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The variation in exposure to ambient formaldehyde at different times of the year in various countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textExposure to ambient formaldehyde can be associated with hazardous consequences. It can be affected by seasonal and meteorological parameters. This study was performed to investigate the variation in exposure to ambient formaldehyde at different times of the year in various countries. A literature search was performed in five databases of Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and Embase. The search strategy was based on PRISMA protocols. The pooled values of ambient exposure to formaldehyde were computed by meta-analysis for all seasons. 44 articles were evaluated in this study. Based on the results, the concentrations of exposure to this substance in 13 of 20 studies in spring (65.00 percent), 29 of 38 studies in summer (76.32 percent), 12 of 17 studies in autumn (70.59 percent), and 15 of 37 studies in winter (40.54 percent) were higher than permissible value recommended by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (3.3 µg/m³) for long exposure. The highest concentration of exposure to ambient formaldehyde was observed in Iran (23.93 µg/m3) in spring, in China (26.38 µg/m3) in summer, in China (15.0 µg/m3) in autumn, and in China (45.56 µg/m3) in winter. The pooled concentrations (μg/m3) of formaldehyde in spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons were estimated as 5.78 (95 % CI: 4.82–6.75), 6.57 (95 % CI: 5.85–7.29), 6.07 (95 % CI: 4.76–7.39), and 3.59 (95 % CI: 3.17–4.01), respectively. The concentrations of formaldehyde in environmental settings tend to be mostly higher during the summer compared to other seasons. Perception of the fluctuations in formaldehyde concentration due to seasonal and meteorological changes is beneficial for air quality management
Comparing the consequences of COVID-19 vaccination between central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating diseases and other neurological disorders
No full textBackground: Vaccination constitutes a crucial preventive measure against COVID-19 infection. Concerns have been raised regarding the efficacy of vaccines in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients due to various immunomodulatory medications and potential adverse events that may impact neurological function. This study aimed to explore the implications of COVID-19 vaccination within MS and NMSOD patients and compare it with other neurological disorders (OND). Method: In this cross-sectional study conducted in Isfahan, Iran, baseline data and information on COVID-19 infections and vaccinations were collected from MS, NMOSD, and OND patients between September 2021 and September 2022. The predominant neurological disorders identified among OND patients encompassed headache, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease. Logistic regression analysis was employed to compare COVID-19 vaccination outcomes among different patient groups, presenting odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: The study included 1,307 participants, with 738 having MS, 96 having NMOSD, 76 having clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), and 397 having OND. Significantly higher odds of post-vaccination COVID-19 infection were detected in MS (OR = 3.86, p 0.05 for all). There were no significant differences in the rates of adverse events in MS, NMOSD, and OND patients, except the second dose, where NMOSD patients had lower odds than OND patients (OR = 0.55, p = 0.019). Conclusion: Although the safety profile of COVID-19 vaccination in MS and NMOSD was similar to that in OND, the rates of post-vaccination COVID-19 infection in MS and NMOSD seem higher than OND. These findings highlight the importance of regular serological monitoring and the potential advantages of supplementary vaccine doses in MS and NMOSD patients
The Effect of Family-Centered Empowerment Program on Husbands' Understanding of Illness, Perceived Stress and Self-care Behaviors of Type 2 Diabetes Patients
No full textBackground: Comprehensive support from individuals with whom one has a deep emotional connection can significantly improve the management of life's stresses. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the impact of a family-oriented empowerment program for husbands on the illness understanding, perceived stress, and self-care behaviors of patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 72 spouses of diabetic patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly selected and divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received an educational program based on the family-centered empowerment model, which consisted of six 60-minute training sessions over six consecutive weeks. The control group received usual care. Data were collected using questionnaires on self-care behaviors, disease understanding, and perceived stress, administered before, immediately after, and three months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests, paired t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in terms of demographic characteristics and baseline variables (P = 0.11). The Mann-Whitney test revealed significant differences between the two groups in terms of disease understanding, perceived stress, and self-care behaviors after the intervention (P < 0.001). The independent t-test confirmed significant changes in the mean scores for disease perception, perceived stress, and self-care behaviors between the two groups (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The results indicate that a family-centered empowerment program can enhance illness understanding, reduce perceived stress, and improve self-care behaviors among the spouses of diabetic patients. Given the increasing prevalence of diabetes, incorporating such programs into nursing care plans is recommende
INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF NANOPARTICLE-BASED CURCUMIN IMPLANTS IN PREVENTION OF POST-LAPAROTOMY PERITONEAL ADHESION: AN IN VIVO STUDY
No full textObjective: The objective of this research is to develop a controlled-release drug delivery system for relieving peritoneal adhesion. The system is designed to utilize a polymer hydrogel incorporating Curcumin (cur) loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (Msn). Its objective is to improve the properties of curcumin and reduce peritoneal adhesion after laparoscopic surgery. Methods: The rats in each group underwent intra-abdominal adhesion modeling surgery and received the following implants: implants containing Msn loaded with cur (imp/Msn@cur), Implants Containing Cur (imp/cur), implants containing Msn without cur (imp/Msn), Implants without Msn and cur (imp) and group only modeled (contrl). After 14 d, the surgical site was reopened and the specimens were evaluated by gross processing and histology staining for adhesion band formation, fibrosis, and inflammation. Data were analyzed by SPSS v.22 using Fisher's exact test, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey's test and P˂0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The number of vascularized or non-vascularized adhesion bands was evaluated According to the results, the number of vascular bands in the control group was only significantly higher than the other groups (P<0.001). Also, the mean number of vascular adhesion bands in the imp group was significantly higher than the other intervention groups (P<0.001). All studied rats in the contrl group had adhesions and the severity of adhesions in this group was higher than the others. Also, in the imp/Msn@cur group, the severity of adhesion was the lowest than the other groups. Conclusion: The research findings indicated that utilizing implants with cur-loaded Msn resulted in improved peritoneal adhesion and reduced collagen bandages following laparotomy
The Effect of Psychological Intervention Based on Mobile Application on Self-Efficacy and Self-Concept of Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Original Article
No full textBackground: Self-efficacy and self-concept are psychological factors that affect the results of surgery and the recovery of patients. The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of psychological intervention based on mobile applications in improving the self-efficacy and self-concept of laparoscopic cholecystectomy candidates. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 60 candidates for laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Shahrekord in 2022 were divided into two groups using permutation blocks. The intervention group used a psychological intervention based on a mobile application for two months, and the control group received only the usual hospital care. Data were collected using two questionnaires, the general self-efficacy of Sherer and the self-concept of Rogers in three stages, before, immediately, and two months after the intervention, and analyzed with descriptive statistics parameters and inferential statistics tests. Findings: Before the intervention, the average self-efficacy score in the intervention and control groups was 62.70 ± 9.30 and 59.50 ± 7.22, respectively, and the average self-concept score in the intervention and control groups was 10.69 ± 3.45 and 10.63 ± 3.19, respectively, that no was statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of self-efficacy (P = 0.14) and self-concept (P = 0.13). But, immediately after the intervention, the average score of self-efficacy (P = 0.04) and self-concept (P = 0.04) had a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Also, two months after the intervention, the difference in the two groups' mean self-efficacy scores (P = 0.01) and self-concept (P = 0.01) was significant. Conclusion: Psychological intervention based on mobile application can be used as an effective intervention to improve the self-efficacy and self-concept of laparoscopic cholecystectomy candidates
Publisher Correction: Global estimates on the number of people blind or visually impaired by cataract: a meta-analysis from 2000 to 2020
No full textFully disaggregated data is not available publicly due to data sharing agreements with some principal investigators yet requests for summary data can be made to the corresponding author.” Furthermore, the information in the “Funding” section was incomplete. The following information was added: “This study was funded by Brien Holden Vision Institute, Fondation Thea, Fred Hollows Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), Sightsavers International, and University of Heidelberg.” The “Competing interests” section has been corrected from “The authors declare no competing interests” to the following detailed information: GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators Declarations N S Bayileyegn reports participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board with Jimma University, and leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid with Jimma University as a discipline committee member; outside the submitted work. S Bhaskar reports grants or contracts from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), JSPS International Fellowship, Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Australian Academy of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI); leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid with Rotary District 9675 as the District Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Global Health & Migration Hub Community and the Global Health Hub Germany (Berlin, Germany) as the Chair and Manager; PLOS One, BMC Neurology, Frontiers In Neurology, Frontiers in Stroke, Frontiers in Public Health and BMC Medical Research Methodology as an Editorial Board Member; and with the College of Reviewers, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Government of Canada as a Member; outside the submitted work. X Dai reports support for the present manuscript from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the University of Washington. M Cenderadewi reports grants or contracts from James Cook University (International Research Training Program Scholarship for doctoral study), and support for attending meetings and travel from James Cook University; all outside the submitted work. M Foschi reports consulting fees from Roche; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Sanofi, Merck, and Novartis; support for attending meetings and travel from Novartis and Roche; leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid with MSBase as a scientific leadership board member, and Cochrane Review Group for Multiple Sclerosis and other rate diseases of the CNS as a member; all outside the submitted work. F Ghassemi reports support for the present manuscript from medical writing. B N G Goulart reports stock or stock options with Bristo Myers-Squibb and Pfizer; outside the submitted work. V B Gupta reports grants or contracts from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC); outside the submitted work. S Hallaj reports support for the present manuscript from the National Institute of Health, Bridge to AI common fund (grant number: OT2 OD032644). I M Ilic reports support for the present manuscript from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological development, Republic of Serbia (project No 175042, 2011-2023). S Islam reports support for the present manuscript from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant and the Heart Foundation Vanguard Grant. J H Kempen reports support for the present manuscript from Sight for Souls and Mass Eye and Ear Global Surgery Program; and leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid with Sight for Souls as the President. K Krishan reports other non-financial support from the UGC Centre of Advanced Study, CAS II, awarded to the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University (Chandigarh, India); outside the submitted work. O P Kurmi reports grants or contracts from the British Council India paid to Coventry University; outside the submitted work. V C Lansingh reports consulting fees from HelpMeSee, and financial support for attending meetings and travel from HelpMeSee; outside the submitted work. J L Leasher leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, unpaid with the National Eye Institute as a member and the National Eye Health Education Program as a planning committee member; outside the submitted work. M Lee reports support for the present manuscript from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea, and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2021R1I1A4A01057428) and Bio-convergence Technology Education Program through the Korea Institute for Advancement Technology (KIAT) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (No. P0017805). C McAlinden reports grants or contracts from the Welsh Government on the following study: Feasibility of an alternative pathway for hospital referrals from Diabetic Eye Screening Wales (DESW) for people suspected with sight-threatening diabetic eye disease (diabetic maculopathy). No funds will be received from the author’s institution or personally related to this study. Any work conducted as part of this study is as an unpaid collaborator; consulting fees from Acufocus (Irvine, California, USA), Atia Vision (Campbell, California, USA), Bausch and Lomb (Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA), BVI / PhysIOL (Liège, Belgium), Coopervision (Pleasanton, California, USA), Cutting Edge (Labége, France), Fudan University (Fudan, China), Hoya (Frankfurt, Germany), Knowledge Gate Group (Copenhagen, Denmark), Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision (Santa Ana, California, USA), Keio University (Tokyo, Japan), Ludwig-Maximilians-University (München, Germany), Medevise Consulting SAS (Strasbourg, France), Novartis (Basel, Switzerland), Ophtec BV (Groningen, The Netherlands), Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China), SightGlass vision (Menlo Park, California, USA), Science in Vision (Bend, Oregan, USA), SpyGlass (Aliso Viejo, California, USA), Targomed GmbH (Bruchsal, Germany), University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil), and Vold Vision (Arkansas, USA); payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Scope (Crawley, UK), Bausch and Lomb (Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA), and Thea pharmaceuticals (Clemont-Ferrand, France); support for attending meetings and/or travel from Royal College of Ophthalmologists (London, UK), Scope (Crawley, UK), Portuguese Society of Ophthalmology (Portugal), British Society of Refractive surgery (BSRS), Thea pharmaceuticals (Clemont-Ferrand, France), Bausch and Lomb (Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA); leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid with the British Society of Refractive Surgery (BSRS) as an unpaid council member, and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (London, UK) as an unpaid PROM advisor; other financial interests from the Quality of Vision (QoV) Questionnaire tool, the Orthokeratology and Contact Lens Quality of Life Questionnaire (OCL-QoL), and paid peer reviews for Research Square; outside of the submitted work. Finally, the section “Author Contributions” has been added and an Appendix with more detailed information for individual author contributions has been included in the form of electronic supplementary material. The original article has been corrected
Interactions of the potential antitumor agent vanadocene dichloride with C20 and M+@C20 (M = Li, Na, K) nano-cages: A DFT investigation
No full textThis study investigated the interaction of vanadocene dichloride complex (VDC) as anticancer agent with C20 and M+@C20 (M = Li, Na, K) nano-cages at M06-2X/6-311g(d,p) level of theory. Corrected interaction energy values between two fragment were evaluated. Computed C…Cl* distances of the Cp2VCl2…C20 and Cp2VCl2…M+@C20 molecules were compared. C…Cl interaction between VDC and nano-caged was illustrated QTAIM and RDG analyses. Interaction influence on the molecular orbital results were provided and compared with free VDC. Charge flows between two fragments were determined with electrophilicity-based charge transfer (ECT). Also, 35Cl NQR and EPR parameters of the Cp2VCl2…C20 and Cp2VCl2…M+@C20 complexes were computed. Metal effect on the computed spectroscopic parameters were illustrated
Meta-analysis of the Relationship Between Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Nasal Polyps
No full textOur study aimed to enhance understanding of nasal polyp pathophysiology by reviewing the data for variations of NLR values between patients with nasal polyp and healthy controls. We searched Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, and Scopus up to 2 April 2023. The search strategy was not limited to any specific language. Twelve studies were included in our study. Of them, ten studies, involving 898 nasal polyp patients and 590 control patients, were included in the meta-analysis. The NLR levels in nasal polyp patients were statistically greater than in the control group (SMD = 0.56; 95%CI 0.04–1.08, P = 0.036). Subgroup analysis based on study design yielded that patients with nasal polyp exhibited significantly higher NLR levels than healthy controls in retrospective studies (SMD = 0.83; 95%CI 0.30–1.35, P = 0.002) but not in prospective studies (SMD = 0.10; 95%CI = −1.03 to 1.23, P = 0.85). Also, we found that the NLR levels in nasal polyp patients were significantly higher than healthy controls in high-quality studies (SMD = 1.00; 95%CI 0.38–1.62, P = 0.002) but not in low-quality studies (SMD = 0.11; 95%CI = −0.69 to 0.91, P = 0.79). A total of 312 patients with recurrence and 550 patients without recurrence were included in the study. The combined results revealed that NLR levels in nasal polyp recurrence patients were significantly higher than those of the nasal polyp without recurrence group (SMD = 0.06, 95% CI 0.39–0.81, P = 0.000). These results showed the relationship between the NLR in nasal polyps and can help medical doctors to predict the recurrence of the disease in such patients
Chicken Skin Decellularization: a Platform for Tissue Engineering
No full textIntroduction: Decellularized extracellular matrix scaffolds, with a three-dimensional structure and natural bioactive compounds, can mimic the natural conditions of the body. This study aimed to decellularize, characterize, and explore the potential use of chicken skin as a scaffold in tissue engineering. Methods: In this experimental study, the chicken skin was decellularized with a combination of physical (agitation) and chemical ionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) methods. DNA content, histological characteristics, morphology, mechanical properties, biocompatibility, blood compatibility, swelling, water retention capacity, and contact angle of the scaffold were investigated. Results: The decellularization of chicken skin was confirmed through DNA content assay and tissue staining. Electron microscope images demonstrated the preservation of scaffold morphology. Besides, the mechanical strength of the decellularized tissue was largely maintained. The prepared scaffold exhibited non-cytotoxic properties and showed acceptable compatibility with blood. Additionally, the scaffold displayed promising characteristics in terms of swelling, water retention capacity, and contact angle. Conclusion: Our study's findings indicate that chicken skin, as a readily available material, is biocompatible, hemocompatible, and capable of retaining moisture. Therefore, it can be considered a suitable candidate for scaffold preparation in future tissue engineering research
Association between calcium intake and prostate neoplasm; a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textIntroduction: Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, and the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of calcium use on the risk of prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: The current systematic review and meta-analysis used the PRISMA checklist. The search was conducted using databases, including Web of Science, Cochrane, ProQuest, PubMed, and Google Scholar Search Engine, without a time limit until November 22, 2023. The obtained data was analyzed using STATA 14 software. Results: The results obtained from combining 28 observational studies and clinical trials indicated that calcium increased the risk of prostate cancer (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.13). On the other hand, cohort (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.13), cross-control (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.14), cross-sectional (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.86, 1.29), and randomized controlled trial (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.39) studies indicated a relationship between calcium use and risk of prostate malignancy. Furthermore, calcium increased the risk of prostate cancer in the age group 50 to 59 years (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.24), however no considerable association was noticed between calcium administration and prostate cancer in the age group 60 to 69 years (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.94, 1.13). The risk of prostate cancer in individuals who used less than 1300 mg calcium per day, those who used 1300 – 2000 mg/d, and those who taken more than 2000 mg calcium per day were (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1, 1.09), (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.26), and (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.48), respectively. Conclusion: Generally, calcium administration increases the risk of prostate cancer in men by 10%, and the risk is enhanced with the increase in dosage of calcium. Registration: This study has been compiled based on the PRISMA checklist, and its protocol was registered on the PROSPERO (ID=CRD42023489091) and Research Registry (UIN: reviewregistry1787) website