12014 research outputs found
Sort by
Epidemiologic characteristics of orthopedic surgical site infections and under-reporting estimation of registries using capture-recapture analysis
Get PDFBackground: Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) are among the leading causes of the postoperative complications. This study aimed at investigating the epidemiologic characteristics of orthopedic SSIs and estimating the under-reporting of registries using the capture-recapture method. Methods: This study, which was a registry-based, cross-sectional one, was conducted in six educational hospitals in Tehran during a one-year period, from March, 2017 to March, 2018. The data were collected from two hospital registries (National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System (NNIS) and Health Information Management database (HIM)). First, all orthopedic SSIs registered in these sources were used to perform capture-recapture (N = 503). Second, 202 samples were randomly selected to assess patients` characteristics. Results: Totally, 76.24 of SSIs were detected post-discharge. Staphylococcus aureus (11.38) was the most frequently detected bacterium in orthopedic SSIs. The median time between the detection of a SSI and the discharge was 17 days. The results of a study done on 503 SSIs showed that the coverage of NNIS and HIM was 59.95 and 65.17, respectively. After capture-recapture estimation, it was found that about 221 of orthopedic SSIs were not detected by two sources among six hospitals and the real number of SSIs were estimated to be 623 ± 36.58 (95 CI, 552�695) and under-reporting percentage was 63.32. Conclusion: To recognize the trends of SSIs mortality and morbidity in national level, it is significant to have access to a registry with minimum underestimated data. Therefore, according to the weak coverage of NNIS and HIM among Iranian hospitals, a plan for promoting the national Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programs and providing updated protocols is recommended. © 2021, The Author(s)
Identification and characterization of a silent mutation in RNA binding domain of N protein coding gene from SARS-CoV-2
Get PDFObjective: This study describes the occurrence of a silent mutation in the RNA binding domain of nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (N protein) coding gene from SARS-CoV-2 that may consequence to a missense mutation by onset of another single nucleotide mutation. Results: In the DNA sequence isolated from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) in Iran, a coding sequence for the RNA binding domain of N protein was detected. The comparison of Chinese and Iranian DNA sequences displayed that a thymine (T) was mutated to cytosine (C), so �TTG� from China was changed to �CTG� in Iran. Both DNA sequences from Iran and China have been encoded for leucine. In addition, the second T in �CTG� in the DNA or uracil (U) in �CUG� in the RNA sequences from Iran can be mutated to another C by a missense mutation resulting from thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) of human and base excision repair mechanism to produce �CCG� encoding for proline, which consequently may increase the affinity of the RNA binding domain of N protein to viral RNA and improve the transcription rate, pathogenicity, evasion from human immunity system, spreading in the human body, and risk of human-to-human transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2. © 2021, The Author(s)
Removal behavior of gaseous furfural using a biofilter packed with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips
No full textFurfural is a toxic compound that is widely used in various industries. Prolonged inhalation exposure to this pollutant, especially at workplaces, can induce detrimental health effects. Therefore it is important to remove it from the environment. The present study aimed to investigate furfural removal from polluted air streams using a biofilter system. In this regard, a 4-section biofilter packed with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips was operated for a 108 day-period under different operating conditions. The effects of pH (natural and acidic), inlet concentration (18.8�81.6 mg m�3), the height of biofilter layers (4 sections), and empty bed residence times (EBRTs) of 120, 70, and 30 s on removal efficiency (RE) of the biofilter were evaluated. All sampling and measurements were performed according to standard methods. The RE values under neutral and acidic conditions were 80 and 65 , respectively. At furfural inlet concentrations in the ranges of 18.8�21.3, 35.25�42.7, and 78.4�81.6 mg m�3, the RE values were 81, 68, and 57 , respectively. Also, the RE values at EBRTs of 120, 70, and 30 s were 83, 73, and 61 , respectively. About half of the total RE was related to the first section of the biofilter, where the number of bacterial (6.2 log10 CFU g-1) and fungal (5.8 log10 CFU g-1) were higher than the other sections. Due to the high RE (72 ) and low pressure drop (below 43 Pa m-1) of the biofilter, it can be concluded that biofiltration is a suitable process to remove furfural from the air. © 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineer
Disability and its association with psychological factors in multiple sclerosis patients
No full textBackground: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological, and immune-mediated demyelinating disease. Psychological factors in MS disease and psychosocial interventions based on these factors have a major role in the adjustment of MS patients toward their disease. The aim of the study was to compare the psychological components of happiness, psychological well-being, love of life, meaning in life, and somatic health between MS patients with low Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores and MS patients with higher EDSS scores. Method: A sample of 128 patients with MS was recruited. Patients were administered the EDSS, the Self-Rating Scale of Happiness (SRH), the World Health Organization-five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the Love of Life Scale (LLS), the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15). Patients with EDSS>3 (cases) and EDSS�3 (controls) were compared. Results: The cases had lower scores for happiness, love of life, psychological well-being, meaning in life, the present of meaning in life subscale, and somatic health, compared with the controls. The differences between cases and controls remained statistically significant after controlling for age and sex. Conclusion: Positive health promotion and education intervention programs to reduce disability and increase MS patients' well-being should be one of the priorities in the Iran healthcare system for MS patients. Therapists should take these components into account when working with MS patients with moderate and severe disability. © 2021 Elsevier B.V
Reliability of B-mode ultrasonography to measure lumbar multifidus muscle dimensions in patients with unilateral lumbar disc herniation
No full textObjectives: To evaluate Ultrasound Imaging (USI) reliability for measurement of lumbar multifidus (LMF) muscle thickness and cross sectional area (CSA) at rest and during contraction in patients with unilateral lumbar disc herniation. Setting: Laboratory. Design: Reliability Study. Participants: Thirty patients, aged 25�50 years (37.55 ± 9.55), with unilateral L4-L5 lumbar disc herniation participated in this study. Main outcome measures: Thickness and CSA of LMF were measured using B-mode ultrasound by two raters in prone position. Results: Same day and multiple day inter-rater and same day intra-rater reliability showed good to excellent reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.70 to 0.91). Also standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change for USI reliabilities ranged from 0.06 to 0.57 and 0.16 to 1.31, respectively. Conclusions: Reliability of USI for measurements of LMF muscle thickness and CSA was high, and consistent with previous studies conducted on reliability of USI to measure LMF dimensions in other populations. © 202
Virtual reality games for rehabilitation of upper extremities in stroke patients
No full textIntroduction: Stroke is one of the main causes of physical disability in which doing frequent and early exercise is imperative for rehabilitation. Virtual reality gaming has a high potential in rehabilitation leading to increased performance of patients. This study aimed to develop, validate and examine virtual reality games in chronic stroke patients. Methods: This was a single before-after study. To determine the movements and content of games, 9 physiotherapists and 11 game designers were asked to participate in a questionnaire-based survey. Then, to evaluate the impact of games on rehabilitation, patients (N = 10; mean age = 52 ± 4.38) with chronic stroke were asked to play the games three times a week for four weeks. Outcomes included measurement of the ability to perform shoulder, elbow and wrist movements was performed using goniometric instrument, Modified Motor Assessment Scale (MMAS) was used to assess the functional ability of patients and muscle spasticity, and brunnstrom's stages of recovery test was also used to assess spastic and involuntary muscle movement. Results: Games have positive effects on the horizontal abduction of shoulder (16.26 ± 23.94, P = 0.02), horizontal adduction of shoulder (59.24 ± 74.76, P = 0.00), supination of wrist (10.68 ± 53.52, P = 0.02), elbow flexion (0.1 ± 1.5, P = 0.00), and wrist flexion (0.06 ± 1.34, P = 0.03). However, they had no effects on the flexion of shoulder, flexion of elbow, extension of elbow, and extension of wrist (p-value> 0.05). Conclusions: The results showed that games improve the range of motion of the participants in terms of horizontal abduction and abduction of the shoulder, elbow flexion, and supination and flexion of the wrist. Due to the small sample size in this study, we recommend more studies with larger samples and a control group. © 2020 Elsevier Lt
A comprehensive survey and taxonomy of the SVM-based intrusion detection systems
No full textThe increasing number of security attacks have inspired researchers to employ various classifiers, such as support vector machines (SVMs), to deal with them in Intrusion detection systems (IDSs). This paper presents a comprehensive study and investigation of the SVM-based intrusion detection and feature selection systems proposed in the literature. It first presents the essential concepts and background knowledge about security attacks, IDS, and SVM classifiers. It then provides a taxonomy of the SVM-based IDS schemes and describes how they have adapted numerous types of SVM classifiers in detecting various types of anomalies and intrusions. Moreover, it discusses the main contributions of the investigated schemes and highlights the algorithms and techniques combined with the SVM to enhance its detection rate and accuracy. Finally, different properties and limitations of the SVM-based IDS schemes are discussed. © 2021 Elsevier Lt
In situ supported Pd NPs on biodegradable chitosan/agarose modified magnetic nanoparticles as an effective catalyst for the ultrasound assisted oxidation of alcohols and activities against human breast cancer
No full textIn this content, a green approach for the ultrasound promoted in situ immobilization of Pd NPs over biodegradable chitosan/agarose modified ferrite NP (Fe3O4@CS-Agarose/Pd) is developed. The structural and physicochemical features of the material were estimated using advanced analytical techniques like FT-IR, ICP-OES, FESEM, EDS, XRD, TEM and VSM. The magnetic material was catalytically explored in the oxidation of alcohols under ultrasonic waves. Sonication had a significant role in enhancing the catalytic performance in the alcohol's oxidation as compared to conventional heating. The heterogeneous nanocatalyst was efficiently recycled up to 10 times with nominal loss in catalytic activity. Towards the biological applications, the Fe3O4@CS-Agarose/Pd nanocomposite showed high antioxidant activities against DPPH free radicals, comparable to standard butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). In addition, it exhibited excellent cytotoxicity in terms of cell viability against breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7), breast carcinoma (Hs 578Bst), infiltrating ductal cell carcinoma (Hs 319.T), and metastatic carcinoma (MDA-MB-453) cell lines. The best anti-breast cancer potential of the nanocomposite was observed in Hs 319.T cell line. © 202
Dicentracin-Like from Asian sea bass Fish and Moronecidine-Like from Hippocampus Comes: Two Candidate Antimicrobial Peptides Against Leishmanina major Infection
No full textAnti-Leishmanial drug therapy faces significant challenges related to cytotoxicity and drug resistance. Thus, new and efficient anti-Leishmanial drugs need to be identified. Due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial and also immunomodulatory activities, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted considerable attention. In this study, we comparatively assessed the anti-Leishmanial activities of two recently identified AMPs (dicentracin-like and moronecidine-like) and the well-known AMP piscidin from the hybrid striped bass. AMPs were first assessed against Leishmania major promastigotes using MTS. Subsequently, macrophages were infected with L. major and treated with AMPs to evaluate anti-amastigotes activity of AMPs, and non-infected macrophages were treated with AMPs to determine cytotoxicity against mammalian cells using MTS. The induction of factors limiting L. major growth (IL-12, TNF-α and reactive oxygen species (ROS)) by AMPs was measured by ELISA and dichlorofluorescin-diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay, respectively. Piscidin was more efficacious against L. major promastigotes as compared to dicentracine-like or moronocidin-like peptides, whereas, dicentracine-like and moronocidin-like peptide exhibited a higher activity against L. major amastigotes compared to piscidin. In turn, piscidin was most cytotoxic in non-infected macrophages compared to the other two AMPs. A direct association was observed between hydrophobicity of AMPs and their anti-promastigote and cytotoxic activities. Dicentracine-like or moronocidin-like peptides induced higher levels of IL-12, TNF-α and ROS in macrophages compared to piscidin. Collectively, our results suggest that dicentracine-like and moronocidin-like peptides represent potentially promising multi-functional therapeutic agents that might not only directly kill L. major but also induce anti-Leishmania factors that can limit L. major growth and intracellular survival. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V
Multifunctional hydrogels for wound healing: Special focus on biomacromolecular based hydrogels
No full textHydrogels are widely used for wound healing applications due to their similarity to the native extracellular matrix (ECM) and ability to provide a moist environment. However, lack of multifunctionality and low mechanical properties of previously developed hydrogels may limit their ability to support skin tissue regeneration. Incorporating various biomaterials and nanostructures into the hydrogels is an emerging approach to develop multifunctional hydrogels with new functions that are beneficial for wound healing. These multifunctional hydrogels can be fabricated with a wide range of functions and properties, including antibacterial, antioxidant, bioadhesive, and appropriate mechanical properties. Two approaches can be used for development of multifunctional hydrogel-based dressings; taking the advantages of the chemical composition of biomaterials and addition of nanomaterials or nanostructures. A large number of synthetic and natural polymers, bioactive molecules, or nanomaterials have been used to obtain hydrogel-based dressings with multifunctionality for wound healing applications. In the present review paper, advances in the development of multifunctional hydrogel-based dressings for wound healing have been highlighted. © 2020 Elsevier B.V