a unique radiographic morphology that can be used for human identification. Therefore, if the antemortem radiograph of a single composite restoration is available, its comparison with a postmortem radiograph can help identify unidentified human beings

SURVEY IN IRAN OF CLARITHROMYCIN RESISTANCE IN HELICOBACTER PYLORI ISOLATES BY PCR-RFLP

The aims of this study were to assess primary resistance of H. pylori strains isolated from adult patients of Ilam, Iran to antibacterial agents (amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole and tetracycline) and detection of clarithromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, metronidazole and tetracycline resistance by disc diffusion. Fifty biopsies were taken from gastric mucosa of the antrum and body regions of adult patients by gastroscopy, and were cultured on Helicobacter pylori selective medium. The susceptibility of H. pylon strains showed that 44, 6, 6, 4 and 16 were resistance to metronidazole, amoxicillin, tetracycline, azithromycin, and clarithromycin, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis showed that all clarithromycin resistance isolates had A2143G mutation and PCR amplicons from these strains upon digestion by BsaI restriction enzyme resulted in 319 and 106 base pair fragments. Because most of physicians in Ilam do not use amoxicillin in triple therapy of H. pylon infection, isolates showed low rate of resistance to amoxicilli

Targeting of oncogenic signaling pathways by berberine for treatment of colorectal cancer

Studies indicate that inhibiting a single signaling pathway or one single product of a gene is insufficient for the prevention and treatment of cancer. This is due to the fact that dysregulation must occur in more than 500 genes in order to produce a cancerous phenotype. Despite this evidence, available drugs used for cancer treatment focus on a single target. Meanwhile, berberine as a nutraceutical is capable of targeting various processes involved in tumor development including proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis. In comparison with synthetic agents, berberine is cheaper, safer, and more available. Berberine has shown anti-inflammatory properties which make it an ideal option in order to prevent inflammation-associated cancers. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers all over the world and its incidence is increasing each day. Therefore, further investigations about berberine could be helpful in the discovery of novel agents for preventing and/or treating colorectal cancer. This review emphasizes the studies investigating the roles of berberine in colorectal cancer such as controlling cell signaling pathways, inducing apoptosis, regulating microRNAs, attenuating oxidative stress, and affecting inflammation. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Assessment of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in patients with chronic mitral regurgitation using torsional parameters described by tissue doppler imaging

Background: Left ventricular (LV) twist is due to oppositely directed apical and basal rotation and has been proposed as a sensitive marker of LV function. We sought to assess the impact of chronic pure mitral regurgitation (MR) on the torsional mechanics of the left human ventricle using tissue Doppler imaging. Methods: Nineteen severe MR patients with a normal LV ejection fraction and 16 non-MR controls underwent conventional echocardiography and apical and basal short-axis color Doppler myocardial imaging (CDMI). LV rotation at the apical and basal short-axis levels was calculated from the averaged tangential velocities of the septal and lateral regions, corrected for the LV radius over time. LV twist was defined as the difference in LV rotation between the two levels, and the LV twist and twisting/untwisting rate profiles were analyzed throughout the cardiac cycle. Results: LV twist and LV torsion were significantly lower in the MR group than in the non-MR group (10.38 ° ± 4.04 ° vs. 13.95 ° ± 4.27 °; p value = 0.020; and 1.29 ± 0.54 °/cm vs. 1.76 ± 0.56 °/cm; p value = 0.021, respectively), both suggesting incipient LV dysfunction in the MR group. Similarly, the untwisting rate was lower in the MR group (-79.74 ± 35.97 °/s vs.-110.96 ± 34.65 °/s; p value = 0.020), but there was statistically no significant difference in the LV twist rate. Conclusion: The evaluation of LV torsional parameters in MR patients with a normal LV ejection fraction suggests the potential role of these sensitive variables in assessing the early signs of ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic patients

Glial activation positron emission tomography imaging in radiation treatment of breast cancer brain metastases

Brain metastases affect more breast cancer patients than ever before due to increased overall patient survival with improved molecularly targeted treatments. Approximately 25–34% of breast cancer patients develop brain metastases in their lifetime. Due to the blood–brain barrier (BBB), the standard treatment for breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) is surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and/or whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT). At the cost of cognitive side effects, WBRT has proven efficacy in treating brain metastases when used with local therapies such as SRS and surgery. This review investigated the potential use of glial activation positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for radiation treatment of BCBM. In order to put these studies into context, we provided background on current radiation treatment approaches for BCBM, our current understanding of the brain microenvironment, its interaction with the peripheral immune system, and alterations in the brain microenvironment by BCBM and radiation. We summarized preclinical literature on the interactions between glial activation and cognition and clinical studies using translocator protein (TSPO) PET to image glial activation in the context of neurological diseases. TSPO-PET is not employed clinically in assessing and guiding cancer therapies. However, it has gained traction in preclinical studies where glial activation was investigated from primary brain cancer, metastases and radiation treatments. Novel glial activation PET imaging and its applications in preclinical studies using breast cancer models and glial immunohistochemistry are highlighted. Lastly, we discuss the potential clinical application of glial activation imaging to improve the therapeutic ratio of radiation treatments for BCBM

Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of tetracycline resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from nosocomial infections at Tehran hospitals

Objective(s): To date, the most important genes responsible for tetracycline resistance among Acinetobacter baumannii isolates have been identified as tet A and tet B. This study was carried out to determine the rate of resistance to tetracycline and related antibiotics, and mechanisms of resistance. Materials and Methods: During the years 2010 and 2011, a total of 100 A. baumannii isolates were recovered from patients in different hospitals of Tehran, Iran. Antimicrobial susceptibility to tetracycline, minocycline, doxicycline and tigecycline was evaluated by E-test. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the tet A and tet B genes was performed using specific primers, after which the isolates were subjected to Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic-PCR (PCR) to identify the major genotypes. Results: Of all isolates, 89 were resistant to tetracycline (MIC50 = 32 mu g/ml, MIC90 = 512 mu g/ml). Minocycline with the resistant rate of 35 (MIC50 = 16 mu g/ml, MIC90 = 32 mu g/ml) and doxicycline with the resistant rate of 25 (MIC50 = 16 mu g/ml, MIC90= 32 mu g/ml) have a good activity against A. baumannii isolates. All isolates were sensitive to tigecycline. Frequencies of tet B and tet A genes and coexistence of tet A and tet B among the isolates resistant to tetracycline, were 87.6, 2.2 and 1.1, respectively. Distribution of REP-types among A. baumannii isolates was types A (40), B (30), C (10), D (5) and E (5). Conclusion: It seems that tet A and tet B genes play an important role in the induction of resistance towards tetracyclines used in this study. It is suggested that further studies focus on other antimicrobial drugs and combinations in order to achieve a successful therapy against multi drug resistance (MDR) A. baumannii strains in Iran

Structural Biology of Peanut Allergens

Peanuts are a cause of one of the most common food allergies. Allergy to peanuts not only affects a significant fraction of the population, but it is relatively often associated with strong reactions in sensitized individuals. Peanut and tree nut allergies, which start in childhood are often persistent and continue through life, as opposed to other food allergies that resolve with age. Cherefore, peanut allergens are one of the most intensively studied food allergens. In this review we focus on the structural studies of peanut allergens. Despite the fact that these allergens are attracting a lot of interest and several of them have had their structures experimentally determined, still some molecular properties of peanut allergens are not well understood. Peanut allergens like other allergens belong to just a few protein families. Allergens from the cupin superfamily (Ara h 1 and Ara h 3), 2S albumins (Arah 2 and Ara h 6), Ara h 8 (pathogenesis related class-10 protein) and Ara h 5 (profilin) are relatively well characterized in terms of their 3D structures. However some peanut allergens like Ara h 7 (2S albumin), Ara h 9 (nonspecific lipid-transfer protein), and especially oleosins (Ara h 10 and Ara h 11) and defensins (Ara h 12 and Ara h 13), still are waiting for such characterization

The effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) on mental health parameters and C-reactive protein: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Background: The findings of trials investigating the effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) supplementation on depression, anxiety, and C-reactive protein (CRP) are inconsistent. The current meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was carried out to assess the effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) administration on mental health parameters and CRP levels. Methods: Two independent authors systematically searched online databases including EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception until 30th July 2019. Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool was applied to assess the methodological quality of included trials. The heterogeneity among the included studies was assessed using Cochrane's Q test and I-square (I2) statistic. Data were pooled using a random-effects model and weighted mean difference (WMD) was considered as the overall effect size. Results: Twenty one trials were included in this meta-analysis. Consumption of saffron resulted in a significant reduction in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (11 studies with 12 effect size) (WMD: �4.86; 95 CI: �6.58, �3.14), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) (5 studies) (WMD: �5.29; 95 CI: �8.27, �2.31) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores (3 studies with 4 effect size) (WMD: �2.22; 95 CI: �2.73, �1.72). Saffron intake did not affect Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-D), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS-A) scores and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated that saffron intake significantly reduced BDI, BAI and PSQI scores, but did not affect HDRS-D, HARS-A scores and CRP levels. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

Organization's quality maturity as a vehicle for EHR success

In health care industry, EHR has been advocated to improve care quality. The journey toward the development and adaptation of EHR should be holistic and integrate all the EHR's building blocks-health record management, business process improvement (BPI), collaboration and innovation, change management, user governance, etc.-that are intertwined together as like the links of a chain to improve quality of health care services. These cornerstones that shares common features with quality principles will pave the way for implementing EHR. To go along with quality features and take advantage of quality principles namely "quality maturity" builds a solid foundation for adaptation of EHR. Therefore, the recent theories of EHR success go far beyond technical rationales and focus on organizational and managerial factors in quality improvement. The milestone of quality concept in information system success is revealed in Delone and Mclean's model which launches system quality, information quality, service quality, as distinct elements of the IS success. EHR is a means to an end -to improve quality within enterprises- based on quality approaches. In this regards, more research should be conducted to investigate the relationship between of organization's quality maturity and EHR development success. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010