Evaluation of Body Mass Index of 3–10-year-old Children with Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy, who Referred to Khatamolanbia Hospital during 2017–2018

BACKGROUND: Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is a common disorder in the children’s population that can lead to growth disorders. Chronic adenotonsillar hypertrophy can cause a break in the normal growth of children, weight loss, and decreased growth hormone secretion. AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate adenotonsillar hypertrophy in the growth rate of children with height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, after examining 312, 3–10-year-old children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy, who met the inclusion criteria, growth scales were evaluated and entered into the patient evaluation form. RESULTS: There was a significant relationship between BMI, height, weight, and severity of tonsillar hypertrophy at Brodsky’s scale (P <0.001). Our studies showed well that with increasing severity of adenotonsillar hypertrophy disease, the growth indicators are also decreased in children. CONCLUSION: Adenotonsillar hypertrophy decreases growth indicators in children. There was also a relationship between growth indicators and severity of adenotonsillar hypertrophy in patients

Understanding XR technology acceptance by physically disabled tourists in museums

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the effects of XR technologies on the behavioral intentions of disabled tourists using a modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Design – The model includes perceived trust, perceived control, perceived efficacy, and perceived enjoyment as determinants of technology acceptance by disabled tourists. The hypotheses derived from the literature were empirically tested. Methodology/Approach – The proposed model was tested by collecting data from 640 disabled tourists in Iran over a six-month period. An online survey was answered after watching two videos, representing the application of VR and AR. A quantitative method was applied, the PLS-SEM method was conducted to analyze the data. Findings – The model was significantly supported by the results on the determinants of attitudes of people with disabilities toward XR technology. Other than the effect of perceived efficiency on PEOU, all the hypotheses were supported, demonstrating the positive effects of each of factors on the attitudes of disabled tourists and their behavioral intentions towards XR technology. Originality of the research – This study significantly expands the academic knowledge on the fundamental factors affecting behavioural intentions of disabled tourists, as 15% of the world’s population. This is the first study to investigate these factors in relation to the disabled tourists and XR technologies. This study will provide insight to marketers and stakeholders on the behavioral intentions of disabled tourists

Neuro-Fuzzy prediction of alumina-supported cobalt vanadate catalyst behavior in the Fischer-Tropsch process

Alumina-supported cobalt vanadate multitransition-metal catalyst was prepared by impregnation method. The catalyst was characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray fluorescence and Transmission electron microscopy. The cobalt/vanadium catalyst was employed for Fischer-Tropsch process in an autoclave reactor. The evaluation of this catalyst occurred at different temperature (423-623 K), over a pressure range of 10-50 bars with the Syngas H2/CO ratio varying from 2 to 6. The catalyst gave a high and selective conversion of syngas into methane. The degree of syngas conversion increased with increasing temperature and pressure. The adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model has been applied for the training of the fuzzy system and the test set was applied to evaluate the performance of the system including moving average error (MAE), mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The results exposed that the predicted values from the model were in good agreement with the experimental data

The effect of Zingiber officinalis L. on learning and memory in rats

A B S T R A C T Background and Objective: According to the importance of learning and memory in the human life and also unavoidable neural degeneration due to aging, finding new compounds (drugs) against this process is valuable. However, there are many recommendations for herbal medicine and constituents which encouraged us to examine a candidate plant Zingiber officinalis for the mentioned purpose. Materials and Methods: Male rats (250-300 g) were divided into control and treatment groups. Treatment groups consist of three subgroups including oral (plant was prescribed to animals mixed in food at a ratio of 6.25%) for 2 weeks, and two groups that received the plant extract at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg (intraperitoneal, IP). In order to investigate the spatial recognition (alternation) behavior and acquisition-recalling (step through latency, STL), the animals were subjected to Y maze and shuttle box tests, respectively. Results: In our study, the difference of the initial latency (IL) in oral treatment groups (8.24±1.21 s) and injection (50 and 100 mg/kg) groups versus control group (14.28±1.45 s) were non-significant. However, step through latency (STL) time difference for oral (18.12±0.8 s) group versus control one (13.28±1.33 s) was significant (p<0.05). Alternation behavior percentage in injection group (100 mg/kg) and oral one was significant versus control animals (p<0.05). Conclusion: Oral and intraperitoneal administration of the Zingiber officinalis could have a significant improving effect on acquisition, retention and recall

A novel method for RNA extraction from FFPE samples reveals significant differences in biomarker expression between orthotopic and subcutaneous pancreatic cancer patient-derived xenografts.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can identify and validate new biomarkers of cancer onset, progression and therapy resistance. Substantial archives of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cancer samples from patients represent a rich resource for linking molecular signatures to clinical data. However, performing NGS on FFPE samples is limited by poor RNA purification methods. To address this hurdle, we developed an improved methodology for extracting high-quality RNA from FFPE samples. By briefly integrating a newly-designed micro-homogenizing (mH) tool with commercially available FFPE RNA extraction protocols, RNA recovery is increased by approximately 3-fold while maintaining standard A260/A280 ratios and RNA quality index (RQI) values. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the mH-purified FFPE RNAs are longer and of higher integrity. Previous studies have suggested that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) gene expression signatures vary significantly under in vitro versus in vivo and in vivo subcutaneous versus orthotopic conditions. By using our improved mH-based method, we were able to preserve established expression patterns of KRas-dependency genes within these three unique microenvironments. Finally, expression analysis of novel biomarkers in KRas mutant PDAC samples revealed that PEAK1 decreases and MST1R increases by over 100-fold in orthotopic versus subcutaneous microenvironments. Interestingly, however, only PEAK1 levels remain elevated in orthotopically grown KRas wild-type PDAC cells. These results demonstrate the critical nature of the orthotopic tumor microenvironment when evaluating the clinical relevance of new biomarkers in cells or patient-derived samples. Furthermore, this new mH-based FFPE RNA extraction method has the potential to enhance and expand future FFPE-RNA-NGS cancer biomarker studies

Development and Validation of a Comprehensive Tool for Assessing Postgraduate Students' Oral Presentations

Introduction: The aim of this study was to develop an oral presentations assessment tool for postgraduate students' oral presentations. Methods: First, a literature review and the ideas of 319 experienced professors were used to identify dimensions and potential items. Then the psychometric properties of the preliminary tool were measured using face and content validity, inter-rater agreement and test-retest reliability. Results: The four dimensions of the developed tool were subject knowledge, delivery, content and organization, and ergonomics. Mean content validity index and content validity ratio scores were 0.93 and 0.76, respectively. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient for the two evaluation periods was 0.92. The intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.78. Conclusion: In this study, important cognitive factors in oral presentations in the form of ergonomic dimensions were included for the first time, as part of a comprehensive tool. The developed tool has appropriate psychometric properties and could be used as a valid and applicable instrument to assess post-graduate students' oral presentations

Prediction of Metabolic Syndrome based on Sleep and Work-related Risk Factors using an Artificial Neural Network.

Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major public health concern due to its high prevalence and association with heart disease and diabetes. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are emerging as a reliable means of modelling relationships towards understanding complex illness situations such as MetS. Using ANN, this research sought to clarify predictors of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a working age population. Methods 468 employees of an oil refinery in Iran consented to providing anthropometric and biochemical measurements, and survey data pertaining to lifestyle, work-related stressors and sleep variables. National Cholesterol Education Programme Adult Treatment Panel ІІI criteria was used for determining MetS status. The Management Standards Indicator Tool and STOP-BANG questionnaire were used to measure work-related stress and obstructive sleep apnoea respectively. With 17 input variables, multilayer perceptron was used to develop ANNs in 16 rounds of learning. ANNs were compared to logistic regression models using the mean squared error criterion for validation. Results Sex, age, exercise habit, smoking, high risk of obstructive sleep apnoea, and work-related stressors, particularly Role, all significantly affected the odds of MetS, but shiftworking did not. Prediction accuracy for an ANN using two hidden layers and all available input variables was 89%, compared to 72% for the logistic regression model. Sensitivity was 82.5% for ANN compared to 67.5% for the logistic regression, while specificities were 92.2% and 74% respectively. Conclusions Our analyses indicate that ANN models which include psychosocial stressors and sleep variables as well as biomedical and clinical variables perform well in predicting MetS. The findings can be helpful in designing preventative strategies to reduce the cost of healthcare associated with MetS in the workplace

Path analysis of the relationship between optimism, humor, affectivity, and marital satisfaction among infertile couples

Marital satisfaction is an important factor for establishing a family relationship, feeling satisfied, and living happily together. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between optimism, humor, positive and negative affect, and marital satisfaction among infertile couples. The sample comprised 80 infertile Iranian couples (n = 160) who visited infertility clinics. Participants completed a series of Persian versions of psychometric scales related to optimism (Attributional Style Questionnaire), humor (Humor Styles Questionnaire), marital satisfaction (Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire), positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). The obtained result of Smart PLS statistical analysis confirmed the significant positive correlation between optimism and humor with marital satisfaction and high PA and low NA. Moreover, the findings also provided an adequate fit of the model. The findings demonstrated that infertile couples high in optimism and humor have higher levels of marital satisfaction and high PA and low PA. Based on the study’s findings, interventions for facilitating optimism and humor among infertile couples are discussed

Evaluation of Complications after Surgical Treatment of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Background: Surgical treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is necessary when non-surgical treatments fail. Complications of surgical procedures vary from short-term post-surgical pain to permanent disability. The outcome of TOS surgery is affected by the visibility during the operation. In this study, we have compared the complications arising during the supraclavicular and the transaxillary approaches to determine the appropriate approach for TOS surgery. Methods: In this study, 448 patients with symptoms of TOS were assessed. The male-to-female ratio was approximately 1:4, and the mean age was 34.5 years. Overall, 102 operations were performed, including unilateral, bilateral, and reoperations, and the patients were retrospectively evaluated. Of the 102 patients, 63 underwent the supraclavicular approach, 32 underwent the transaxillary approach, and 7 underwent the transaxillary approach followed by the supraclavicular approach. Complications were evaluated over 24 months. Results: The prevalence of pneumothorax, hemothorax, and vessel injuries in the transaxillary and the supraclavicular approaches was equal. We found more permanent and transient brachial plexus injuries in the case of the transaxillary approach than in the case of the supraclavicular approach, but the difference was not statistically significant. Persistent pain and symptoms were significantly more common in patients who underwent the transaxillary approach (p＜0.05). Conclusion: The supraclavicular approach seems to be the more effective technique of the two because it offers the surgeon better access to the brachial plexus and a direct view. This approach for a TOS operation offers a better surgical outcome and lower reoperation rates than the transaxillary method. Our results showed the supraclavicular approach to be the preferred method for TOS operations

The catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure of multiple sclerosis patients in Iran

Background: The present study was designed and conducted to evaluate multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment costs and the resulting economic impact imposed on MS patients in Iran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, among randomly selected 300 MS patients, registered in the MS Association of East Azerbaijan Province, Iran (1 year after their treatment began). The regression analysis, ANOVA, T-test, and chi-square were used. Results: The average amount of out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) by MS patients during the previous year was 1669.20 USD, most of which was spent on medication, rehabilitation care, and physician visits. Their mean annual income was 5182.84 USD. Fifty four percent of families with an MS patient suffer from catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and 44% experience poverty caused by the OOPs. Occupational status, having supplemental health insurance, and being residents of Tabriz significantly affect OOPs, CHE, and the resulting poverty (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The catastrophic financial burden of health care costs on MS patients and their families justifies health policymakers to promote pre-payment systems and provide subsidies to less well-off patients to protect them from the unfairness of OOPs and its resulting CHE and poverty.