Comparison of fitting stability of the different soft toric contact lenses

Purpose: To compare lens orientation and rotational recovery of five currently available soft toric lenses. Methods: Twenty subjects were recruited and trialed with each of the study lenses in a random order. Study lenses were PureVision® Toric (B&L), Air Optix® for Astigmatism (Alcon), Biofinity® Toric (CooperVision), Acuvue® Advance for Astigmatism (Vistakon), and Proclear® Toric (CooperVision). Lens orientation in primary position to determine the lens rotation form the vertical position and rotational recovery to primary gaze orientation following a 45° manual misorientation for the different lenses was compared. Results: The Biofinity Toric showed the lowest rotation from the vertical position and the Proclear Toric the highest. Also, the highest and the lowest reorientation speed were related to the Biofinity Toric and the Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism, respectively. The Repeated Measures ANOVA showed a significant difference in the lens rotation (P=. 0.004) and rotational recovery (P<. 0.001) among different contact lenses and the performed multiple comparisons indicated differences in rotation and also in reorientation speed were only seen between the Biofinity Toric when compared to four other lenses (P<. 0.05). Conclusion: Although there was appropriate fitting, based upon lens orientation and reorientation speed, with each of the study lenses it would appear that the optimized ballast technique used in the design of the Biofinity Toric helps reduce lens rotation and improve rotational recovery compared to others

The relationship between emotional intelligence and addiction potential tendency pre-university students

Background and aims: Unfavorable emotional growth in adults may lead to addiction. This study investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and students’ potential talent pertaining to addiction. Methods: This study is a descriptive analytical study. All male students of pre-universities in Shahrekord city participated in this study One hundred and twelve participnts were chosen based on the stage cluster sampling. In order to collect data emotional intelligence questionnaire and addictive potential survey (APS) were used. Data were analyzed based on Pearson and regression correlation. Results: The results Showed that there is a negative significant relationship among the emotional intelligence (P<0.05, r=-0.37), emotional save order (P<0.01 r=-0.63, P<0.01 r=-0.60) and emotional usability (P<0.01 r=-0.51, P<0.01 r=-0.49) in students resident in city and in rural area respectively and addiction vulnerability. Emotional intelligence and emotional save order components have the potential to predict the addiction tendency (P<0.01). Conclusion: Lack of emotional intelligence is one of the major factors that affect drug using tendency in students. Therefore, training is necessary for students

PRIORITIZATION AND VALUATION FACTORS AFFECTING ON BRAND EQUITY BASED ON THE GILL MODEL: A CASE STUDY ON BUYERS OF LG HOME PRODUCTS IN KERMANSHAH CITY, IRAN

ABSTRACT Brand equity (BE) is measured in different international brands by international institutions each year. However, this valuation important for companies to see the customer, because their survival and success depends on their customers. In current study, effective factors on brand equity (price, advertisement, promotions and family) were investigated, using their effects on aspects of brand equity (brand image, awareness of it, loyalty to it and its perceived qua lity). In fact model of Gill et al (2007) was used to study effective factors on brand equity from a consumers&apos; point of view. In this model for the first time family variable is studied along with others. Statistical population was LG home-product consumers in whole Kermanshah city. Since the number of members in this population was infinite, a sample size of 384 persons was derived from Morgan&apos;s table; these were selected by cluster sampling. Statistical significance of Pearson&apos;s correlation coefficients were tested at alpha= 0.01. The results indicated that the loyalty factor was the most effective variable factors affecting brand equity (r= 0.729). Regarding model of Gill et al. the largest positive correlation was found between the positive information about the brand in the family and its perceived quality (r= 0.642). This means that the family is an effective source of power on behavior and perception of the consumer

Effect of polycaprolactone/carbon nanotube scaffold implantation along with liposomal ellagic acid in hippocampal synaptogenesis after spinal cord injury

Objective(s): Memory and cognition impairments are the most important secondary effects of spinal cord injury (SCI) in the hippocampus. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effect of implantation of polycaprolactone/ functionalized multiwall carbon nanotube (PCL/f-MWCNT) scaffold along with ellagic acid loaded liposome (EA@lip) in neurological function recovery and hippocampus deficit after SCI.Materials and Methods: Twenty-four female Wistar rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups (n=6): Ctrl- group (laminectomy without SCI), Ctrl+ group (SCI), PCL/CNT group (implantation of PCL/f-MWCNT scaffold) and PCL/CNT/EA group (implantation of PCL/f-MWCNT/EA@lip scaffold). The injury model was the dorsal hemisection at the T9 level. Characterization of EA@lip made by remote loading method was done by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Also, the morphology of PCL/f-MWCNT fibers was investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Behavioral tests were used to evaluate the neurobehavioral performance of the animals. After 4-weeks, excitatory postsynaptic potential was recorded from the CA1 area of the hippocampus. Hippocampal mRNA levels of amyloid beta precursor protein (APP), cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (CNP), glutamate ionotropic receptor kainate type subunit 2 (GRIK2) and syntaxin-binding protein 1 (Munc 18-1) were assayed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).Results: We demonstrated that, after implanting the PCL/CNT scaffold with or without EA@lip, the hippocampal action potential improved by increasing the slope and amplitude of fEPSP compared to the Ctrl+ group. RT-qPCR data showed that the expression of CNP and Munc 18-1 increased, and the expression of APP and GRIK2 decreased, in the groups that received PCL/CNT with or without EA@lip compared to the injury group. We also proved that the treatment with PCL/CNT/EA@lip improved behavioral performance compared to the Ctrl+ and PCL/CNT groups.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that PCL/f-MWCNT/EA@lip scaffold implantation improves functional potential and alters the expression of memory-related genes in the hippocampus post-injury

Correlation of Horizontal Cephalic Index and Cranial Parameters in Iranian Medical Students

Cranial parameters and cephalic indices are used to evaluate the racial and gender differences. The aim of this study was to assess the cephalic indices, to classify the type of cranium and to determine the relationship between the horizontal cephalic index and cranial parameters among Iranian medical students. This study was done on 200 medical students (100 males and 100 females) with an age range of 18-30-year-old. Head length, head breadth, and auricular height were measured by using a standard spreading caliper. Then cephalic indices were calculated for the classification of cranial type. The linear regression was used for examining the relationship between the horizontal cephalic index and head length, head breadth and auricular height. The results of this study showed that the mean of the horizontal, vertical, and transverse cephalic index in total students were 83.51±6.85, 85.58±5.85 and 102.77±6.35 cm, respectively. According to this result, the predominant head shapes in total students were brachycephalic, hypsicephalic and acrocephalic types. In this study, there was a strongly negative correlation between horizontal cephalic index with head length (r=-0.744, P=0.000), moderate positive correlation between horizontal cephalic index with head breadth (r=0.512, P=0.000) and weakly negative correlation between horizontal cephalic index with auricular height (r=-0.205, P=0.004). The data of the present study can be beneficial in craniofacial reconstruction, clinical diagnosis, and forensic applications

A novel TECTA mutation causes ARNSHL

Objective Autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) is a genetically heterogeneous sensorineural disorder. Alpha-tectorin, which is encoded by the TECTA gene, is a non-collagenous component of the tectorial membrane in the inner ear defect of which leads to moderate to severe hearing loss (HL). Methods 25 unrelated Iranian multiplex ARNSHL families, negative for GJB2 mutations, were recruited in this study. Clinical inspections including audiometric and otologic examinations ruled out syndromic forms. Genetic linkage analysis was performed using six short tandem repeat markers closely linked to DFNB21. Haplotype and LOD score analysis were used to confirm possible linkage. All coding exons of TECTA were subject to DNA sequencing in the linked family. Results A novel homozygous variant (c.734G > A) was found in exon 5 of the TECTA gene in one family leading to a nonsense mutation (p.W245×). It co-segregated with HL in the family. This variant was not detected in 50 controls. All affected individuals in the family had moderate to severe HL. It full filled the criteria of a pathogenic variant. Conclusion Our data confirms the phenotype-directed genotyping for DFNB21 deafness against the typical profound HL phenotype seen in the most families segregating ARNSHL. We recommend mutation screening of TECTA in ARNSHL families segregating moderate to severe HL phenotyp

A novel pathogenic variant in the MARVELD2 gene causes autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss in an Iranian family

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hearing loss (HL) is the most common sensorineural disorder and one of the most common human defects. HL can be classified according to main criteria, including: the site (conductive, sensorineural and mixed), onset (pre-lingual and post-lingual), accompanying signs and symptoms (syndromic and non-syndromic), severity (mild, moderate, severe and profound) and mode of inheritance (Autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, X-linked and mitochondrial). Autosomal recessive non-syndromic HL (ARNSHL) forms constitute a major share of the HL cases. In the present study, next-generation sequencing (NGS) was applied to investigate the underlying etiology of HL in a multiplex ARNSHL family from Khuzestan province, southwest Iran. METHODS: In this descriptive study, 20 multiplex ARNSHL families from Khuzestan province, southwest of Iran were recruited. After DNA extraction, genetic linkage analysis (GLA) was applied to screen for a panel of more prevalent loci. One family, which was not linked to these loci, was subjected to Otogenetics deafness Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) panel. RESULTS: NGS results showed a novel deletion-insertion variant (c.1555delinsAA) in the MARVELD2 gene. The variant which is a frameshift in the seventh exon of the MARVELD2 gene fulfills the criteria of being categorized as pathogenic according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guideline. CONCLUSION: NGS is very promising to identify the molecular etiology of highly heterogeneous diseases such as HL. MARVELD2 might be important in the etiology of HL in this region of Iran

Generating Synthetic Computed Tomography and Synthetic Magnetic Resonance (sMR: sT1w/sT2w) Images of the Brain Using Atlas-Based Method

Introduction: Nowadays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in combination with computed-tomography (CT) is increasingly being used in radiation therapy planning. MR and CT images are applied to determine the target volume and calculate dose distribution, respectively. Since the use of these two imaging modalities causes registration uncertainty and increases department workload and costs, in this study, brain synthetic CT (sCT) and synthetic MR (sMR: sT1w/sT2w) images were generated using Atlas-based method; consequently, just one type of image (CT or MR) is taken from the patient. Material and Methods: The dataset included MR and CT paired images from 10 brain radiotherapy (RT) patients. To generate sCT/sMR images, first each MR/CT Atlas was registered to the MR/CT target image, the resulting transformation was applied to the corresponding CT/MR Atlas, which created the set of deformed images. Then, the deformed images were fused to generate a single sCT/sMR image, and finally, the sCT/sMR images were compared to the real CT/MR images using the mean absolute error (MAE). Results: The results showed that the MAE of sMR (sT1w/sT2w) was less than that of sCT images. Moreover, sCT images based on T1w were in better agreement with real CT than sCT-based T2w. In addition, sT1w images represented a lower MAE relative to sT2w. Conclusion: The CT target image was more successful in transferring the geometry of the brain tissues to the synthetic image than MR target

Optimal operation of stand-alone microgrid considering emission issues and demand response program using whale optimization Algorithm

Microgrids are new technologies for integrating renewable energies into power systems. Optimal operation of renewable energy sources in standalone micro-grids is an intensive task due to the continuous variation of their output powers and intermittant nature. This work addresses the optimum operation of an independent microgrid considering the demand response program (DRP). An energy management model with two different scenarios has been proposed to minimize the costs of operation and emissions. Interruptible/curtailable loads are considered in DRPs. Besides, due to the growing concern of the developing efficient optimization methods and algorithms in line with the increasing needs of microgrids, the focus of this study is on using the whale meta-heuristic algorithm for operation management of microgrids. The findings indicate that the whale optimization algorithm outperforms the other known algorithms such as imperialist competitive and genetic algorithms, as well as particle swarm optimization. Furthermore, the results show that the use of DRPS has a significant impact on the costs of operation and emissions

Expression of GABAAα1, GABAB1, and mGluR2 receptors in the lateral geniculate body of male neonates born to diabetic rats

Objective(s): Diabetes during gestation is one of the most common pregnancy complications and has adverse effects on offspring, including a negative impact on the offspring’s central nervous system (CNS). Diabetes is a metabolic disease associated with visual impairment. Due to the importance of the lateral geniculate body (LGB) in the visual pathway, the present study examined the effect of maternal diabetes on the expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAAα1 and GABAB1) and metabotropic Glutamate (mGlu2) receptors in the LGB of male neonates of diabetic rats.Materials and Methods: Diabetes was induced in female adult rats by a single intraperitoneal dose of streptozotocin (STZ) 65 (mg/kg). In the Insulin-treated diabetic rats, diabetes was controlled by subcutaneous NPH-insulin injection daily. After mating and delivery, male offspring were killed by carbon dioxide gas inhalation at P0, P7, and P14 (postnatal days 0, 7, and 14). The expression of GABAAα1, GABAB1, and mGluR2 in the LGB of male neonates was determined using the immunohistochemistry (IHC) method.Results: The expression of GABAAα1 and GABAB1 was significantly reduced, whereas the expression of mGluR2 was markedly increased in the diabetic group compared with the control and insulin-treated groups at P0, P7, and P14.Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that induction of diabetes altered the expression of GABAAα1, GABAB1, and mGluR2 in the LGB of male neonates born to diabetic rats at P0, P7, and P14. Moreover, insulin treatment could reverse these effects of diabetes