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The effects of n-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil on genetic and metabolic profiles in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
No full textThe present study was performed to evaluate the effects of n-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil on genetic and metabolic profiles in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in sixty women with GDM. Participants were randomly divided into two groups to intake either 2 � 1000 mg/d n-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil containing 400 mg α-linolenic acid in each capsule (n 30) or placebo (n 30) for 6 weeks. n-3 Fatty acid intake up-regulated PPAR-γ (P < 0·001) and LDL receptor (P = 0·004) and down-regulated gene expression of IL-1 (P = 0·002) and TNF-α (P = 0·001) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of subjects with GDM. In addition, n-3 fatty acid supplementation reduced fasting plasma glucose (P = 0·001), insulin levels (P = 0·001) and insulin resistance (P < 0·001) and increased insulin sensitivity (P = 0·005) when compared with the placebo. Additionally, n-3 fatty acid supplementation was associated with a decrease in TAG (P < 0·001), VLDL-cholesterol (P < 0·001), total cholesterol (P = 0·01) and total cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio (P = 0·01) when compared with placebo. n-3 Fatty acid administration was also associated with a significant reduction in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P = 0·006) and malondialdehyde (P < 0·001), and an increase in total nitrite (P < 0·001) and total glutathione levels (P = 0·006) when compared with the placebo. n-3 Fatty acid supplementation for 6 weeks to women with GDM had beneficial effects on gene expression related to insulin, lipid and inflammation, glycaemic control, lipids, inflammatory markers and oxidative stress. © The Authors 2020
Technical requirements framework of hospital information systems: Design and evaluation
Get PDFBackground: Implementing the health information system (HIS) is more complex and costly than implementing other information systems. The present study was conducted to design and evaluate technical requirements for the HIS. Methods: The present study was conducted in 2016 by determining technical requirements for the HIS using the Delphi technique and then evaluating this system using a checklist based on the approved requirements. Results: The first part of the study designed a 73-item final list of technical requirements for the HIS in four domains, i.e. communication service, system architecture, security service and system response time. The evaluation results obtained in the second part showed that communication service was met in 63.8 of the HIS programs, system architecture in 65.5, security service in 72.4 and system response time in 76.3. Conclusions: A technical evaluation tool was designed and used to select and evaluate the HIS. The evaluation results suggested the study HIS was poorer in terms of communication service and system architecture than in the other two dimensions. © 2020 The Author(s)
Molecular detection of Trichostrongylus species through PCR followed by high resolution melt analysis of ITS-2 rDNA sequences
Get PDFPolymerase chain reaction followed by high resolution melting (PCR-HRM) analysis is a simple, rapid and accurate method for molecular detection of various nematode species. The objective of the present study was, for the first time, to develop a PCR-HRM assay for the detection of various animal Trichostrongylus spp. A pair of primers targeting the ITS-2 rDNA region of the Trichostrongylus spp. was designed for the development of the HRM assay. DNA samples were extracted from 30 adult worms of Trichostrongylus spp., the ITS-2-rDNA region was amplified using PCR, and the resultant products were sequenced and characterized. Afterwards, the PCR-HRM analysis was conducted to detect and discriminate Trichostrongylus spp. Molecular sequence analysis revealed that 24, 4, and 1 of the samples were T. colubriformis, T. vitrinus and T. capricola, respectively. Results from PCR-HRM indicated that complete agreement was relatively found between speciation by HRM analysis and DNA sequencing for the detection of Trichostrongylus species. The PCR-HRM analysis method developed in the present study is fast and low-cost; the method can be comparable with other molecular detection techniques, representing a reliable tool for the identification of various species within the Trichostrongylus genus. © 2020 Elsevier B.V
Synthesis of ytterbium tungstate with excellent pseudocapacitive behavior and a high cycling stability material for supercapacitors
Get PDFNanoparticles of ytterbium tungstate prepared through the direct addition of an Yb3+ solution to a tungstate solution, were computed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Further the supercapacitive characteristics of the nanoparticles, as a potential material for constructing electrodes, were evaluated through cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Electrodes made of the Yb2(WO4)3 had a specific capacitance (SC) value of 336 F g-1 in a 2.0 M H2SO4 solution at a potential scan rate of 2 mV s-1; and 298 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1 based on GCD tests. The electrodes also revealed to have a 95.8 cycling durability after 4000 potential cycles. © 2020 by CEE (Center of Excellence in Electrochemistry)
Preparation of Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2/PrVO4 nanocomposite in various molar ratios: Investigation on photocatalytic performance on organic contaminate and bacterial environments, and anti-cancer properties
No full textVarious SiO2/TiO2 nanoparticles coated on Fe3O4 core and a nanocomposite with PrVO4 were prepared through an ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation approach. The sample with optimal properties for the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine-B under visible light (around 55 for degradation in 100 min) was chosen, and its photo-antibacterial effects against gam-positive and negative Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) under UV�Vis light was evaluated. Also, the cytotoxicity properties on Panc1 cells using the MTT assay studied and its IC50 is about 250 mg/L. Structural, morphological and magnetic characteristics of the nanocomposites were evaluated through XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, MAP, UV�Vis DRS, and VSM tests. The crystalline size of Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 nanoparticles and Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2/PrVO4 were determined to be in the range of 55�75 nm, and 80�100 nm respectively, through SEM tests. XRD results indicated that the nanocomposites were pure and VSM analyses proved that the saturation magnetization of the sample is adequate for its applications. © 2020 Elsevier Lt
Correlation between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in pseudomonas aeruginosa: A meta-analysis
Get PDFBiofilm formation is one of the important resistance mechanisms in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study aimed to consider the correlation between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa through a systematic review and meta-analysis. This study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) strategies. Scientific databases were searched by MeSH terms and keywords such as �Pseudomonas aeruginosa�, �biofilm formation�, �antibiotic resistance�, �prevalence� AND �Iran�, to obtain articles published from 1st January 2016 to 30th November 2019. Studies recording biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in P. aeruginosa recovered from clinical samples of Iranian patients were included. Data analysis was performed using CMA software. The combined biofilm formation rate was reported as 87.6 (95 CI: 80-92.5). The heterogeneity index among the selected articles was Q2=96.5, I2=85.5, and t=0.26 (p=0.16). The pooled occurrences of strong, moderate and weak biofilms were 47.7 (95 CI: 28.7-67.3), 30.2 (95 CI: 19.4-43.8), and 27.4 (95 CI: 8.8-59.8), respectively. The pooled prevalence of MDR P. aeruginosa strains was as follows: 62.5 (95 CI: 40-77.2). The highest combined rates of antibiotic resistance were against ceftriaxone and tobramycin with the rates of 79.2.9 (95 CI: 54.2-96.2) and 64.4 (95 CI: 36.3-92), respectively. Also, the lowermost antibiotic resistance rates were against colistin and polymyxin B, with the prevalence of 2.1 (95 CI: 0.2-18.1), and 3 (95 CI: 0.5-17.3), respectively. More than half of the studies included in the present review showed a significant correlation between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance pattern. © 2020, EDIMES Edizioni Medico Scientifiche. All rights reserved
Unilateral presentation of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome
Get PDFPurpose: To report a case of acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease with unilateral clinical manifestations followed by late fellow eye involvement. Case Report: This case report reviews the 12-month follow-up observation of a 44-year old woman who presented to the emergency department with unilateral progressive and painless visual blurring. Ophthalmoscopic findings, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fluorescein angiography (FAG), enhanced-depth optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT), indocyanine green angiography, and response to treatment were evaluated. Her BCVA was 20/50 (logMAR: 0.4) in the right eye and 20/20 (logMAR: 0) in the left eye. Eye examination revealed optic disc swelling and multiple serous retinal detachments in the right eye and a normal left eye. She had headache, dysacusia, and mild hearing problem. Her past ocular and drug histories were unremarkable. Retinal imaging revealed characteristic features of VKH in the right eye. All laboratory testing results were inconclusive. VA and OCT findings significantly improved following the treatment with methylprednisolone 1 g/day continued by tapering dose of oral prednisolone. Two months after the presentation and during prednisolone tapering, VA of the left eye decreased and fundus examination revealed multiple serous retinal detachments in this eye. Conclusion: Ophthalmologists should recognize unilateral and asymmetrical VKH disease with subtle systemic involvement. © 2020 JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMIC AND VISION RESEARCH | PUBLISHED BY KNOWLEDGE
Effects of iranian healthcare transformation plan on discharge against medical advice
Get PDFBackground: The Health care transformation plan (HCTP) is expected to improve the regulations and quality of the provided services in hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Effects of Iranian healthcare transformation plan on discharge against medical advice (DAMA) of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Method: This descriptive-retrospective study was performed 2630 patients discharged during the two half-yearly time intervals before (2013-2014) and after (2015-2016), respectively. Data collection was by standard form of DAMA issued by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Data analyses were performed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. SPSS-16 software was used in this study and P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The level DAMA before and after introduction of the Healthcare Reform was 4.5 and 4.11 percent, respectively, which did not differ significantly (p = 0.889). In addition, there was no significant difference in the discharge level by age groups, hospital departments (p = 1), gender (p = 0.57), or holydays (p = 0.73). Conclusion: Our study did not find any evidence for the impact of the HCTP on frequency of the DAMA and the factors associated to it. However, the overall results implied necessity of a more comprehensive and integrated planning regarding supply of the required facilities, equipment, and human resources, as well as enlargement of physical space of treatment centers within the framework of this large-scale, nationwide program. © 2020, Hampstead Psychological Associates. All rights reserved
Association of PON1-L55M genetic variation and breast cancer risk: A case-control trial
Get PDFBackground: Paraoxonase 1 (PON1), a multifactorial antioxidant enzyme, has a defensive role against oxidative stress, which is believed to contribute to cancer development. This study aimed to investigate the association of PON1-L55M functional polymorphism with breast cancer risk. Material and methods: In the experimental study, blood samples were collected from 150 healthy women controls and 150 breast cancer subjects. The L55M genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: Our analysis showed that the genotypes distribution is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for both case and control groups. Our data revealed that there are significant associations between PON1-L55M polymorphism and breast cancer risk in homozygote (OR= 2.13, 95CI= 1.14-4.00, p= 0.018), dominant (OR= 1.72, 95CI= 1.07-2.76, p= 0.024), and allelic (OR= 1.55, 95CI= 1.12-2.15, p= 0.008) models. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the PON1-L55M genetic variation could be a genetic risk factor for breast cancer risk and it could be considered as a molecular biomarker for screening of susceptible women. © 2020 Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention
Effect of cerium oxide nanoparticles on oxidative stress biomarkers in rats� kidney, lung, and serum
Get PDFBackground: The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of CONPs on the OS status in kidney, lung, and serum of rats. Methods: Male Wistar Rats were treated intraperitoneally with 15, 30, and 60 mg/kg/day of CONPs. The biochemical parameters, including TAC, TTG, MDA, SOD, and CAT were assayed in serum, kidney, and lung tissues. Results: MDA decreased, but TTG and CAT increased in serum by the administration of CONPs at 15 mg/kg. In kidney homogenate obtained from the group treated with CONPs at 15 mg/kg, TAC, TTG, and CAT significantly increased compared to the control group. However, CONPs at 15, 30, and 60 mg/kg significantly decreased MDA level compared to the control group. In lung tissue, CONPs in doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg significantly decreased CAT activity, TTG and TAC compared to the control group, while in kidney tissue, CONPs at the concentrations of 30 and 60 mg/kg significantly increased MDA compared to the control group. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that CONPs attenuate OS in the kidney and affect the serum levels of OS-related markers but induce OS in the lung tissue in a dose-dependent manner. © 2020, Pasteur Institute of Iran. All Rights Reserved