Prevalence of Malnutrition among Iranian Pediatric Patients before and After Hospitalization (2015 To 2017): A Multicenter Study

Background: Malnutrition undermines the beneficial outcomes of clinical interventions and also increases hospital costs. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of malnutrition through a multicenter observational study at the time of admission and discharge in Iranian hospitalized children and adolescents. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was performed on children and adolescents aged one month to 18 years from three Iranian public tertiary pediatric hospitals located in different cities of Iran. To determine the participants’ nutritional status, Z-score of the weight for height (for those with 1month to 5years of age) and Z-score of BMI (for ≥5 to 18-year-old patients) were calculated using the WHO growth standards. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Information about 1499 patients was collected. At the time of admission, 64% of the participants had a good nutritional status, 15.5% were at high risk of wasting, 8.4% were wasted, and 12.1% were severely wasted. Among 295 malnourished patients, the nutritional status of 182 patients (63%) had been improved at the time of discharge. Also, 23% of all subjects with normal nutritional status at the admission time (85 participants), were at risk of malnutrition at discharge. The prevalence of moderate and severe malnutrition at the discharge time was about 20%. Conclusion: More than one-third of the hospitalized children had moderate or severe malnutrition or were at high risk. Although the prevalence of malnutrition decreased somewhat during hospitalization, some children were not malnourished at the time of admission and were malnourished at discharge

The Effect of Help in Teamwork on Individual Incentive Reversal: Laboratory Economics in a Dynamic Game

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of "help" behavior on “individual incentive reversal”. In order to measure the variable “incentive reversal”, a dynamic game with complete information in the laboratory environment was held. The sample consists of 186 students from the universities of Yazd, Meybod and Mehriz, divided into 62 teams of three persons. Also, to measure the "help" variable, the players were asked after the game to voluntarily and secretly spend the proceeds of the game in a charity. In this framework, players could grant part of the proceeds from the game to either “treat cancer-illed children” or “advance research”. The results showed that teams with more volunteering players would see less incentive reversal among team members

Multiple Bubbles of the Gold Market: Origination, Explosion and Complete Deletion

Usuallyattention to the buying and keeping gold will increase with economic crises in the global economy, because gold has intrinsic value and in the economic crisis not only maintain its value but also high demand of it cause increase in its value. With increasing demand for gold, the possibility of existence of bubbles in its market will increase; therefor gold holders will tolerate destructive effects because of not identifying of the price bubbles. New economic tools not only make possible the analysis of middle explosive behavior of the bubble but also provide the possibility of identifying origination and termination date of that. According to this, the aim of this study is to explore price bubbles in gold market and to determinate date stamping of origination, explosion and complete deletion of them in the period of 01/07/2000 t0 30/12/2015. The methodologies that use for detection of bubbles are standard ADF, Rolling Window ADF, Supremum ADF and Generalized Supremum ADF tests. The results indicate that gold price is bubbling in at least 39% of sample period. The existence of the multiple bubbles is also confirmed in this market

Development of a Recombinant Multifunctional Biomacromolecule for Targeted Gene Transfer to Prostate Cancer Cells

The objective of this study was to genetically engineer a fully functional single chain fusion peptide composed of motifs from diverse biological and synthetic origins that can perform multiple tasks including DNA condensation, cell targeting, cell transfection, particle shielding from immune system and effective gene transfer to prostate tumors. To achieve the objective, a single chain biomacromolecule (vector) consisted of four repeatative units of histone H2A peptide, fusogenic peptide GALA, short elastin-like peptide, and PC-3 cell targeting peptide was designed. To examine the functionality of each motif in the vector sequence, it was characterized in terms of size and zeta potential by Zetasizer, PC-3 cell targeting and transfection by flowcytometry, IgG induction by immunogenicity assay, and PC-3 tumor transfection by quantitative live animal imaging. Overall, the results of this study showed the possibility of using genetic engineering techniques to program various functionalities into one single chain vector and create a multifunctional nonimmunogenic biomacromolecule for targeted gene transfer to prostate cancer cells. This proof-of-concept study is a significant step forward toward creating a library of vectors for targeted gene transfer to any cancer cell type at both in vitro and in vivo levels

A Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Vitamin E on Testicular Tissue Damage Caused by Fluoxetine

Objective: Fluoxetine is widely used in the treatment of neurological disorders. Hence, considering the adverse effects of this drug on the endocrine axes of the body is very important. Fluoxetine has been shown to cause significant changes in testicular tissue structure and sex hormones in rats. It seems that antioxidant compounds such as vitamin E can reduce free radicals and inhibit these changes. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of vitamin E on testicular tissue damage caused by fluoxetine use. Materials and Methods: In the present study, 40 Wistar rats (weight = 250 ± 10 gr) were randomly divided into 4 groups; control group that received normal saline (with intraperitoneal (IP) method), fluoxetine group (n = 10) that received 10 mg/kg of fluoxetine (IP), vitamin E group (n = 10 that received 100 mg/kg of vitamin E (IP), and the treatment group that received both vitamin E (100 mg/kg) and fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) for 28 days. On the 28th day of the study testis tissue was removed and sent to the pathology lab and blood samples were taken for analyzing of testosterone and total antioxidant capacity. Results: The highest testosterone levels are related to the control group and the lowest levels are related to the fluoxetine receiving group. Significant differences were observed between sperm density in the seminiferous tubes, spermatogonia cells, and primary spermatocyte, and leydig and sertoli cells in the experimental groups compared to the control group after a 28-day period. Conclusion: Fluoxetine can damage the leydig cells and decrease activity of testis and production of testosterone, but vitamin E can repair the leydig cells and reduce damages caused by fluoxetine

Systematic Engineering of Uniform, Highly Efficient, Targeted and Shielded Viral-Mimetic Nanoparticles

In the past decades, numerous types of nanomedicines have been developed for efficient and safe delivery of nucleic acid-based drugs for cancer therapy. Given that the destination sites for nucleic acid based drugs are inside the cancer cells, delivery systems need to be both targeted and shielded in order to overcome the extracellular and intracellular barriers. One of the major obstacles that has hindered the translation of nanotechnology-based gene delivery systems into the clinic has been the complexity of the design and assembly process resulting in non-uniform nancarriers with unpredictable surface property and efficiency. Consequently, no product has reached the clinic yet. In order to address this shortcoming, we genetically engineered a multifunctional targeted biopolymer in one step; therefore, eliminating the need for multiple chemical conjugations. Then by systematic modulation of the ratios of the targeted recombinant vector to PEGylated peptides of different sizes, a library of targeted-shielded viral-mimetic nanoparticles (VMNs) with diverse surface properties was assembled. Through use of physico-chemical and biological assays, targeted-shielded VMNs with remarkably high transfection efficiency (>95%) were screened. In addition, the batch-to-batch variability of the assembled targeted-shielded VMNs in terms of uniformity and efficiency were examined and in both cases the coefficient of variation was calculated to be below 20%, indicating a highly reproducible and uniform system. Our results provide design parameters for engineering uniform targeted-shielded VMNs with very high cell transfection rate that exhibit the important characteristics for in vivo translation. These design parameters and principles could be used to tailor-make and assemble targeted-shielded VMNs that could deliver any nucleic acid payload to any mammalian cell type

Micro R-410 Binding Site Single Nucleotide Polymorphism rs13702 in Lipoprotein Lipase Gene is Effective to Increase Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes in Iranian Population

Background: The relationship between dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been frequently reported. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is considered to be an effective gene in regulating lipid profile. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs involved in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. In the present study, we have evaluated rs13702 (C/T) polymorphism located in miRNA-410 binding site of LPL gene in subset of Iranian T2DM patients and their normal counterparts. Materials and Methods: In this case–control study, 102 T2DM patients and 98 healthy controls were worked out for rs13702 single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes. High resolution meting (HRM) analysis was used for genotyping. Results: C allele of rs13702 C/T polymorphism located in miRNA-410 binding site in LPL gene was detected to be significantly associated with T2DM (C allele; odds ratios (OR) = 1.729 (95% confidential intervals (CI) = 1.184–2.523); P = 0.005) also its CC genotype (OR = 3.28 (95% CI 8.68–1.24); P = 0.010) showed the same association. Conclusion: Correlation of rs13702 C allele with susceptibility to T2DM may be due to the higher level of LPL that leads to increased plasma fatty acids and its entry into peripheral tissues such as skeletal muscle, liver, and adipocytes causing development of insulin resistance and ultimately T2DM

Pharmacogenomics of Sulfonylureas Response in Relation to rs7754840 Polymorphisms in Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 Regulatory Subunit-associated Protein 1-like (CDKAL1) Gene in Iranian Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Background: Sulfonylureas are important drugs of choice for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It is suggested that differential response to sulfonylureas from T2DM patients is under influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms in some of the target genes. In spite of favorable therapeutic effects, sulfonylureas are associated with some adverse side effects such as microvascular complications and stroke, especially in older patients. Therefore, for T2DM patients who are getting less benefit, sulfonylureas should be avoided. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit-associated protein 1-like (CDKAL1) gene variation is reported to be associated with sulfonylureas effectiveness. Due to the inconsistency of available data regarding association of rs7754840 in CDKAL1 gene with sulfonylureas response in T2DM patients, the present study is conducted. Materials and Methods: Fifty-one diabetic patients sensitive to sulfonylureas and 51 patients resistant to sulfonylureas treatment were recruited to this study. After extraction of DNA from patients' peripheral blood samples, rs7754840 single-nucleotide polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay using MaeII (Tail) restriction enzyme. Results: Frequency of G allele in resistant group was more than sensitive group (71, 6% vs. 57, 8%). Regression analysis was shown significant association between GG genotype and higher risk of resistance to sulfonylureas treatment (odds ratio = 2.250 [95% confidential intervals: 1.010–5.012]; P = 0.046). Conclusion: Our data confirmed that genotypes of rs7754840 are significantly associated with sulfonylureas treatment response. rs7754840 in CDKAL1 gene in combination with other clinicopathological findings would help to move towards personalized therapy of T2DM patients

A Recombinant Biopolymeric Platform for Reliable Evaluation of the Activity of pH-Responsive Amphiphile Fusogenic Peptides

Over the past couple of decades, the sequences of several cationic and anionic pH-responsive amphiphile fusogenic peptides (FPs) have been reported in the literature. Due to their endosome membrane disrupting activity, these peptides have been routinely used for enhancing the efficacy of drug/gene delivery systems. However, no accurate comparative study has been performed to establish the precise correlation between FP sequence and its impact on enhancing drug/gene delivery efficiency. Therefore, there has been no clear rationale for selecting one FP over another in the past, and it is still unclear which FP is the most suitable and efficient construct for use in drug/gene delivery system design. To address this shortcoming, we examined the use of a recombinant biopolymeric platform as a tool to assess the pH-dependent membrane disruption activity, cell toxicity and impact on gene transfer efficiency of the five most widely used cationic and anionic pH-responsive FPs, INF7, GALA, KALA, H5WYG, and RALA. We first developed specific expression methods for the production of five identical recombinant biopolymers that were different only in FP sequence in their structures. Through the use of physicochemical and biological assays, the biopolymers were characterized and compared in terms of DNA condensation ability, cell toxicity, pH-dependent cell membrane disruption activity, and gene transfer efficiency. Overall, our data suggests that, among the tested constructs, GALA is the most suitable pH-responsive FP for enhancing the efficiency of gene delivery systems due mostly to its efficient endosomolytic activity and negligible cell toxicity. Most importantly, this study demonstrates the application of an effective biopolymeric tool that facilitates reliable evaluation of the physicochemical and biological activities of any pH-responsive FP independent of its charge. Therefore, whether artificially designed or inspired by nature, the FPs can be screened for their efficacy with a higher degree of accuracy in the future