Role of resilience training on compromising of infertile couples’ applicant for divorce: A cross-sectional study

Background: Divorce is a social issue, which challenges not only the structure of family but also of a society. Studies have shown that infertility affects the marital boredom. In addition, resilience training and emphasizing on increasing piety (religiousness) can help to decrease this boredom. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the resilience training effects on the compromising of infertile couples’ applicant for divorce. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 infertile couples who had requested for divorce and referred to the Center for consolidation of the family foundation were enrolled. Participants were randomly divided in two categories (n= 50/each): the case group received some consultation classes on social services as well as resilience training by a consultant in 5 sessions lasting 2 hr. In total, 10 hr of treatment; while the control group just received the consultation and social services. Canner and Davidson questionnaires were utilized as pre- and posttest in both groups. Groups answered the resilience’s criterion of Canner and Davidson. Results: The resilience training significantly increased the compromises made by couples in the case group compared to the control (p < 0.01). The results showed that 26% of members of the case group relinquished divorce, while 10% of control group members did the same; this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The resilience training leads to increased psychological well-being elements and compromises in infertile couples. Key words: Resilience, Education, Infertility, Divorce

Knoevenagel condensation of isatins with malononitrile/ethyl cyanoacetate in the presence of sulfonic acid functionalized silica (SBA-Pr-SO3H) as a new nano-reactor

The Knoevenagel condensation between isatins and active methylene compounds like malononitrile and ethyl cyanoacetate to prepare 2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene malononitrile/ cyanoacetates is described. The reactions occur in the presence of sulfonic acid functionalized silica SBA-15 (SBA-Pr-SO3H) in an aqueous medium giving excellent yields of the products in short reaction times. SBA-Pr-SO3H with a pore size of 6 nm is found to be an efficient and environmentally benign catalyst for this reaction

The Effect of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy with Radachlorin® on Staphylococcus Aureus and Escherichia Coli: An in Vitro Study

Introduction: The aim of this study is the evaluation of the effect of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy with Radachlorin on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.New windows are open in the antimicrobial field so-call Photodynamic therapy that incorporates a nonpoisonous photosensitizer (PS) with innocuous special wavelength photons to excite the PS.Methods: Two strains of bacteria used in this study were Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 33591; PTCC 1764) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922; PTCC1399). Concentrations of 0.2 ml of Radachlorin® were applied on 0.2 ml of bacterial suspensions and placed in a 48-well microtiter plate. The following groups were used: (I) L− PS− (no laser, no photosensitizer), (II) L−PS+ (treated only with PS), (III) L+ PS− (treated only with laser) and (IV) L+ PS+ (treated with laser and PS: photodynamic therapy group). Aliquots of bacterial suspensions were sensitized with Radachlorin® for 15 minutes in the dark at room temperature and then bacterial suspensions in group III and IV were irradiated with 210 mW (power density) and 12 J/cm2 (energy density) on continuous mode.Results: This study showed that photodynamic therapy reduces 0.14 log 10 in E.Coli (group IV) and there were significant differences for group IV (P<0.01). Photodynamic therapy in S.Aureus showed 6.28 log 10 colony count reduction (group IV) and there were highly significant differences in Photodynamic therapy group (P<0.0001).Conclusion: Radachlorin® have bactericidal effect on S.aureus (6.28 log 10) and bacteriostatic effect on E.coli (0.14 log 10)

Dual stimulation in unexpected poor responder POSEIDON classification group 1, sub–group 2a: A cross-sectional study

Background: Poor ovarian response management is a complex and controversial issue in the field of reproductive medicine. Objective: The aim of this study was to apply double stimulation in the same cycle in unexpected poor responders in POSEIDON classification group 1, sub group 2a and compare assisted reproductive technology outcomes between luteal phase and follicular phase ovarian stimulation. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 10 women with age < 35 yr, antral follicle count > 5, and anti-müllerian hormone > 1.2 ng/mL were enrolled. All participants received conventional antagonist protocol in the follicular phase and only the cycles with retrieved oocytes < 4 in this phase included. The luteal phase ovarian stimulation was initiated from the day of first oocytes retrieval by 300 IU of human menopausal gonadotropin / day. When dominant follicles amounted to 14 mm in mean diameter, 0.25 mg/day of gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist was initiated and 10,000 IU human chorionic gonadotropin was injected when at least two follicles with a mean diameter of 17 mm were observed. Oocyte retrieval was carried out 34-36 hr following human chorionic gonadotropin injection. Finally, a comparison was made between the two phase in terms of the number of retrieved oocytes as well as the number of obtained embryos and fertilization rates. Results: Numbers of retrieved oocytes (p = 0.004), mature oocytes (p = 0.016), and embryos (p = 0.013) was significantly higher in luteal phase in compared with follicular phase. Quality of embryos was similar in two phases. Conclusion: Double stimulation protocol can increase number of retrieved oocytes in unexpected PORs. Key words: Dual stimulation, Poor responder, POSEIDON classification, Luteal-phase, Follicular phase, Ovarian stimulation

Improvement of sperm function, chromatin damage, and oxidative damage by N-Acetyl cysteine in varicocelized rats model

Introduction: N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), an acetylated form of the amino acid cysteine and precursor of reduced glutathione, plays important roles in a multitude of cellular processes, such as oxidative damage and detoxification of many electrophiles. Considering the pathophysiology of oxidative stress induced infertility in varicocele, we aimed to investigate the effect of NAC on semen analysis parameters (light microscopy), chromatin structure (aniline blue and acridine orange staining), and lipid peroxidation (BODIPY probe) in varicocelized rats.Methods: In this experimental study, varicocelizing surgery was carried out on 30 Wistar rats. Ten of them were sacrificed after two months (one round spermatogenesis), together with control rats (n=10) and sham operated rats (n=10), to verify the varicocele model. Out of the remaining twenty varicocelized rats, ten received NAC while ten were treated with water (control group) for two months.Results: All the investigational parameters (sperm parameters, chromatin integrity, and lipid peroxidation) severely worsened 2 and 4 months after surgical varicocele. The administration of NAC for two months significantly improved all the investigational parameters as compared to control rats at four months (p<0.05).Conclusion: The supplementation of varicocelized rats with NAC was effective in antagonizing the damage as well as in preserving testicular structure and spermatogenetic function. These effects are likely to occur also in clinical varicocele

Cleaning of Floating Photovoltaic Systems: A Critical Review on Approaches from Technical and Economic Perspectives

There are some environmental factors, such as ambient temperature, dust, etc., which cause a reduction in the efficiency of Photovoltaic (PV) systems. Installation of PV panels on the water surface, commonly known as Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) systems, is one solution to employ PV panels in a cooler environment, achieve higher efficiency, and reduce water evaporation. FPV systems open up new opportunities for scaling up solar generating capacity, especially in countries with high population density and valuable lands, as well as countries with high evaporation rates and water resources deficiency. Since the FPV system is an almost new concept, its cleaning techniques have not been comprehensively studied. While FPV systems are located on the surface of water resources and reservoirs, the water quality can limit the application of different cleaning techniques. Therefore, this paper investigates different techniques of FPV systems cleaning and categorizes them into water-based and water-free approaches. In addition, their cleaning frequencies, as well as economic aspects, are presented and discussed to determine their merits and demerits for using them in FPV system

Investigating the Signaling Pathways Involved in Fighting Opportunistic Virus Infection with Helper T Lymphocyte Cells

Introduction: People with weakened immune system are more prone to opportunistic infections (OIs). Finding the association of these viruses and the transmission pathways associated with these viruses, such as EBV and CMV, play a significant role in investigating their association with helper T lymphocytes. In this study, bioinformatics analysis was used to examine and candidate genes in pathways associated with opportunistic viruses with helper T lymphocytes. Method: In this study, by referring to the GEO database, a suitable database was selected for analysis. This dataset included gene expression profiles in EBV and CMV virus infections. Gene clusters were classified into high and low expression. Rich databases such as Enrichr, STRING, and Networkanalyst were used to evaluate the data more accurately. Finally, the candidate genes were isolated and their protein binding was measured. Results: 964 high-expression genes and 837 low-expression genes are involved in the progression of opportunistic viral infections with lymphocytes. Cell cycle pathways, oxidative stress, RNA synthesis and TGFB were significantly observed. Conclusion: The present study showed that important proteins and genes played a major role in enhancing the inflammation of opportunistic viruses such as Epstein-Barr and Cytomegalovirus, among which CDK2, CCNB1, GSK3B, SRC, and SMAD3 showed a more prominent role in this pathway

The effect of size, morphology and surface properties of mesoporous silica nanoparticles on pharmacokinetic aspects and potential toxicity concerns

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are considered as suitable delivery vehicles considering their unique characteristics. Various physicochemical characteristics of MSNs govern their pharmacokinetic parameters which affect the disposition of these nanoparticles in the body. Along with the advantages of MSNs, the toxicity of nanoparticles entering the body is a major concern. Various factors such as particle size, surface charge, route of administration, etc., may affect organ toxicity of MSNs. The main target organs involved in the metabolism and elimination of MSNs are the kidney and the liver as well as the hematopoietic system. In this review, we first introduced the physicochemical characteristics of MSNs which affect the pharmacokinetic properties including drug absorption and bio-distribution. Thereafter, we discussed the mechanisms by which organ toxicity may occur. In this regard, the effects of various factors on organ-based MSNs toxicities and molecular mechanisms have been summarized. At last, we emphasized on the role of the physicochemical parameters on organ-based toxicities, and the proposed approaches to prevent or at least diminish MSN-related toxicities are discussed in detail

Screening Characteristics of Ultrasonography in Detection of Ankle Fractures

Introduction: Ankle fracture is one of the most common joint fractures. X-ray and physical examination are itsmain methods of diagnosis. Recently, ultrasonography (US) is considered as a simple and non-invasive methodof fracture diagnosis. This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of US in detection of ankle fracture in comparisonto plain radiography. Methods: In this diagnostic accuracy study, which was done in emergency departmentsof Imam Hossein and Shohadaye Tajrish hospitals, Tehran, Iran, during 2014, 141 patients with suspecteddiagnosis of distal leg or ankle fracture were examined by US and radiography (gold standard), independently.Screening performance characteristics of US in detection of distal leg fractures were calculated using SPSS version21. Results: 141 patients with the mean age of 34§11.52 years (range: 15–50) were evaluated (75.9% male).Radiography confirmed ankle fracture in 102 (72.3%) patients. There was a significant correlation between theresults of US and radiography [Agreement: 95%; kappa: 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80–0.97); P Ç 0.001]. The screening performancecharacteristics of US in detection ankle fracture were as follows: sensitivity 98.9% (95% CI: 93.5% -99.9%), specificity 86.4% (95% CI: 71.9%–94.3%), PPV 94.1% (95% CI: 87.1%–97.6%), NPV 97.4% (95% CI: 84.9%–99.8%), PLR 16 (95% CI: 7.3–34.8), and NLR 0.02 (95% CI: 0.003 – 0.182). The area under the ROC curve of USin this regard was 95.8 (95% CI: 91.9§99.7). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, we can use USas an accurate and non-invasive method with high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis ofmalleolus fractures.However, the inherent limitations of US such as operator dependency should be considered in this regard

Evaluation of Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 and 9 Activity in Patients with Prostate Cancer and Benign Prostate Hyperplasia Compared with Healthy Individuals

Background and Aim: Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most prevalent cancers with high mortality and morbidity in men, which can be treated in different ways before the progression and metastasis to distant organs. Destruction of extracellular matrix by matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), particularly by the 2 and 9 subtypes, has an important role in the metastasis of PC. We aimed to assess the activity of MMP 2 and 9 and some related metalloproteinases in PC and with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) patients in comparison to healthy individuals. Methods: In this case-control study, 72 individuals referred to Imam Khomeini hospital (Tehran, Iran), have been divided into 3 groups, including PC, BPH, and healthy control. Age and body mass index (BMI) for all groups have been matched. Venous blood samples were used to assess the enzyme activity by the zymography technique. Results: The activity of MMP-2 and 9 was significantly higher in PC than BPH and control groups. But there was no difference in the activity of enzymes in patients with PC according to the Gleason score. Conclusion: The results suggested that MMPs activity can be considered a diagnostic marker for PC. However, further studies are required to establish this concept. *Corresponding Author: Abbas Khonakdar-Tarsi; Email: [email protected] Please cite this article as: Shojaee M, Mohammadi P, Jafarpour H, Pouriamehr S, Barmaki H, Khonakdar-Tarsi A. Evaluation of Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 and 9 Activity in Patients with Prostate Cancer and Benign Prostate Hyperplasia Compared with Healthy Individuals. Arch Med Lab Sci. 2020;6:1-6(e12). https://doi.org/10.22037/amls.v6.3237