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The effect of age on driving performance in Iran using driving simulator
Get PDFBackground and Objectives: Nearly 16,000 people are killed in driving accidents in Iran each year. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to determine the effect of age on driving performance, using a driving simulator. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 16 young drivers, 16 middle-aged drivers, and 16 elderly drivers in Tehran. Driving simulators were used to check the drivers' performances. The main scenario was driving on a freeway at an average speed of 50 km/h, when pedestrians suddenly appeared at a distance of 40 m and the drivers had to brake immediately after noticing the pedestrian. The time interval between the emergence of the pedestrian and stepping on the brake pedal was continuously recorded as the reaction time and the amount of vehicle deviation from the center of the road as the lateral deviation of the vehicle. The drivers' mental workload was recorded after the simulated driving test, using the verbal online subjective opinion scale. Results: The elderly drivers had the highest mean reaction time, 963.8 ms, and there was no significant difference between the mean reaction time for youth and middle-aged drivers (858.3 ms vs. 860 ms). Elderly drivers showed high lateral deviation, 0.69 m, and mental workload, 6.19, whereas youth drivers had the lowest lateral deviation (0.55 m) and mental workload (3.60). MANOVA revealed a significant effect of age (Pillai's trace, V = 0.55, P P P P = 0.101). Poisson regression revealed no significant effect for age on the number of collisions (P = 0.357). Conclusion: Based on the variables under study, driving performance of the elderly group was poor as compared to that of the middle-aged and young ones. Old drivers were subjected to greater mental workload when responding to the stimulus of the driving environment
Prenatal urban traffic noise exposure impairs spatial learning and memory and reduces glucocorticoid receptor expression in the hippocampus of male rat offspring
Get PDFIntroduction: Exposure to noise stress during early life may permanently affect the structure and function of the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of prenatal exposure to urban traffic noise on the spatial learning and memory of the rats' offspring and the expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in their hippocampi. Methods: Three g\roups of pregnant rats were exposed to recorded urban traffic noise for 1, 2 or 4 h/day during the last week of pregnancy. At the age of 45 days, their male offspring were introduced to the Morris water maze (MWM) for assessment of spatial learning and memory. The corticosterone levels were measured in the offspring's sera by radioimmunoassay, and the relative expression of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) in their hippocampi was evaluated via RT-PCR. Results: Facing urban traffic noise for 2 and 4 h/day during the third trimester of pregnancy caused the offspring to spend more time and to travel a larger distance than the controls to find the target platform. Analogously, these two groups were inferior to their control counterparts in the probe test. Also, prenatal noise stress elevated the corticosterone concentration in the sera of the rats' offspring and dose-dependently decreased the relative expression of the mRNA of both GRs and MRs in their hippocampi. Conclusions: Urban traffic noise exposure during the last trimester of pregnancy impairs spatial learning and memory of rat offspring and reduces GRs and MRs gene expression in the hippocampus
Personality and anxiety disorders: examination of revised reinforcement sensitivity theory in clinical generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder
Get PDFbackground Personality has been implicated in the development and continuation of mental disorders. One major advance in the personality field came with the reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST). The study of personality can help explicate the pathology of anxiety disorders. To this end, the present study compared the profile of the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (r-RST) of personality in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and panic disorder (PD). participants and procedure Seventy-eight GAD patients, 76 SAD patients, 72 PD patients, and 85 healthy individuals participated in the present study. All participants were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I), Beck Depression Inventory, Jackson-5 Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, Panic and Agoraphobia Scale, and Social Phobia Inventory. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Research Deputy of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Participants were given information about the study and provided informed consent in writing. results Data were analyzed by chi-square, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis of variance. All patients were higher on Flight than the control group. Also, all patients and healthy controls differed in the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory. conclusions The more nuanced knowledge from the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory may be helpful in the diagnosis, etiology, and psychotherapy of anxiety disorders. © 2020 Current Issues in Personality Psychology. All rights reserved
Comparison of eight-week and twelve-week corticosteroid treatment regimens in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome; A clinical trial
Get PDFIntroduction: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is the commonest chronic glomerular disease in children. Idiopathic NS can perfectly be controlled using corticosteroids in most instances, but a significant relapse rate of NS is still a major problem. Several treatment protocols are suggested to decrease relapse rate of NS in children. Objectives: The current clinical trial aimed at comparing the relapse rate between two 8-and 12-week steroid treatment regimens. Patients and Methods: In the current non-randomized, clinical trial, a total of 68 children with primary NS were enrolled. Oral prednisolone was administered to 34 patients for eight weeks (2 mg/kg/d and 1.5 mg/kg/alternate-day/each for four weeks) and other 34 patients for 12 weeks (2 mg/kg/d and 1.5 mg/kg/alternate-day/each for six weeks). A one-year follow-up was completed for all the patients to evaluate relapse rate, steroid resistance, and steroid dependence. Results: The remission rates were 47.1 and 73.5, respectively in children of the eight-and 12-week treatment groups because the difference was significant (P=0.026). The frequent relapse rates in the eight-and 12-week treatment groups were respectively 26.5 and 11.8. Steroid dependence rate was 17.6 and 8.8 in the eight-and 12-week treatment groups respectively. The steroid resistance rates were respectively 8.8 and 5.9 in the eight-and 12-week treatment groups. Conclusion: Twelve-week steroid treatment can significantly decrease the relapse rate in comparison with eight-week treatment because no significant difference in steroid resistance, steroid dependence, and frequent relapse between the two treatment protocols was observed. Trial registration: This study was approved by Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (identifier: IRCT201404269014N33; https://www.irct.ir/trial/9472). © 2020 The Author(s)
Green preparation of activated carbon from pomegranate peel coated with zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) and isotherm and kinetic studies of amoxicillin removal in water
No full textIn present research, the activated carbon was prepared by a green approach from pomegranate peel coated with zero-valent iron nanoparticles (AC-nZVI) and developed as adsorbent for the removal of amoxicillin from aqueous solution. The physicochemical properties of the AC-nZVI were investigated using XRD, FTIR, and FESEM techniques. The optimal values of the parameters for the best efficiency (97.9) were amoxicillin concentration of 10 mg/L, adsorbent dose of 1.5 g/L, time of 30 min, and pH of 5, respectively. The adsorption equilibrium and kinetic data were fitted with the Langmuir monolayer isotherm model (qmax 40.282 mg/g, R2 0. 0.999) and pseudo-first order kinetics (R2 0.961). The reusability of the adsorbent also revealed that the adsorption efficiency decreased from 83.54 to 50.79 after five consecutive repetitions. Overall, taking into account the excellent efficiency, availability, environmental friendliness, and good regeneration, AC-nZVI can be introduced as a promising absorbent for amoxicillin from aquatic environments. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature
Monogenic Primary Immunodeficiency Disorder Associated with Common Variable Immunodeficiency and Autoimmunity
Get PDFBackground: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent primary immunodeficiency disorder mainly characterized by recurrent bacterial infections besides other immunological defects including loss of or dysfunction of B cells and decreased immunoglobulin levels. In this study, our aim is to evaluate clinical, immunological, and molecular data of patients with a primary clinical diagnosis of CVID and autoimmune phenotype with a confirmed genetic diagnosis. Methods: Among 297 patients with CVID, who were registered in the Iranian Primary Immunodeficiency Registry at Children's Medical Center Hospital in Iran, 83 patients have been genetically examined and 27 patients with autoimmunity and confirmed genetic mutations were selected for analysis. Whole-exome sequencing and confirmatory Sanger sequencing methods were used for the study population. A questionnaire was retrospectively filled for all patients to evaluate demographic, laboratory, clinical, and genetic data. Results: In the 27 studied patients, 11 different genetic defects were identified, and the most common mutated gene was LRBA, reported in 17 (63.0) patients. Two patients (7.7) showed autoimmune complications as the first presentation of immunodeficiency. Eleven patients (40.7) developed one type of autoimmunity, and 16 patients (59.3) progressed to poly-autoimmunity. Most of the patients with mono-autoimmunity (n = 9, 90.0) primarily developed infectious complications, while in patients with poly-autoimmunity, the most common first presentation was enteropathy (n = 6, 37.6). In 13 patients (61.9), the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders preceded the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency. The most frequent autoimmune manifestations were hematologic (40.7), gastrointestinal (48.1), rheumatologic (25.9), and dermatologic (22.2) disorders. Patients with poly-autoimmunity had lower regulatory T cells than patients with mono-autoimmunity. Conclusion: In our cohort, the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders preceded the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency in most patients. This association highlights the fact that patients referring with autoimmune manifestations should be evaluated for humoral immunity. © 2020 Georg Thieme Verlag. All rights reserved
Older adults' barriers to use technology in daily life: A qualitative study
Get PDFBackground: Aging is associated with declines in individuals' physical and mental abilities. Technological assistance can improve older adults' independence, functional performance, and health. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore experiences regarding barriers to use technology in daily life among older adults. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted on twenty older adults referred to Urban Comprehensive Health Service Centers, Kashan. The main interview questions were "What does the word technology bring to your mind? Which electrical household appliances do you use during your daily life? and What are the barriers you experience during the use of technology?" Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: Three main themes emerged: aging-related barriers (physical and mental limitations), individual barriers (educational limitations, limited access to technology, and unfavorable attitudes toward technology), and barriers related to the appliances. Conclusion: Older adults experience multiple barriers to use technology in their daily life. Educational interventions may enhance older adults' utilization of technology in daily life of this population
Molecular and Biological Functions of Quercetin as a Natural Solution for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment
Get PDFCardiovascular disease (CVD) is a worldwide health problem with growing up rates of mortality and morbidity. Many risk factors, including high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia are responsible for CVD. CVD can be prevented by some simple and cost-effective steps such as smoking cessation, normalizing body weight, regular physical activity, and dietary changes, including decreasing saturated fats, increasing the intake of vegetables and fruits, and reducing sugar intake. In the last decades, growing up number of studies were performed to explain the possible function of non-nutrient substances from the diet which might prevent CVD. One of these natural compounds is quercetin which is widely present in vegetables, tea, fruits and wine. Many in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies have indicated the cardioprotective functions of quercetin. They can be explained by quercetin’s reducing blood pressure, antioxidant potential and some other activities. This review evaluates the experimental and clinical studies that have studied the effect of quercetin in CVD and summarizes the molecular mechanisms of action as well as clinical effects of quercetin in CVD. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
Role of exosomes in malignant glioma: microRNAs and proteins in pathogenesis and diagnosis
Get PDFMalignant gliomas are the most common and deadly type of central nervous system tumors. Despite some advances in treatment, the mean survival time remains only about 1.25 years. Even after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, gliomas still have a poor prognosis. Exosomes are the most common type of extracellular vesicles with a size range of 30 to 100 nm, and can act as carriers of proteins, RNAs, and other bioactive molecules. Exosomes play a key role in tumorigenesis and resistance to chemotherapy or radiation. Recent evidence has shown that exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) can be detected in the extracellular microenvironment, and can also be transferred from cell to cell via exosome secretion and uptake. Therefore, many recent studies have focused on exosomal miRNAs as important cellular regulators in various physiological and pathological conditions. A variety of exosomal miRNAs have been implicated in the initiation and progression of gliomas, by activating and/or inhibiting different signaling pathways. Exosomal miRNAs could be used as therapeutic agents to modulate different biological processes in gliomas. Exosomal miRNAs derived from mesenchymal stem cells could also be used for glioma treatment. The present review summarizes the exosomal miRNAs that have been implicated in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of gliomas. Moreover, exosomal proteins could also be involved in glioma pathogenesis. Exosomal miRNAs and proteins could also serve as non-invasive biomarkers for prognosis and disease monitoring. Video Abstract
Non-coding RNAs and Exosomes: Their Role in the Pathogenesis of Sepsis
Get PDFNon-coding RNAs and exosomes present an opportunity for early diagnosis as well as an ability to interact with key points of the biological mechanisms, suggesting that measurement of non-coding RNAs and exosomes are a promising approach for intensive care patients. © 2020 The Author(s) Sepsis is characterized as an uncontrolled host response to infection, and it represents a serious health challenge, causing excess mortality and morbidity worldwide. The discovery of sepsis-related epigenetic and molecular mechanisms could result in improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, leading to a reduced overall risk for affected patients. Accumulating data show that microRNAs, non-coding RNAs, and exosomes could all be considered as novel diagnostic markers for sepsis patients. These biomarkers have been demonstrated to be involved in regulation of sepsis pathophysiology. However, epigenetic modifications have not yet been widely reported in actual clinical settings, and further investigation is required to determine their importance in intensive care patients. Further studies should be carried out to explore tissue-specific or organ-specific epigenetic RNA-based biomarkers and their therapeutic potential in sepsis patients. © 2020 The Author(s