The Possible Role of Urinary Tract Infection in Urinary Stone Formation in Children

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate urinary metabolic features as a risk factor in stone formation. Methods: In this case-control study, 222 children ranging from 6 months to 16 years old suffering from urolithiasis in our university hospitals in Iran in 2019-2020 were selected through random sampling and were subsequently evaluated. The research group  were cchildren with urinary stones and urinary tract infection and the control group encompassed children with urinary stones and without urinary tract infection. Data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL) for windows. Results: The ratio of average amounts of calcium, magnesium, oxalate, cystine, uric acid, and citrate   to creatinine showed no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: Urinary tract infection cannot be considered as a factor for stone formation in the urinary tract due to changes in urinary biochemical characteristics. &nbsp

Effective Methylene Blue Removal from Aqueous Solutions using PVA/Chitosan Electrospun Nanofiber Modified with CeAlO3 Nanoparticles

This research work aims to investigate the sorption characteristic of synthesized Poly (vinyl alcohol)/Chitosan nanofiber mats modified with aluminum-cerium spinel oxide (CeAlO3) nanoparticles for methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solutions. The sorption is carried out by a batch technique. The structural characterization of this nanocomposite was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed uniform net and improved nanofibers with diameters ranging about 420 and 450 nm, respectively. The optimum conditions of MB removal onto modified PVA/CS nanofibers were found to be: pH 10, contact time 45 min, and 0.01 g of adsorbent in 400 ml in aqueous solution. Furthermore, the experimental adsorption data were in excellent agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetics. The experimental results showed that there is a good correlation between the obtained data and the adsorption isotherm in the concentration range studied (400-600 mg/l). The results revealed that the maximum adsorption capacity of MB was 817.81 and 714.61 mg/g onto improved and net nanofibers, respectively

In Vitro Antiparasitic and Apoptotic Effects of Antimony Sulfide Nanoparticles on Leishmania infantum

Visceral leishmaniasis is one of the most important sever diseases in tropical and subtropical countries. In the present study the effects of antimony sulfide nanoparticles on Leishmania infantum in vitro were evaluated. Antimony sulfide NPs (Sb2S5) were synthesized by biologicalmethod fromSerratia marcescens bacteria. Then the cytotoxicity effects of different concentrations (5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 μg/mL) of this nanoparticle were assessed on promastigote and amastigote stages of L. infantum. MTTmethodwas used for verification results of promastigote assay. Finally, the percentages of apoptotic, necrotic, and viable cells were determined by flow cytometry. The results indicated the positive effectiveness of antimony sulfide NPs on proliferation of promastigote form. The IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) of antimony sulfide NPs on promastigotes was calculated 50 μg/mL. The cytotoxicity effect was dose-dependent means by increasing the concentration of antimony sulfide NPs, the cytotoxicity curve was raised and the viability curve of the parasite dropped simultaneously. Moreover, the IC50 of antimony sulfide NPs on amastigote stage was calculated 25 μg/mL. On the other hand, however, antimony sulfide NPs have a low cytotoxicity effect on uninfected macrophages but it can induce apoptosis in promastigote stage at 3 of 4 concentrations

Efficacy of biogenic selenium nanoparticles against Leishmania major: In vitro andin vivo studies

Project: This study investigated the in vitro and in vivo effectiveness of biogenic selenium nanoparticles(Se NPs), biosynthesized by Bacillus sp. MSh-1, against Leishmania major (MRHO/IR/75/ER). Procedure:The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiozol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to evaluatethe cytotoxicity effects of the biogenic Se NPs against both promastigote and amastigote forms of L.major. In a separate in vivo experiment, we also determined the preventive and therapeutic effects ofbiogenic Se NPs in BALB/c mice following subcutaneous infected with L. major. Results: The MTT assaysshowed that the highest toxicity occurred after 72 h against both promastigote and amastigote formsof L. major. The cytotoxicity of Se NPs was higher at all incubation times (24, 48, and 72 h) against thepromastigote than the amastigote form (p < 0.05). The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of the Se NPswere 1.62 ± 0.6 and 4.4 ± 0.6 �g ml−1against the promastigote and amastigote forms, respectively, aftera 72-h incubation period. Apoptosis assays showed DNA fragmentation in promastigotes treated with SeNPs. In an animal challenge, prophylactic doses of biogenic Se NPs delayed the development of localizedcutaneous lesions. Moreover, daily administration of Se NPs (5 or 10 mg kg−1day−1) in similarly infectedBALB/c mice that had not received prophylactic doses of Se NPs also abolished the localized lesions after14 days. Conclusion: Based on these in vitro and in vivo studies, biogenic Se NPs can be considered as anovel therapeutic agent for treatment of the localized lesions typical of cutaneous leishmaniasis

Finding Natural Classes of Consonants and Vowels in Qur"an Rhyme

The present study is aimed to find the natural classes in final rhyme of some verses in the Holy Qur"an. Many verses in the Qur"an have the final rhymes ending in the same consonants and vowels; some others don"t have similar consonants or vowels in the final rhyme; however, they have audible beauty. The reason is that there are some phonological relations between final consonants and vowels of one verse to another. This relation can be construed as natural classes of sounds. The text corpus of the present study is comprised of all of the verses of the Holy Qur"an. Some of the key findings of the study are as follows: (1) Although the final consonants and vowels of some sequential verses were different, they can be classified as natural classes; (2) In some chapters, some verses ended in /m/ and some others ended in /n/. These two sounds are classified as natural class of nasals; (3) Natural class of sonorants comprises the most frequent consonants in Qur"an

The Effect of Corona Anxiety and Death Anxiety on Maternal-Child Conflict in Home Quarantine related to :COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the lifestyles and patterns of interaction in families. This study aimed to investigate the effect of coronavirus anxiety and death anxiety on the conflict between mothers and children aged 7 to 12 years in the home quarantine due to COVID-19. Thus, 160 mothers and primary school children in Tehran were studied. The results showed that increasing coronavirus anxiety in mothers increases conflict in children, which was represented in their paintings. The psychological symptoms of coronavirus anxiety were related to the position of the child, mother, and father on the child's drawing, and the physical symptoms of coronavirus anxiety disorder were related to the position of the child, mother, and father in the paintings. Also, death anxiety was related to the child's distance from the mother, the child's and the father's position. Furthermore, the mediating role of death anxiety on the relationship between coronavirus anxiety and Mother-Child Conflict was confirmed. Findings of the study were discussed with Parncutt's “Reflective Consciousness Theory” of maternal hypersensitivity at the time of arousal of fundamental anxiety.   ‌ Coronavirus Anxiety, Death Anxiety, Mother-Child Conflict, Home Quarantine, COVID-19. ‌ ‌Introduction The COVID-19 virus has had unprecedented health, social, and economic effects worldwide. These factors have affected women's and children's health more due to their greater vulnerability, women's gender role as caregivers, and increased exposure to the virus (Rudo et al., 2022). Research shows that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on conflicts within the family. Conflict refers to the inability to resolve differences and is often associated with hostility, tension, or aggression. These conflicts were influenced by various factors, such as changing daily schedules during the home quarantine period, reducing resources such as entertainment, and anxiety caused by the uncertainty of the situation. On the other hand, research results have shown that anxiety is one of the consequences of the spread of the COVID-19 virus (Lopes et al., 2020). Corona anxiety means anxiety caused by the possibility of contracting the coronavirus, which is often due to its unknown nature and cognitive ambiguity. This factor endangers the psychological health of family members and increases tensions at home between family members (Rachel et al., 2020). From the perspective of developmental psychology research, one of the factors that influence the relationship between mother and child is the mother's psychological characteristics, including her level of anxiety and worry. The anxiety and pressures that parents experience during various disasters and incidents, including COVID-19, endanger parents' mental health and affect parent-child relationships by influencing parents' potential behavior. On the other hand, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, people's anxiety about death has increased. Emotions, fears, and thoughts hidden in normal life experiences that are related to the end of life are referred to as death anxiety. When a person suffers from death anxiety, close relationships, intimacy, and attachment are sacrificed in favor of the feeling of loss. This research investigates the effect of coronavirus anxiety and death anxiety on mother-child conflict during home quarantine due to COVID-19.                           Methodology The current study was a descriptive-correlational one, and its statistical population included all mothers with children aged 7 to 12 years old in District 6 of Tehran in December of the academic year 1399-1400. Participants were selected based on entry and exit criteria using convenience sampling. Due to quarantine conditions, research questionnaires were provided to mothers via social networks and with the cooperation of teachers. Finally, 160 samples (80 mothers and 80 children) were examined based on Morgan's table and research criteria. Before the implementation of the research, the mothers were informed of the objectives of the research. They were assured that their information would remain confidential and would only be analyzed collectively. They were also informed that they could leave the research whenever they wanted. SPSS software was used for analysis.   Findings The most frequent age groups were mothers aged 30 to 40 years old and children in first to third grade. First, the demographic information, average, and standard deviation of the data were examined, and then the data were examined using the path analysis method. Beta standardized regression coefficients were also used to interpret the results. The results of the research showed that anxiety Corona is effective on the conflict between mother and child. The psychological component of Corona anxiety was significant with a beta of 0.490 for the subscale of distance from the mother, a beta of 0.095 for the subscale of the mother's position, and a beta of 0.380 for the subscale of the father's position. Additionally, the physical component of Corona anxiety was significant with a beta of 0.267 for the subscale of the child's position, a beta of 0.114 for the subscale of the mother's position, and a beta of 0.177 for the subscale of the father's position. Furthermore, the results of the research showed that death anxiety in the mother is related to the conflict between the mother and the child, and the distance from the mother, the position of the child, and the position of the father indicate an increase in the conflict between the mother and the child. Finally, the mediating role of death anxiety and Corona anxiety was investigated and the results indicated that death anxiety plays a mediating role in the path of Corona anxiety on mother-child conflict.   Result  The findings of the research confirmed the strong relationship between anxiety of Corona and death anxiety in mothers. In other words, it seems that Covid-19 is associated with death for these participants and evokes death anxiety. This is consistent with Parankat's (2019) reflexive awareness theory, which states that both Corona anxiety and death anxiety trigger an overprotective behavioral system to protect the child. Furthermore, the results showed that the increase in Corona anxiety in mothers caused an increase in conflict in children. According to the findings of Valery et al.'s research (2018), the presence of anxiety symptoms in parents causes them to control and master the situation more, which aims to prevent their children from facing threatening situations, and this can cause more conflicts and disputes with their children. Additionally, the research found that Corona anxiety in mothers predicted the relationship between mothers and children and children's aggression. The quality of the mother-child relationship is a factor that can predict anxiety and mood disorders in children, and increasing it in the relationship between parents and children can reduce anxiety in children (Franz and McKinney, 2018). Moreover, this research showed that death anxiety plays a mediating role in the relationship between Corona anxiety and mother-child conflict. 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(1983). The family stress process: The double ABCX model of adjustment and adaptation. Marriage & Family Review, 6(1-2), 7-37. Menzies, R. E. & Menzies, R. G. (2020). Death anxiety in the time of COVID-19: theoretical explanations and clinical implications. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, doi: 10.1017/S1754470X20000215. Menzies, R. E., Neimeyer, R. A. & Menzies, R. G. (2020). Death anxiety, loss, and grief in the time of COVID-19. Behaviour Change, 37(3), 111-115. Mohammadi, F., Kohan, S. H., Farzi, S., Khosravi, M. & Heidari, Z. (2021). The effect of pregnancy training classes based on bndura self-efficacy theory on postpartum depression and anxiety and type of delivery. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10, 1-6. (In Peraian) Mucci, F., Mucci, N. & Diolaiuti, F. (2020). Lockdown and isolation: Psychological aspects of COVID-19 pandemic in the general population. Clinical Neuropsychiatry: Journal of Treatment Evaluation, 17(2), 63-64. 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Effects of L-Carnitine on follicular reserve and Caspase-3 in transplanted mouse ovarian tissue

Introdution: One of the major challengs in ovarian tissue transplantation is overcomeing ischemia/ reperfusion injuries. During ischemia–reperfusion processes, oxygen free radicals constitute the most important component that induces damage of the grafted tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of L-Carnitine (LC) as an antioxidant on heterotopic transplantation of mouse ovarian tissue. Methods: In this laboratory experimental study, 5- week old female NMRI mice were divided into four groups: control, transplanted without administration (autograft), sham group (autograft+ saline) and LC group (autograft+ L- carnitine). Left ovarian tissues were transplanted into the Gluteal muscle for 3 weeks. After this time, ovarian tissues from all groups were removed and fixed in formalin for histological studies. Furthermore, rate of Caspase- 3 was assessed by immunohistochemistry test. Lipid peroxidation was assessed by measuring  malondialdehyde (MDA). One-way ANOVA and Tudey test was used to analyze the data using the spss 16 software. Significance was defined as P≤0.0. Results: The study results indicated that total follicular count in transplantedwithout administration and sham groups was significantly lower than the control group (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the control and LC groups. In addition, the rate of caspase-3 was decreased in the LC group, but no significant difference existed between all groups (p<0.05). A significant reduction in the concentration of MDA was observed in the LC group than that in the other transplanted groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, LC could improve the ovarian reserve to some extent, but its effect was not significant

Extracellular Production of Silver Nanoparticles by Using Three Common Species of Dermatophytes: Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis

ABSTRACT Background: To develop a new green approach for biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles, myconanotechnology has been represented as a novel field of study in nanotechnology. In this study, we have reported the extracellular synthesis of highly stable silver nanoparticles using three species of dermatophytes: Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis. Methods: Clinical strains of these species were grown in a liquid medium containing mineral salt and incubated at 25°C for 5-7 days. The cell-free filtrate of each culture was obtained and subjected to synthesize silver nanoparticles in the presence of 1 mM AgNO 3 . Results: The reduction of Ag+ ions in metal nanoparticles was investigated virtually by tracing the solution color which was switched into reddish-light brown after 72 h. For T. mentagrophytes, a UV-visible spectra demonstrating a strong, quite narrow peak located between 422 and 425 nm was obtained. For M. canis, a fairly wide peak centering at 441 nm and for T. rubrum, a weak spectrum to decipher were observed. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results, fairly uniform, spherical, and small in size with almost less than 50 nm particles were forms in case of T. mentagrophytes. For the other two species, TEM images showed existence of small spherical nanosilvers but not as small as nanoparticles synthesized by T. mentagrophytes. Conclusion: We observed that species belong to a single genus of the fungi have variable ability to synthesize silver nanoparticles extracellulary with different efficiency. Furthermore, the extracellular synthesis may make the process simpler and easier for following processes. Iran

Utility of the CT Scan in Diagnosing Midgut Volvulus in Patients with Chronic Abdominal Pain

Symptomatic intestinal malrotation first presenting in the adults is rare. Midgut volvulus is the most common complication of malrotation in the adults. Because of more differential diagnosis, Computed Tomography (CT) scan can play an important role in the evaluation of patients with this abnormality. The whirl pattern around the superior mesenteric artery found on CT scan in patients with midgut volvulus is pathognomonic and diagnostic. We describe a case of intestinal malrotation complicated by midgut volvulus in an adult patient. The preoperative CT findings were pathognomonic