Febrile Seizure in Thalassemic Patients

ObjectiveFebrile seizure is the most common seizure disorder in children. Its pathophysiology is not fully understood yet; however, some risk factors have been cited for it. Iron is one of these influential elements and is involved in the metabolism of some neurotransmitters which are reduced in irondeficiency anemia and also increases the sensitivity of neural cells during a febrile episode. The present study aimed to determine the rate of febrile seizure in thalassemic patients and to compare it with the corresponding rate in the normal population.Materials & MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 766 patients with thalassemia major. They were all older than 6 months and were referred to Dastghaib Cooly's Clinic, affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, from Oct 2006 to May 2007, and 766 normal and healthy children as the control group. Questionnaires containing demographic data and past history of febrile seizure, age of febrile seizure, number of episodes, hospitalization, and related family history were prepared and filled through interviewing the parents.ResultsFebrile seizure was detected in 7 cases of the patient group (0.9%) versus 18 cases (2.3%) of the control group. The frequency of febrile seizure in the controls was 2.5 times more than that in the thalassemia group, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05).ConclusionThis study showed a lower rate of febrile convulsion in thalassemic patients compared to the control group. Accordingly, it could be suggested that high iron storage is a protective factor against febrile convulsion.

Provider Fairness and Beyond-Accuracy Trade-offs in Recommender Systems

Recommender systems, while transformative in online user experiences, have raised concerns over potential provider-side fairness issues. These systems may inadvertently favor popular items, thereby marginalizing less popular ones and compromising provider fairness. While previous research has recognized provider-side fairness issues, the investigation into how these biases affect beyond-accuracy aspects of recommendation systems - such as diversity, novelty, coverage, and serendipity - has been less emphasized. In this paper, we address this gap by introducing a simple yet effective post-processing re-ranking model that prioritizes provider fairness, while simultaneously maintaining user relevance and recommendation quality. We then conduct an in-depth evaluation of the model's impact on various aspects of recommendation quality across multiple datasets. Specifically, we apply the post-processing algorithm to four distinct recommendation models across four varied domain datasets, assessing the improvement in each metric, encompassing both accuracy and beyond-accuracy aspects. This comprehensive analysis allows us to gauge the effectiveness of our approach in mitigating provider biases. Our findings underscore the effectiveness of the adopted method in improving provider fairness and recommendation quality. They also provide valuable insights into the trade-offs involved in achieving fairness in recommender systems, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of this complex issue.Comment: FAccTRec at RecSys 202

Clinical evaluation of the effect of gingival thickness on increasing the width of keratinized and attached gingiva with and without preserving periosteum in an animal study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present study was performed in order to assess the effect of gingival thickness on amount of gingival augmentation with and without preserving periosteum. METHODS: The study was conducted on 8 ecotype dogs aged 1-5 years. At the beginning, clinical probing depth and keratinized and attached gingiva width were measured. Totally, 64 sites were operated in this study. Periosteal fenestration and denuded beds were randomly created on opposite sides of upper and lower jaws (4 sites each side). The thickness of gingiva was measured in mucogingival junction after preparation of the beds. The clinical parameters were evaluated 2 months after the surgery. The data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, and Pearson correlation tests. RESULTS: The results showed the average increased width of keratinized and attached gingiva was 1.8 mm and 2 mm in periosteal fenestration sites and 1.9 mm and 2.3 mm in denudation sites, respectively at 2 months post-surgery. The difference between the width of keratinized gingiva and attached gingiva before and 2 months after operation was significant in both groups (P < 0.001). However, no significant difference was shown between the two groups in terms of attached and keratinized gingival width (P = 0.100 and P = 0.720, respectively). There was no correlation between the thickness of gingiva and the amount of increased width of keratinized and attached gingiva. CONCLUSION: A gingival thickness of 0.8 to 2 mm does not affect the increment of the attached and keratinized gingival width with and without preserving periosteum. KEYWORDS: Gingiva; Denudation; Surger

Effects of N-terminal and C-terminal modification on cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of amphiphilic cell penetrating peptides

Purpose: To assess the effect of “N-Acetylation and C-Amidation” on the cellular uptake, cytotoxicity and performance of amphiphilic Cell Penetrating Peptides loaded with MTX. Methods: Several CPPs were synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis method. Some of these sequences were modified with Pyroglutamic acid at N-terminus and Benzylamine or memantine at C-terminus. The resultant nanomaterials were prepared due to the physical linkage between CPPs and methotrexate (MTX). The Internalization and cytotoxicity of both CPP-MTX bioconjugates and unmodified CPPs against MCF-7 cells was evaluated. Results: N-terminal and C-terminal modification did not alter the toxicity of CPPs. Physical linkage of CPPs with MTX resulted in a lower drug loading efficiency in comparison with chemically conjugated CPP-MTX bioconjugates. Both nanoparticles increase the toxic effect of MTX on MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, N-terminal and C-terminal modification may cause a tangible reduction in cellular uptake of CPPs. Conclusion: In conclusion, it was shown that cytotoxicity of modified peptides which were physically linked with MTX, considerably higher than both physically loaded unmodified peptides and chemically conjugated peptides with MTX. Also, cell internalization was reduced after peptide end-protection. These findings confirmed the effectiveness of N-terminal and C-terminal modifications on cell viability and CPPs internalization

Impact of Wikipedia on citation trends

It has been suggested that the "visibility" of an article influences its citation count. More specifically, it is believed that the social media can influence article citations.Here we tested the hypothesis that inclusion of scholarly references in Wikipedia affects the citation trends. To perform this analysis, we introduced a citation “propensity” measure, which is inspired by the concept of amino acid propensity for protein secondary structures. We show that although citation counts generally increase during time, the citation "propensity" does not increase after inclusion of a reference in Wikipedia

Clinical evaluation of the effect of gingival thickness on increasing the width of keratinized and attached gingiva with and without preserving periosteum in an animal study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present study was performed in order to assess the effect of gingival thickness on amount of gingival augmentation with and without preserving periosteum. METHODS: The study was conducted on 8 ecotype dogs aged 1-5 years. At the beginning, clinical probing depth and keratinized and attached gingiva width were measured. Totally, 64 sites were operated in this study. Periosteal fenestration and denuded beds were randomly created on opposite sides of upper and lower jaws (4 sites each side). The thickness of gingiva was measured in mucogingival junction after preparation of the beds. The clinical parameters were evaluated 2 months after the surgery. The data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, and Pearson correlation tests. RESULTS: The results showed the average increased width of keratinized and attached gingiva was 1.8 mm and 2 mm in periosteal fenestration sites and 1.9 mm and 2.3 mm in denudation sites, respectively at 2 months post-surgery. The difference between the width of keratinized gingiva and attached gingiva before and 2 months after operation was significant in both groups (P < 0.001). However, no significant difference was shown between the two groups in terms of attached and keratinized gingival width (P = 0.100 and P = 0.720, respectively). There was no correlation between the thickness of gingiva and the amount of increased width of keratinized and attached gingiva. CONCLUSION: A gingival thickness of 0.8 to 2 mm does not affect the increment of the attached and keratinized gingival width with and without preserving periosteum

Experimental and density functional theory studies of laminar double-oxidized graphene oxide nanofiltration membranes

The type and loading level of oxygen-containing functional groups on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets significantly affect the size and alignment of nanochannels formed between the GO nanosheets and the separation performance of laminar GO membranes. Here, we demonstrate how double-oxidation of GO leads to the higher surface charge of GO nanosheets, the formation of highly stable water-based GO solution, more-ordered deposition of GOs on the polyethersulfone membrane through the pressure-assisted self-assembly method, and the formation of highly durable GO membranes possessing smoother surface morphology and higher antifouling properties. A multi-technique investigation was applied to follow the physicochemical difference between GO and double-oxidized GO, and the physical stability and separation performance of the corresponding membranes using experimental and computational studies. The double-oxidized GO-based membranes provided a significantly high water flux of 230 L/(m2.h) in 2.5 bar transmembrane pressure, excellent rejection of 99.9% for methylene blue (MB) dye, and outstanding separation performance stability over time. In contrast, GO membranes showed rejection of 81.5% for MB, and their separation performance diminished significantly over time. The antifouling properties of double-oxidized GO membranes were substantially higher (∼ four times) due to their higher negative surface charge and smoother surface morphology. The density functional theory (DFT) was used to gain insight into the interactions between the functional groups and the reasoning for the higher mechanical stability of double-oxidized GO membranes. Results revealed that the formation energy of GO decreases by increasing the number density of functional groups. It was also found that a higher number of carboxyl groups at the edges of the double-oxidized GO leads to higher hydrogen bonding, higher binding energy, and a more stable GO-membrane structure.</p

Comparison of Infection Incidence Between Appendectomy Skin Incisions Sutured by Nylon and Polyglactin (Vicryl)

Background Suturing quality and reducing its complications and resulting infection have always been a major concern of surgeons. Many of them have prohibited applying polyfilament and absorbable suturing materials. Objectives In this study, we compared skin wound infection rate and other complications in two groups of post appendectomy patients whom were treated with two types of suturing materials - conventionally used Nylon and absorbable braided polyglactin (Vicryl) - and wound healing, existence of complication and recovery course of treated patients were surveyed. Patients and Methods A total of 130 patients who underwent appendectomy were divided into two groups of 645 members, each. Patients in group A had their incisions closed by separate sutures (mattress method) by vicryl, while patients in group B had their surgical incisions were closed in the same method, by nylon sutures. Any signs and symptoms of surgical site wound infection like inappropriate pain, redness, discharge, bulging, and unhealing wound were checked during hospital stay and on the 7th - 9th day postoperatively. Results The postsurgical complication and infections rates were similar between the two groups. Conclusions Vicryl sutures can safely be used for skin and subcutaneous wound suturing even when our surgery site is not ideally clean