12014 research outputs found
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Incarcerated Umbilical Hernia: A Rare Etiology of Early Bowel Obstruction After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass�A Case Report
No full textAn improved cluster formation process in wireless sensor network to decrease energy consumption
Full text linkWireless sensor network has special features and many applications, which have attracted attention of many scientists. High energy consumption of these networks, as a drawback, can be reduced by a hierarchical routing algorithm. The proposed algorithm is based on the Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) and Quadrant Cluster based LEACH (Q-LEACH) protocols. To reduce energy consumption and provide a more appropriate coverage, the network was divided into several regions and clusters were formed within each region. In selecting the cluster head (CH) in each round, the amount of residual energy and the distance from the center of each node were calculated by the base station (including the location and residual energy of each node) for all living nodes in each region. In this regard, the node with the largest value had the highest priority to be selected as the CH in each network region. The base station calculates the CH due to the lack of energy constraints and is also responsible for informing it throughout the network, which reduces the load consumption and tasks of nodes in the network. The information transfer steps in this protocol are similar to the LEACH protocol stages. To better evaluate the results, the proposed method was implemented with LEACH LEACH-SWDN, and Q-LEACH protocols using MATLAB software. The results showed better performance of the proposed method in network lifetime, first node death time, and the last node death time. © 2020, The Author(s)
HBB mutations and HbA2 level: Escaping the carrier screening programs
Full text linkHbA2 level alone for beta thalassemia trait may not be accurate and reliable even without iron deficiency so molecular genetic testing is important and should be considered for some individuals. © 2020 The Authors. Clinical Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Role of ejector expander in optimal inherently safety design of cascade NH3/Propane/CO2 vapor compression refrigeration systems
No full textDue to significant energy/exergy losses in expansion part of the cascade vapor compression cooling (C-VCC) systems in process engineering, the use of ejector expanders has been widely recommended. Although such an idea improves the energy and exergy performance indicators along with the unit cost of the process, safety aspect of the plant degrades considerably. In order to quantitatively investigate the role of ejector expander in safety of the C-VCC systems, quantitative risk assessment (QRA) along with 4E (energy, exergy, economic, and environment) analysis of the basic C-VCC (BC-VCC) system and ejector expander C-VCC (EEC-VCC) system are carried out and the results are compared with each other around the optimal and base points. In the base mode, the contribution of the expansion process to the overall risk of the BC-VCC system increases from 4.33 /year to 50.56 /year (for NH3) and from 116 /year to 1393 /year (for Propane) due to the employment of ejector expander instead of the expansion valve. Also, that means using NH3 instead of Propane in the EEC-VCC system substantially improves safety aspect of the whole unit. Although the maximum number of death is obtained due to release of Propane from the condenser of the system during the Flash Fire accident, the compressor of the high-temperature circuit (HTC) highly contributes to the overall risk due to its high release frequency. The results of multi-objective optimization for the NH3/CO2�based BC-VCC system showed that the COP (coefficient of performance), exergy efficiency, total cost, and risk can be improved by 56.66 , 24.6 , 26.14 , and 1.78 , respectively. Considering Propane/CO2 as a refrigerant pair used in the BC-VCC system, the COP, exergy efficiency, total cost, and risk were improved by 59.47 , 26.77 , 19.94 , and 16.22 , respectively. As an important conclusion, although employing ejector expander in the NH3/CO2 or Propane/CO2 BC-VCC system improves thermodynamic and cost metrics, such consideration significantly degrades the risk of the plant. © 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineer
The Impact of Chromium Supplementation on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Dose�Response Meta�Analysis of Randomized�Controlled Trials
No full textIntroduction: Potential effects of chromium supplementation on blood pressure (BP) have been examined in several interventional studies. Nevertheless, findings in this context are controversial. Aim: Therefore, the current systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively assess the impact of chromium supplementation on BP. Methods: Five online databases including Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, and PubMed were systematically searched from inception to March 2020. We included all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of chromium supplementation on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in humans. Results: The random-effects meta-analysis of 11 eligible RCTs with 637 participants demonstrated the significant decline in both SBP (WMD � 2.51 mmHg; 95 CI � 4.97 to � 0.05, p = 0.04) and DBP (WMD � 1.04 mmHg; 95 CI � 1.96 to � 0.12, p = 0.026) following supplementation with chromium. In subgroup analysis, studies that were administered chromium yeast and brewer's yeast, showed greater decrease in SBP. Also, in stratification based on participants' health status, significant reduction in SBP only was seen in diabetic patients with chronic heart disease (CHD). Nonlinear dose-response analysis revealed a significant influence of chromium dosage on SBP changes. Conclusion: The current meta-analysis, indicated that supplementation with chromium significantly decrease SBP and DBP. In subgroup analysis, administration of chromium yeast and brewer�s yeast resulted in greater reduction in SBP. Further large-scale RCTs with better design are needed to confirm these findings. © 2021, Italian Society of Hypertension
Hyperglycemia results in decreased immune cell infiltration and increased viral load in the lung in a mouse model of RSV infection
No full textRespiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a feared disease in vulnerable populations with impaired immune responses. There is currently no vaccine against RSV and young children along with elderly people are at increased risk of severe or sometimes life-threatening RSV infection. Hyperglycemia with immunomodulatory patterns can impact on infectious disease outcomes and immune system responses in diabetic patients. Even though research continues to uncover the complex mechanisms underlying RSV immunopathogenesis and diabetes mellitus disease separately, limited information is available about interaction between these two phenomena. Here, we evaluated the influence of hyperglycemia as the hallmark of diabetes mellitus disease on the pathogenesis and immunopathogenesis of RSV in a mouse model. In this experiment, hyperglycemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of Streptozotocin (STZ), and after diabetes confirmation, mice were infected with RSV-A2, and the immune responses were followed for 5 days until the mice were sacrificed. Analyses on airway immune cell influx, T-Lymphocyte subtypes, cytokines secretion, lung histopathology, and viral load were conducted. Our results showed that hyperglycemia resulted in reduced lung immune cells infiltration totally and it was associated with decreased pathological damage of the lung. Following RSV infection in hyperglycemic mice, the ratio of CD4/CD8 T-Lymphocytes due to CD8+ depletion, increased. Furthermore, the level of IFN-γ and IL-17A cytokines decreased, whereas IL-10 showed an upward trend and the viral load increased in hyperglycemic mice compared with normoglycemic mice. In conclusion, these findings indicate that hyperglycemia can ameliorate and downregulate RSV-induced inflammatory and antiviral responses, and result in increment of viral load. © 2021 Elsevier Lt
Understanding childbirth pain in Brazilian women: A qualitative descriptive study
No full textBackground: The pain associated with childbirth is a cause of severe pain, and the literature suggests that it can be influenced by psychosocial influences, the environment, and cognitive processes, creating the overall experience of childbirth. Therefore, the investigation of women's childbirth pain experience is essential. Aim: The purpose of this study is to understand women's childbirth pain and determine which influences can contribute to building different experiences. Method: A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted to explore the women's childbirth pain experiences, by understanding the influences on their experiences. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 21 women in a hospital setting in São Paulo, Brazil, and analysed by thematic analysis. Results: Three major themes emerged from the analysis: (1) experiencing childbirth pain, (2) face-to-face with pain, and (3) empowerment needs. Discussion: Many factors influence how Brazilian women manage pain and shape their experience during childbirth. The findings suggest that when women had a positive experience, they asked for minimal support, demonstrated balance, and expressed that the pain was manageable; when they had unfavourable experiences, they regarded pain as a threat and a punishment and associated it with unpleasant emotions. Conclusion: The results outlined concerns that should be addressed in the provision of specific, appropriate care for women, to support them in improving their experience during childbirth. © 202
Central blockade of orexin type 1 receptors reduces naloxone induced activation of locus coeruleus neurons in morphine dependent rats
No full textOrexin neuropeptides are implicated in the expression of morphine dependence. Locus coeruleus (LC) nucleus is an important brain area involving in the development of withdrawal signs of morphine and contains high expression of orexin type 1 receptors (OX1Rs). Despite extensive considerations, effects of immediate inhibition of OX1Rs by a single dose administration of SB-334867 prior to the naloxone-induced activation of LC neurons remains unknown. Therefore, we examined the direct effects of OX1Rs acute blockade on the neuronal activity of the morphine-dependent rats which underwent naloxone administration. Adult male rats underwent subcutaneous administration of 10 mg/kg morphine (two times/day) for a ten-day period. On the last day of experiment, intra-cerebroventricular administration of 10 μg/μl antagonist of OX1Rs, SB-334867, was performed just before intra-peritoneal injection of 2 mg/kg naloxone. Thereafter, in vivo extracellular single unit recording was employed to evaluate the electrical activity of LC neuronal cells. The outcomes demonstrated that morphine tolerance developed following ten-day of injection. Then, naloxone administration causes hyperactivity of LC neuronal cells, whereas a single dose administration of SB-334867 prior to naloxone prevented the enhanced activity of neurons upon morphine withdrawal. Our findings indicate that increased response of LC neuronal cells to applied naloxone could be prevented by the acute inhibition of the OX1Rs just before the naloxone treatment. © 2021 Elsevier B.V
Description of Chordodes anthophorus (Gordiida) for the first time in Iran with an emphasis on scanning electron microscopy characters
Full text linkWe report a female Chordodes anthophorus from a Giant Asian Mantis (Hierodula membranacea) for the first time from Iran. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to describe the characters and substructures precisely. We demonstrate characteristic cuticular patterns for Chordodes anthophorus. The presence of five types of areoles including simple, tubercle, crowned and circumcluster areoles and also crowned areoles with long fi laments which is a common feature in females, confi rm our investigation. © 2021 S. Mohtasebi, M. J. Abbaszadeh Afshar, F. Tabatabaie, A. Schmidt-Rhaesa, published by Sciendo
Effects of three-dimensional sodium alginate scaffold on maturation and developmental gene expressions in fresh and vitrified preantral follicles of mice
No full textBackground: Prior to chemotherapy interventions, in vitro maturation (IVM) of follicles through vitrification can be used to help young people conserve their fertility. The aim of s�tudy was to inves�tigate effect of sodium alginat scaffold on follicles development and improvement of the culture medium. Materials and Methods: This experimental s�tudy was conducted on immature female BALB/c mice (12-14 days). Follicles were gathered mechanically and placed in α-Minimal Essential Medium (α-MEM) containing 5 fetal bo-vine serum (FBS). Some pre-antral follicles were frozen. The fresh and vitrified follicles were cultured in different concentrations of sodium alginate (0.25, 0.5, and 1) and two dimensional (2D) medium for 12 days. The samples were evaluated for viability percentage, the number of MII-phase oocytes and reactive oxygen specious (ROS) level. Additionally, Gdf9, Bmp15, Bmp7, Bmp4, Gpx, mnSOD and Gcs gene expressions were assessed in the samples. Results: The highes�t and lowes�t percentages of follicle viability and maturation in the fresh and vitrified groups were re-spectively 0.5 concentration and 2D culture. There was no significant difference among the concentrations of 0.25 and 1. Viability and maturation of follicles showed a significant increase in the fresh groups in comparison with the vitrified groups. ROS levels in the both fresh and vitrified groups with different concentrations of alginate showed a significant decrease compared to the control group. ROS levels in follicles showed a significant decrease in the fresh groups in comparison with the vitrified groups (P�0.0001). The highes�t gene expression levels were observed in the 0.5 alginate (P�0.0001). Moreover, the viability percentage, follicle maturation, and gene expression levels were higher in the fresh groups than the vitrified groups (P�0.0001). Conclusion: Alginate hydrogel at a proper concentration of 5, not only helps follicle get mature, but also promotes the expression of developmental genes and reduces the level of intracellular ROS. Follicular vitrification decreases quality of the follicles, which are partially compensated using a three dimensional (3D) cell culture medium. © 2021, Royan Institute (ACECR). All rights reserved