King's Parkinson's disease pain scale cut-off points for detection of pain severity levels: A reliability and validity study

Background: Pain is one of the most common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Using an appropriate and specific measuring tool would be helpful in managing the pain. King's Parkinson's disease Pain Scale (KPPS) is an instrument designed to specifically measure pain in people with PD. Purpose: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of KPPS (KPPS-P) and its cut-off points for pain severity levels. Methods: A total of 480 people with PD (with a mean (SD) age of 60.89 (10.98)) were recruited. The acceptability of KPPS-P was calculated. The structural validity and discriminant validity for different levels of pain was explored via the factor analysis, and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves, respectively. Internal consistency, test-retest, and inter-rater reliability were estimated by Cronbach's alpha and Interclass Correlation coefficient (ICC). Convergent validity was established between KPPS-P and other scales including Visual Analog Scale-Pain, Douleur Neuropathic 4, Brief Pain Inventory, Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2, and Parkinson's Disease-8. Results: A significant floor effect was observed. The exploratory factor analysis revealed 4 factors. Cronbach's alpha and ICC values were higher than 0.80. The correlation range between KPPS-P and other scales was 0.35�0.76. Cut-off points of 0, 17, and 68 were obtained to discriminate pain severity levels between no pain, mild, moderate, and severe pain, respectively, with sensitivity and specificity above 0.80. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the Persian version of KPPS not only has acceptable psychometric properties to assess pain in PD but also has the ability to distinguish between different levels of pain severity. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

Trastuzumab-monomethyl auristatin E conjugate exhibits potent cytotoxic activity in vitro against HER2-positive human breast cancer

Targeted therapy using specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) conjugated to chemotherapeutic agents or toxins has become one of the top priorities in cancer therapy. Antibody�drug conjugates (ADCs) are emerging as a promising strategy for cancer-targeted therapy. In this study, trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-HER2 antibody, was reduced by dithiothreitol and conjugated to the microtubule-disrupting agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) through a valine-citrulline peptide linker (trastuzumab-MC-Val-Cit-PABC-MMAE trastuzumab-vcMMAE). After conjugation, ADCs were characterized by using UV�vis, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and flow cytometry. The antitumor activity of the ADC was evaluated in breast cancer cells in vitro. In addition, ADCs were further characterized using purification by the protein A chromatography, followed by assessment using apoptosis and MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assays. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography was used to determine drug-to-antibody ratio species of ADCs produced. Our finding showed that approximately 5.12 drug molecules were conjugated to each mAb. H2L2, H2L, HL, H2, H, and L forms of ADCs were detected in nonreducing SDS-PAGE. The binding of trastuzumab-vcMMAE to HER2-positive cells was comparable with that of the parental mAb. The MTT assay showed that our ADCs induced significant cell death in HER2-positive cells, but not in HER2-negative cells. The ADCs produced was a mixture of species, unconjugated trastuzumab (14.147%), as well as trastuzumab conjugated with two (44.868%), four (16.886%), six (13.238%), and eight (10.861%) molecules of MMAE. These results indicated that MMAE-conjugated trastuzumab significantly increases the cytotoxic activity of trastuzumab, demonstrating high affinity, specificity, and antitumor activity in vitro. Trastuzumab-vcMMAE is an effective and selective agent for the treatment of HER2-positive breast tumors. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

The prevalence and determinants of freezing of gait among iranian patients with parkinson’s disease

Background & Objective: Freezing of gait (FOG) is accompanied by various complications, reduced quality of life, and increased risk of mortality and morbidity in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The incidence of this disabling phenomenon can be predicted in at least one-third of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of FOG among Iranian patients with Parkinson’s disease and to determine the predictors of this phenomenon in these patients. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 135 patients with Parkinson’s disease, referred to Rasoul Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The subjects were selected using the convenience sampling method. FOG was confirmed via clinical examination by two fellows of the movement disorder fellowship program. Variables were evaluated using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, and measurement of the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results: Out of 135 patients with Parkinson’s disease, 36 (26.7) had FOG. Based on the results, FOG had a significantly higher prevalence in older patients, compared to younger patients. According to the results, FOG had no significant relationship with other baseline variables, including gender, disease duration, and disease manifestations. According to the multivariate logistic regression model, advanced age (OR: 0.915; P=0.031) and longer disease duration (OR: 0.992; P=0.019) predicted the incidence of FOG in the presence of underlying factors. Conclusion: The prevalence of FOG among patients with Parkinson’s disease was estimated at 26.7, which is within the global range. The results revealed that age and duration of disease were two factors, which could predict the occurrence of FOG with high sensitivity and specificity. © 2020

Dena, a new PF device

In this paper we are going to introduce “Dena”, a new Filippov type plasma focus facility, with a condenser bank of 0.288 mF, and a maximum supplying energy of 90 kJ (at Vmax= 25 kV). The facility was installed and started to work in the first quarter of the year 2000. Major points of the paper are: – Dena’s construction, functionality, and diagnostic system. – Preliminary results: Different modes of neutron, X-ray, and “hot spot” production, as well as the possibility of controlling operational mode, by changing anode configuration and initial discharge condition