Epidemiological Aspects of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Baft District, Kerman Province, Southeast of Iran

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) is an endemic disease in some areas of Iran. A cross- sectional study was conducted for sero-epidemiological survey of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Baft district from Kerman Province, southeast of Iran.Methods: Blood samples were collected from children up to 12 years old and 10% of adult population from Baft villages with a multi-stage randomized cluster sampling. In addition, blood samples were collected from 30 domestic dogs from the same areas. All the collected blood sam­ples were tested by direct agglutination test (DAT) for the detection of anti-Leishmania antibod­ies in both human and dog using the cut-off value of ≥1:3200 and ≥ 1:320, respectively. Parasitologi­cal, molecular, and pathological were performed on infected dogs. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to compare sero-prevalence values.Results: From 1476 collected human serum samples, 23 (1.55%) showed anti-Leishmania antibod­ies at titers of 1:800 and 1:1600 whereas 14 (0.95%) showed anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies at titers of ≤ 1:3200. No statistically significant difference was found between male (1.18 %) and female (0.69%) sero-prevalence (P=0.330). Children of 5-8 years showed the high­est sero-prevalence rate (3.22%). Seven out of 30 domestic dogs (23%) showed anti-Leishmania antibodies at titers ≤1:320. Leishmania infantum was identified in five infected dogs by nested - PCR assay.Conclusion: It seems that visceral leishmaniasis is being endemic in southern villages of Baft district, southeast of Iran

Association between depression, anxiety, and insomnia with musculoskeletal pain source: a multi-center study

Background: Musculoskeletal pain syndrome (MPS) is one of the modern diseases. Musculoskeletal pain (MP) may develop at any age and impact physical and mental health. This study aimed to evaluate the association between anxiety, depression, and insomnia with musculoskeletal pain source. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 450 patients with musculoskeletal pain. Goldberg depression (GB), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Morin Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaires were used to collect data. Participants have divided into two groups: individuals with unknown musculoskeletal pain sources and individuals with known musculoskeletal pain sources. Anxiety, depression, and insomnia scores were compared between the two groups. For statistical analysis of data mean (SD), frequency (), Chi-square, Mann-Whitney test, and Logistic regression models were used. All analysis was performed using SPSS 26. Results: In this study, 39.4 of the participants were in severe depression, 31.1 in severe anxiety, 34.7 in the no clinically significant, and 32.9 in the sub-threshold insomnia group. There was a significant difference between the severity of anxiety and insomnia in the two groups with the known and unknown pain sources (p < 0.05). However, the score of depression (OR = 1.00, 95 CI 0.99�1.01), anxiety (OR = 1.00, 95 CI 0.99�1.02), and insomnia (OR = 1.01, 95 CI 0.98�1.03) was not related to the pain source. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant relationship between anxiety and insomnia severity with musculoskeletal pain source. According to the high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and depression in both groups with known and unknown musculoskeletal pain sources, the cooperation of orthopedists, rheumatologists, and physical therapists with psychiatrist can be useful in improving the condition of patients. © 2021, The Author(s)

Hybrid Vapor-Solution Sequentially Deposited Mixed-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

The recent sky-rocketing performance of perovskite solar cells has triggered a strong interest in further upgrading the fabrication techniques to meet the scalability requirements of the photovoltaic industry. The integration of vapor-deposition into the solution process in a sequential fashion can boost the uniformity and reproducibility of the perovskite solar cells. Besides, mixed-halide perovskites have exhibited outstanding crystallinity as well as higher stability compared with iodide-only perovskite. An extensive study was carried out to identify a reproducible process leading to highly crystalline perovskite films that when integrated into solar cells exhibited high power conversion efficiency (max. 19.8%). This was achieved by optimizing the deposition rate of the PbI2 layer as well as by inserting small amounts of methylammonium (MA) bromide and chloride salts to the primary MAI salt in the solution-based conversion step. The optimum MABr/MAI molar ratio leading to the most efficient and stable solar cells was found to be 0.4. Stabilities were in excess of 90 hours for p-i-n type solar cells. This reproducible approach towards the fabrication of triple halide perovskites using a hybrid vapor-solution method is a promising method towards scalable production techniques

Biallelic variants in the ectonucleotidase ENTPD1 cause a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with intellectual disability, distinct white matter abnormalities, and spastic paraplegia.

OBJECTIVE: Human genomics established that pathogenic variation in diverse genes can underlie a single disorder. For example, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is associated with over 80 genes with frequently only few affected individuals described for each gene. Herein, we characterize a large cohort of individuals with biallelic variation in ENTPD1, a gene previously linked to spastic paraplegia 64 (MIM# 615683). METHODS: Individuals with biallelic ENTPD1 variants were recruited worldwide. Deep phenotyping and molecular characterizations were performed. RESULTS: A total of 27 individuals from 17 unrelated families were studied; additional phenotypic information was collected from published cases. Twelve novel pathogenic ENTPD1 variants are described: c.398_399delinsAA; p.(Gly133Glu), c.540del; p.(Thr181Leufs* 18), c.640del; p.(Gly216Glufs* 75), c.185T>G; p.(Leu62*), c.1531T>C; p.(*511Glnext* 100), c.967C>T; p.(Gln323*), c.414-2_414-1del, and c.146 A>G; p.(Tyr49Cys) including four recurrent variants c.1109T>A; p.(Leu370* ), c.574-6_574-3del, c.770_771del; p.(Gly257Glufs*18), and c.1041del; p.(Ile348Phefs*19). Shared disease traits include: childhood-onset, progressive spastic paraplegia, intellectual disability (ID), dysarthria, and white matter abnormalities. In vitro assays demonstrate that ENTPD1 expression and function are impaired and that c.574-6_574-3del causes exon skipping. Global metabolomics demonstrates ENTPD1 deficiency leads to impaired nucleotide, lipid, and energy metabolism. INTERPRETATION: The ENTPD1 locus trait consists of childhood disease-onset, ID, progressive spastic paraparesis, dysarthria, dysmorphisms, and white matter abnormalities with some individuals showing neurocognitive regression. Investigation of an allelic series of ENTPD1: i) expands previously described features of ENTPD1-related neurological disease, ii) highlights the importance of genotype-driven deep phenotyping, iii) documents the need for global collaborative efforts to characterize rare AR disease traits, and iv) provides insights into the disease trait neurobiology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

A Point-of-Care Digital Workflow for 3D Printed Passive Presurgical Orthopedic Plates in Cleft Care

Cleft lip and palate are one of the most common congenital craniofacial malformations. As an initial treatment, presurgical orthopedics is considered standard treatment at many cleft centers. Digital impressions are becoming feasible in cleft care. Computer-aided design (CAD) and three-dimensional (3D) printing are manufacturing standards in dentistry. The assimilation of these technologies has the potential to alter the traditional workflow for the fabrication of customized presurgical orthopedic plates. We present a digital workflow comprising three steps: 3D digital image acquisition with an intraoral scanner, open-source CAD modeling, and point-of-care 3D printing for the fabrication of personalized passive presurgical plates for newborns with cleft lip and palate. The digital workflow resulted in patient-related benefits, such as no risk of airway obstruction with quicker data acquisition (range 1&ndash;2.5 min). Throughput time was higher in the digital workflow 260&ndash;350 min compared to 135 min in the conventional workflow. The manual and personal intervention time was reduced from 135 min to 60 min. We show a clinically useful digital workflow for presurgical plates in cleft treatment. Once care providers overcome procurement costs, digital impressions, and point-of-care 3D printing will simplify these workflows and have the potential to become standard for cleft care

Electrochemical Sensor for the Determination of Methotrexate Based on MOF-Derived NiO/Ni@C-Poly(isonicotinic acid)

A new electrochemical sensor based on NiO/Ni@C and poly(isonicotinic acid), PINA, is fabricated to determine an important chemotherapeutic drug, methotrexate (MTX). At first, a bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified by NiO/Ni@C; then, INA was electropolymerized at its surface. FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, elemental mapping, TEM, AFM, and BET techniques were used to characterize the nanomaterials. Following that, parameters affecting the sensor response, such as pH, amount of the electrocatalyst, electropolymerization cycles, and instrumental parameters, were optimized using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Under the optimized conditions, a linear range was obtained from 0.02 to 2.5 μM with a detection limit of 7.2 nM. Repeatability was obtained with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.4%, and reproducibility was obtained with an RSD of 6.2%. Finally, the sensor was tested in the presence of potential interference compounds and human blood plasma with acceptable responses

Going global: Do consumer preferences, attitudes, and barriers to using e-mental health services differ across countries?

Background: e-Mental health services have the capacity to overcome barriers to care and reduce the unmet need for psychological services, particularly in developing countries. However, it is unknown how acceptable e-mental health interventions may be to these populations. Aims: The purpose of the current study was to examine consumer attitudes and perceived barriers to e-mental health usage across four countries: Australia, Iran, the Philippines and South Africa. Methods: An online survey was completed by 524 adults living in these countries, assessing previous contact with e-mental health services, willingness to use e-mental health services, and perceived barriers and needs for accessing e-mental health services. Results: Although previous contact with e-mental health services was low, the majority of respondents in each sample reported a willingness to try e-mental health services if offered. Barriers toward e-mental health usage were higher among the developing countries than Australia. The most commonly endorsed barriers concerned needing information and assurances regarding the programmes. Conclusions: Across countries, participants indicated a willingness to use e-mental health programmes if offered. With appropriate research and careful implementation, e-mental health has the potential to be a valuable part of mental healthcare in developing countries. © 2017, © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Protocols for protection of human participants: A comparison of five countries

Research ethics protocols relating to human participants were compared across five countries, namely, Australia, Azerbaijan, Iran, the Philippines, and South Africa. These countries were considered to be geographically and culturally diverse, as well as representing both developed and developing countries. The extent to which the research participant is protected across cultures and countries was investigated, with particular focus on the use of informed consent procedures. It was argued that current ethical guidelines and practices fail to ensure the protection of the most vulnerable participants within these cultures. Informed consent mechanisms also often fail to consider cultural differences in self-concept, understanding of research methods, and power differences between researchers and participants. Discussion of these ethical challenges and recommendations for research ethics development within these cultures and countries are discussed. © 2013 by joan sieber

Glycemic Gap Predicts in-Hospital Mortality in Diabetic Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose: The relationship between admission hyperglycemia and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) outcome remains controversial. Glycemic gap (GG) is a superior indicator of glucose homeostatic response to physical stress compared to admission glucose levels. We aimed to evaluate the association between GG and in-hospital mortality in ICH. Methods: We retrospectively identified consecutive patients hospitalized for spontaneous ICH at the 2 healthcare systems in the Twin Cities area, MN, between January 2008 and December 2017. Patients without glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test or those admitted beyond 24 hours post-ICH were excluded. Demographics, medical history, admission tests, and computed tomography data were recorded. GG was computed using admission glucose level minus HbA1c-derived average glucose. The association between GG and time to in-hospital mortality was evaluated by Cox regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with the DeLong test was used to evaluate the ability of GG to predict in-hospital death. Results: Among 345 included subjects, 63 (25.7%) died during the hospital stay. Compared with survivors, non-survivors presented with a lower Glasgow coma scale score, larger hematoma volume, and higher white blood cells count, glucose, and GG levels at admission (p<0.001). GG remained an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality after adjusting for known ICH outcome predictors and potential confounders [adjusted hazard ratio: 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.18, p = 0.018]. GG showed a good discriminative power (area under the ROC curve: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.68-0.82) in predicting in-hospital death and performed better than admission glucose levels in diabetic patients (p = 0.030 for DeLong test). Conclusions: Admission GG is associated with the risk of in-hospital mortality and can potentially represent a useful prognostic biomarker for ICH patients with diabetes