Ranking the Factors Contributing to Effective Meetings in Isfahan Gas Company

Abstract The present study was aimed to identities and ranks the factors contributing to the effective meeting in Isfahan Ga

تدوین خط مشی های ضروری بخش اورژانس بر اساس استانداردهای اعتبار بخشی حاکمیت بالینی

Introduction: The role of accreditation scheme in quality improvement of emergency departments (ED) has not been thoroughly evaluated in studies. Therefore, this study was designed to appraise the effects of policies defined based on clinical governance accreditation scores, on improvement of the procedures in ED. Methods: The present cohort study was carried out in the ED of Alzahra University Hospital, Isfahan, Iran in 2012-2013. In 2012 the deficiencies in ED of this hospital was determined based on clinical governance indicators. Then the deficiencies were classified based on their importance and changes were made in the ED. Finally, the effects of the changes were evaluated in August 2013. Results: The evaluation made in 2012 showed that 23 clinical and non-clinical procedures were carried out with deficiencies. Over the mentioned period, 6 (26.1%) procedures were not done at all, while 17 (73.9%) were done without a policy and irregularly. The overall score for clinical and non-clinical procedures in the ED before carrying out the accreditation scheme was 43 / 230 (18.7% of the maximum possible score). The score was raised to 222 equal to 96.5% of the maximum possible score after carrying out the scheme. This increase was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that defining policies for improving the procedures carried out in ED based on accreditation scheme leads to improvement of medical services in ED.مقدمه: نقش طرح اعتبار بخشی در بهبود وضعیت بخش های اورژانس مساله ای است که در مطالعات کمتر بدان توجه شده است. بر این مبنا مطالعه حاضر با هدف ارزیابی نقش خط مشی ها و راهکارهای تدوین شده بر مبنای امتیاز اعتبار بخشی بر بهبود اجرای فرآیندهای بخش اورژانس طراحی گردید. روش کار: مطالعه کوهورت حاضر در بخش  اورژانس مرکز آموزشی درمانی الزهرا (س) اصفهان بین سال های 1391 تا 1392 انجام پذیرفت. در بیمارستان مذکور بر مبنای شاخص های حاکمیت بالینی و ارزیابی های انجام شده در سال 1391 نواقص موجود در وضعیت بخش اورژانس شناسایی گردید. پس از اولویت بندی این نواقص، تغییرات لازم اعمال گردید. در نهایت نیز اثربخشی این اقدامات در مرداد ماه 1392 مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفت. يافته ها: در بررسی سال 1391 مشخص گردید که در روند انجام 23 فرآیند بالینی و غیر بالینی نقص وجود دارد. در این دوره 6 (26/1 درصد) فرآیند به کلی اجرا نمی شد و 17 (73/9 درصد) فرآیند بدون خط مشی بوده و به صورت نامنظم اجرا می شد. نمره کل ارزشیابی فرآیندهای بالینی و غیر بالینی بخش اورژانس قبل از اجرای برنامه اعتبار بخشی 43 از مجموع 230 نمره قابل اکتساب بود (18/7 درصد نمره قابل اکتساب). این امتیاز پس از اجرای طرح، به 222 رسید که معادل 96/5 درصد حداکثر نمره قابل اکتساب بود. این افزایش نسبت به زمان قبل از اجرای طرح، از لحاظ آماری نیز معنی دار بود (0/001>p). نتيجه گيری: یافته های پژوهش حاضر نشان داد تدوین خط مشی ها و راهکارهای ارتقاء فرآیند های بخش اورژانس بر مبنای برنامه اعتبار بخشی منجر به توسعه و پیشرفت در ارائه خدمات بخش اورژانس می گردد

Mechanistic Pathways of Malignancy in Breast Cancer Stem Cells.

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are the minor population of breast cancer (BC) cells that exhibit several phenotypes such as migration, invasion, self-renewal, and chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy resistance. Recently, BCSCs have been more considerable due to their capacity for recurrence of tumors after treatment. Recognition of signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in stemness phenotypes of BCSCs could be effective for discovering novel treatment strategies to target BCSCs. This review introduces BCSC markers, their roles in stemness phenotypes, and the dysregulated signaling pathways involved in BCSCs such as mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, PI3K/Akt/nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), TGF-β, hedgehog (Hh), Notch, Wnt/β-catenin, and Hippo pathway. In addition, this review presents recently discovered molecular mechanisms implicated in chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance, migration, metastasis, and angiogenesis of BCSCs. Finally, we reviewed the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in BCSCs as well as several other therapeutic strategies such as herbal medicine, biological agents, anti-inflammatory drugs, monoclonal antibodies, nanoparticles, and microRNAs, which have been more considerable in the last decades

Correlation between mechanical dissipation and improved X-band electromagnetic shielding capabilities of amine functionalized graphene/thermoplastic polyurethane composites

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2017.08.038 © 2017. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Graphene-based polymer nanocomposites have demonstrated significant promise to create commercially viable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding to protect the next-generation of electronic materials from radiative pollution. In the present study, we carry out a systematic analysis of the dynamic mechanical, dielectric, electrical and X-band shielding properties of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer filled with amine functionalized graphene obtained by the rapid thermal expansion of graphite oxide. By preparation of nanocomposites based on modified and unmodified graphene using solution mixing and hot compression moulding, we demonstrate that the modification with 2-aminoethyl methacrylate enhances the EMI shielding from 14 to 25 dB. We also show by fracture analysis, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis that the modification significantly strengthens the interfacial interactions between TPU and the functionalized graphene at the same filler loading. We find that the dominant shielding mechanism is through absorption and discuss the correlation between the viscoelastic mechanical loss tangent and the more effective dissipation of absorbed EM radiation which might account for the discrepancy between the theoretically predicted and experimentally observed EMI SE.NSERC Discover

Stencil lithography for bridging MEMS and NEMS

The damage inflicted to silicon nanowires (Si NWs) during the HF vapor etch release poses a challenge to the monolithic integration of Si NWs with higher-order structures, such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This paper reports the development of a stencil lithography-based protection technology that protects Si NWs during prolonged HF vapor release and enables their MEMS integration. Besides, a simplified fabrication flow for the stencil is presented offering ease of patterning of backside features on the nitride membrane. The entire process on Si NW can be performed in a resistless manner. HF vapor etch damage to the Si NWs is characterized, followed by the calibration of the proposed technology steps for Si NW protection. The stencil is fabricated and the developed technology is applied on a Si NW-based multiscale device architecture to protectively coat Si NWs in a localized manner. Protection of Si NW under a prolonged (>3 h) HF vapor etch process has been achieved. Moreover, selective removal of the protection layer around Si NW is demonstrated at the end of the process. The proposed technology also offers access to localized surface modifications on a multiscale device architecture for biological or chemical sensing applications

Transcriptional drug repositioning and cheminformatics approach for differentiation therapy of leukaemia cells.

Differentiation therapy is attracting increasing interest in cancer as it can be more specific than conventional chemotherapy approaches, and it has offered new treatment options for some cancer types, such as treating acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) by retinoic acid. However, there is a pressing need to identify additional molecules which act in this way, both in leukaemia and other cancer types. In this work, we hence developed a novel transcriptional drug repositioning approach, based on both bioinformatics and cheminformatics components, that enables selecting such compounds in a more informed manner. We have validated the approach for leukaemia cells, and retrospectively retinoic acid was successfully identified using our method. Prospectively, the anti-parasitic compound fenbendazole was tested in leukaemia cells, and we were able to show that it can induce the differentiation of leukaemia cells to granulocytes in low concentrations of 0.1 μM and within as short a time period as 3 days. This work hence provides a systematic and validated approach for identifying small molecules for differentiation therapy in cancer

Co-transplantation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-derived Neural Progenitors and Schwann Cells in a Rat Spinal Cord Contusion Injury Model Elicits a Distinct Neurogenesis and Functional Recovery

Co-transplantation of neural progenitors (NPs) with Schwann cells (SCs) might be a way to overcome low rate of neuronal differentiation of NPs following transplantation in spinal cord injury (SCI) and the improvement of locomotor recovery. In this study, we initially generated NPs from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and investigated their potential for neuronal differentiation and functional recovery when co-cultured with SCs in vitro and co-transplanted in a rat acute model of contused SCI. Co-cultivation results revealed that the presence of SCs provided a consistent status for hESC-NPs and recharged their neural differentiation toward a predominantly neuronal fate. Following transplantation, a significant functional recovery was observed in all engrafted groups (NPs, SCs, NPs+SCs) relative to the vehicle and control groups. We also observed that animals receiving co-transplants established a better state as assessed with the BBB functional test. Immunohistofluorescence evaluation five weeks after transplantation showed invigorated neuronal differentiation and limited proliferation in the co-transplanted group when compared to the individual hESC-NPs grafted group. These findings have demonstrated that the co-transplantation of SCs with hESC-NPs could offer a synergistic effect, promoting neuronal differentiation and functional recovery

Post-vasectomy semen analysis: Optimizing laboratory procedures and test interpretation through a clinical audit and global survey of practices

Purpose: The success of vasectomy is determined by the outcome of a post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA). This article describes a step-by-step procedure to perform PVSA accurately, report data from patients who underwent post vasectomy semen analysis between 2015 and 2021 experience, along with results from an international online survey on clinical practice. Materials and Methods: We present a detailed step-by-step protocol for performing and interpretating PVSA testing, along with recommendations for proficiency testing, competency assessment for performing PVSA, and clinical and laboratory scenarios. Moreover, we conducted an analysis of 1,114 PVSA performed at the Cleveland Clinic’s Andrology Laboratory and an online survey to understand clinician responses to the PVSA results in various countries. Results: Results from our clinical experience showed that 92.1% of patients passed PVSA, with 7.9% being further tested. A total of 78 experts from 19 countries participated in the survey, and the majority reported to use time from vasectomy rather than the number of ejaculations as criterion to request PVSA. A high percentage of responders reported permitting unprotected intercourse only if PVSA samples show azoospermia while, in the presence of few non-motile sperm, the majority of responders suggested using alternative contraception, followed by another PVSA. In the presence of motile sperm, the majority of participants asked for further PVSA testing. Repeat vasectomy was mainly recommended if motile sperm were observed after multiple PVSA’s. A large percentage reported to recommend a second PVSA due to the possibility of legal actions. Conclusions: Our results highlighted varying clinical practices around the globe, with controversy over the significance of non-motile sperm in the PVSA sample. Our data suggest that less stringent AUA guidelines would help improve test compliance. A large longitudinal multi-center study would clarify various doubts related to timing and interpretation of PVSA and would also help us to understand, and perhaps predict, recanalization and the potential for future failure of a vasectomy.American Center for Reproductive Medicin

Validation of a transgenic mouse line with knockdown of mGluR5 selectively in dopamine D1receptor expressing neurons

One of the main difficulties of addiction treatment is the high risk of relapse even after a longabstinence and fully detoxification. Therefore, discovering the underlying molecular principlesof relapse is essential. The metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR5, is considered to beinvolved in this aspect. One of the brain structures expressing mGluR5 is the striatum, an areawith well-established role in addiction which is largely composed of medium-sized spinyneurons (MSNs). These neurons are basically divided into two major subpopulationscharacterized based on their projections and protein properties. It is known that the mGluR5receptor is expressed on both subpopulations of MSNs. Consequently, it can be used to establishthe proportional contribution of each of MSNs subpopulations in relapse to addiction. In ourconstellation, we have generated a mouse line designed to have a selective mGluR5 knock-downin one of these subpopulations – the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) expressing neurons. It hashowever been unclear if the expression of the transgene is indeed limited to only D1R-expressingneurons. By immunofluorescence technique, I here show that the construct is expressed only inMSNs and is restricted to the D1R-expressing cell population in the striatum. Thus the transgenicmouse line is a good tool for the study of mGluR5 selectively in D1R expressing neurons

Evaluation of the Immune Response Against Helicobacter pylori in Infused BALB/c Mice by pcDNA3.1(+)-ureA

Background: The purpose of the present study was to produce a pcDNA3.1(+)-ureA recombinant vector and evaluate the capacity of this vector to stimulate the immune response against H. pylori infection in infused BALB/c mice.  Materials and methods: The pcDNA3.1(+)-ureA construct was prepared and transformed into E. coli, successfully. The animals we used in the study were allotted into three groups for infusion of 1) recombinant plasmid, 2) pcDNA3.1(+)-ureA + nanoparticles, and 3) pcDNA3.1(+). Blood and tissue specimens from each group of mice were collected at days 15, 30, and 45 after the last infusion and the expression levels of cytokines such as TGF-β1, IL-4, and IFNγ genes comparing to GAPDH as well as the expression of ureA in the mice’s thigh muscle were evaluated.  Results: The genes expression analysis showed that the IL4 expression significantly decreased (p0.05).  Conclusion: The pcDNA3.1(+)-ureA recombinant vector with or without chitosan nanoparticles can stimulate the immune response in animal models against H. pylori infection. Also, after combining the recombinant vector with nanoparticles we observed a better immune response was observed. In future studies this recombinant construct can be used as a biomarker and therapeutic approaches in eukaryotic systems