The effect of honey on lipid profiles: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials

Honey is known not only as a natural food but also as complementary medicine. According to the controversial evidence about the effects of honey on blood lipids, this meta-analysis was performed to investigate the potential effects of honey on lipid profiles. Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. All human controlled clinical trials (either with a parallel or a crossover design) published in English that reported changes in serum lipid markers (Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglyceride (TG), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C), High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio) following honey consumption were considered. Standardized Mean Differences (SMDs) and their respective 95 Confidence Intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the changes in lipid profiles following honey consumption by random effects model. Statistical heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis, publication bias, and quality of the included studies were assessed, as well. The meta-analysis of 23 trials showed that honey had no significant effects on TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. Significant heterogeneity was seen among the studies for all the studied factors (I2 index > 50). Subgroup analysis based on the lipid profile status, types of honey, and intervention duration revealed no significant effect on TC, TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C. Quality of the evidences varied form very low to moderate according to various parameters. In conclusion, honey consumption did not affect serum lipid profiles (TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio). © 2021 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved

Prevalence of Merkel cell polyomavirus in Tehran: An age-specific serological study

Background: Several new types of polyomavirus have been discovered in recent years mainly because of the recent state-of-the-art detection technologies. Among the polyomaviruses, Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has attracted the most attention because of its possible role in the etiology of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but lethal form of skin cancer. Objectives: This study aimed to determine age-specific seroprevalence of MCPyV in Tehran. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we collected 440 serum samples from healthy individuals 2 to 78 years of age who visited the Pasteur Institute�s clinic in Tehran, Iran, using a convenience sampling strategy. We developed a virus-like particle-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that uses VP1, the major capsid protein of MCPyV, to detect and quantitate serum antibodies to MCPyV. We compared the prevalence of MCPyV between males and females and across eight age groups. Results: A total of 255 (57.9) of the serum samples were MCPyV positive. The seroprevalence in children under 10 years of age was 25. The seroprevalence increased to 56 over the next decade of life (10 - 19 years of age). The seroprevalence rate in males and females was 56.1 and 59.7 respectively, and a binary logistic regression showed no significant difference between males and females (P = 0.77). However, the prevalence of MCPyV increased with age (P = 0.012). Conclusions: Our results suggest that human exposure to MCPyV occurs throughout life. The MCPyV antibody levels remained high among older adults in our population, consistent with reports from other populations. © 2016, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Design, construction, and test of the Gas Pixel Detectors for the IXPE mission

Due to be launched in late 2021, the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer mission designed to perform polarization measurements in the 2-8 keV band, complemented with imaging, spectroscopy and timing capabilities. At the heart of the focal plane is a set of three polarization-sensitive Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD), each based on a custom ASIC acting as a charge-collecting anode. In this paper we shall review the design, manufacturing, and test of the IXPE focal-plane detectors, with particular emphasis on the connection between the science drivers, the performance metrics and the operational aspects. We shall present a thorough characterization of the GPDs in terms of effective noise, trigger efficiency, dead time, uniformity of response, and spectral and polarimetric performance. In addition, we shall discuss in detail a number of instrumental effects that are relevant for high-level science analysis -- particularly as far as the response to unpolarized radiation and the stability in time are concerned.Comment: To be published in Astroparticle Physic

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE): Technical Overview

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) will expand the information space for study of cosmic sources, by adding linear polarization to the properties (time, energy, and position) observed in x-ray astronomy. Selected in 2017 January as a NASA Astrophysics Small Explorer (SMEX) mission, IXPE will be launched into an equatorial orbit in 2021. The IXPE mission will provide scientifically meaningful measurements of the x-ray polarization of a few dozen sources in the 2-8 keV band, including polarization maps of several x-ray-bright extended sources and phase-resolved polarimetry of many bright pulsating x-ray sources

Knowledge Priorities on Climate Change and Water in the Upper Indus Basin: A Horizon Scanning Exercise to Identify the Top 100 Research Questions in Social and Natural Sciences

River systems originating from the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) are dominated by runoff from snow and glacier melt and summer monsoonal rainfall. These water resources are highly stressed as huge populations of people living in this region depend on them, including for agriculture, domestic use, and energy production. Projections suggest that the UIB region will be affected by considerable (yet poorly quantified) changes to the seasonality and composition of runoff in the future, which are likely to have considerable impacts on these supplies. Given how directly and indirectly communities and ecosystems are dependent on these resources and the growing pressure on them due to ever-increasing demands, the impacts of climate change pose considerable adaptation challenges. The strong linkages between hydroclimate, cryosphere, water resources, and human activities within the UIB suggest that a multi- and inter-disciplinary research approach integrating the social and natural/environmental sciences is critical for successful adaptation to ongoing and future hydrological and climate change. Here we use a horizon scanning technique to identify the Top 100 questions related to the most pressing knowledge gaps and research priorities in social and natural sciences on climate change and water in the UIB. These questions are on the margins of current thinking and investigation and are clustered into 14 themes, covering three overarching topics of ‘governance, policy, and sustainable solutions’, ‘socioeconomic processes and livelihoods’, and ‘integrated Earth System processes’. Raising awareness of these cutting-edge knowledge gaps and opportunities will hopefully encourage researchers, funding bodies, practitioners, and policy makers to address them

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Ascorbic acid decreases morphine self-administration and withdrawal symptoms in rats

Recent studies have indicated that the glutamatergic system is involved in the motivational aspects during the initiation of drug selfadministration. Ascorbic acid (AA), an antioxidant vitamin, is released from glutamatergic neurons, and it modulates the synaptic action of dopamine and glutamate. In this study the AA effects on the self-administration of morphine and on the morphine withdrawal syndrome have been investigated. Wistar rats were allowed to self-administer morphine (1 mg/infusion) during 10 consecutive days for 2 h/session. The number of lever pressings was recorded. An intrapritoneal AA injection (500 mg/kg, i.p.), 30 min before morphine self-administration produced a significant decrease in the initiation of morphine self administration during all sessions. After the last test session morphine withdrawal symptom signs (MWS) were recorded after naloxone precipitation. Most of MWS (but not all) were decreased by AA application. In conclusion, AA may change the motivational processes underlying the morphine self-administration

Ocean thermal energy estimate in the southeastern of Caspian Sea: A numerical study

1581-1586The thermal structure of the Caspian Sea was studied using the three-dimensional ocean model COHERENS. Based on the simulation findings in winter, the season thermocline is almost non-existent with unvarying temperature to a depth of 100 m. However, this layer is reproduced in spring following its surface erosion in winter. A sturdy thermocline in summer and at the start of autumn causes a reduction of thermocline thickness. Hence, findings indicate thermal energy in the study area intensifications during summer. Moreover, on the eastern coast of the Sea, the efficiency was examined to establish an OTEC power plant

Comparision between therapeutic efficacy of terbinafine and ketoconazole in Tinea versicolor

Background and Objective: Tinea versicolor is a common fungal infection of the skin caused by the dimorphic lipophilic yeast Pityrosporum orbicular (Malassezia furfur). Lesions begin as multiple small, circular macules of various colors. The upper trunk is most commonly affected due to the side effects of oral treatment and drug resistance, this study was done to compare the therapeutic efficacy of topical terbinafine versus topical ketoconazole in Tinea versicolor. Materials and Methods: This Randomized double blind clinical trial study was conducted between 2008-09. Sixty nine patients with a clinical diagnosis of pityriasis versicolor confirmed by microscopic potassium hydroxide (KOH) examination were taken for the study. Patients randomly divided into 2 treatment groups: 35 patients in terbinafine group, treated by terbinafine 1% once daily for 2 weeks and 34 patients in ketoconazole group, treated with ketoconazole 2% once daily for 2 weeks. Five patients of terbinafine and 4 patients of ketoconazole groups were excluded due to lack of follow-up. Patients were followed up at monthly intervals for 3 months and recurrence and cure rate for each subject were recorded. Data was analyzed by SPSS-16, t student and Chi-Square test. Results: The mean moderate cure rate obtained one month after treatment was 20% in terbinafine group versus 3.3% in ketoconazole group, and there was no any significant difference between two groups. The mean moderate cure rate two month after treatment was 67.7% in terbinafine group and 60% in ketoconazole group (P<0.05). The mean complete cure rate three month after treatment was 73.3% in terbinafine group and 10% in ketoconazole group (P<0.05). The percent of positive KOH examination, three month after treatment was 10% in terbinafine group and 36.7% in ketoconazole group (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that terbinafin is more effective than ketoconazole in treatment of tinea versicolor