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Comments on "Effects of Patient and Tumor Characteristics on Central Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: a Guide for Selective Node Dissection"
No full textFabrication of a Decellularized Amniotic Membrane-Gelatin Scaffold and its Evaluation for Using in Tissue Engineering Applications
No full textIntroduction: Decellularization techniques are widely used in the fabrication of suitable scaffolds for the regeneration of damaged tissues, addressing the issue of insufficient donor tissues. The amnion membrane has qualities such as availability, affordability, low immunogenicity, and anti-inflammatory and regenerative effects. Gelatin is a natural and biocompatible polymer with favorable interactions for cell adhesion and growth. Thus, this study focused on creating and assessing gelatin-decellularized amniotic membrane scaffolds for potential use in tissue engineering. Methods: Initially, the amniotic membrane underwent decellularization, and the extent of this process was assessed using hematoxylin-eosin staining. Following the fabrication of the scaffolds, their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, were characterized. Additionally, mesenchymal stem cells derived from the uterine endometrium were cultured on the scaffolds, and their biocompatibility was assessed through an MTT assay. Results: The findings indicated successful decellularization of the amnion tissue. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed a rough surface on the scaffolds. While all scaffolds exhibited hydrophilic properties, those made of the gelatin-decellularized amniotic membrane were particularly hydrophilic due to the presence of the hydrophilic gelatin polymer in their structure. The constructed scaffolds demonstrated water absorption and swelling. Additionally, the results of the mechanical properties assessment indicated that the scaffolds possessed adequate strength. In terms of biocompatibility, the proliferation of stem cells derived from the uterine endometrium on the scaffolds surpassed that of the control group (cell only). Conclusion: The scaffolds fabricated with amino-gelatin curtains show promising potential for use in tissue engineering applications
Antitumor activity and phenolic profile of Melissa officinalis extract against human gastric adenocarcinoma cells
No full textGastric cancer remains a global health concern, driving the exploration of natural products with anticancer potential. This study investigated the antiproliferative activity and chemical composition of a 70% ethanolic extract from Melissa officinalis L. against human gastric cancer cells. The extract was prepared and evaluated for total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity and flavonoid content. The MTT test checked how well it stopped the growth of human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) and normal dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells. Data analysis (SPSS Statistics) determined viable cell percentages and performed regression analysis (p<0.05). The extract exhibited significant antiproliferative activity against AGS cells compared to normal cells (p<0.05), with decreasing IC50 values (564.3, 258.0 and 122.5 μg/ml) over 24, 48 and 72 hours. It also displayed antioxidant activity (IC50=16.8±1.41μg/ml) and contained substantial phenolics (225.76±4.1 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (22.36±2.6 mg RUT/g). This study suggests the 70% ethanolic extract of M. officinalis effectively suppresses AGS cell growth and possesses promising antioxidant properties, highlighting its potential as a natural source of anticancer and antioxidant agents, deserving further investigation
The Establishment Of Shelters as A New Paradigm Towards Struggling With Violence Against Women: A Literature Review
No full textObjective: Shelters are an important part of a full response to survivors, as stated in many international conventions, such as the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA). This study aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on the establishment of shelters for women survivors of violence. Materials and methods: This narrative review was conducted based on the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA). The MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Embase, Ovid, and EBSCO databases in English and Magiran and Scientific Information Database (SID) in Persian were searched for related documents. Also, WHO, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) guidelines and instructions for shelter services for women and girls who have been subjected were searched up to July 31, 2023. A qualitative synthesis was carried out on the 28 eligible articles and instructions out of the 420 retrieved documents. Results: "A "shelter" describes emergency and temporary "safe accommodation for women and children who have been subjected to or are at risk of (typically male) domestic abuse. Types of shelters include emergency shelters or safe homes, second-stage or transitional housing facilities, third-stage housing, and alternative accommodation during (and occasionally after) the period of residence. The shelter delivers a wide range of services, including health services, socio-economic services, and legal services. These principles consisted of a comprehensive perspective, quality of service, organization, funding, and the right issues. Conclusion: Women who are survivors need holistic, interdisciplinary, and specialist care that focuses on safety and needs. The adoption of regulations with robust enforcement guarantees and the facilitation of approvals for the construction of non-governmental shelters and safe houses should be on the agenda setting
Risk of dementia following herpes zoster infection among patients undertreatment versus those not: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
No full textBackground and Aims: According to the previous studies, herpes zoster (HZ) has been associated with cognitive function and dementia. There is a hypothesis claiming that dementia risk may be reduced by receiving the antiviral treatment for HZ. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to shed light on the association between dementia and HZ in individuals receiving and not receiving antiviral medications. Methods: Studies investigating the association between HZ and dementia were identified through a systematic search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases from January, 2000 to April, 2022. Data on the risk of dementia in HZ-infected patients under and not under antiviral treatment were extracted. The meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model. The modified ROBIN-I tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias assessment. By utilizing the funnel plots, publication bias was investigated. Results: Six cohort studies on 538,531 patients were included. The overall risk of bias assessment was moderate. According to evidence-based cohort studies, there was a significant direct association between HZ and risk of dementia in patients with HZ, who did not receive antiviral treatments (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03 to 1.28, p = 0.01). On the other hand, there was an inverse relationship between HZ and risk of dementia among patients with HZ, who received antiviral treatments (HR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.59 to 0.77, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that antiviral therapies may significantly lower the risk of dementia in patients with HZ. This study also confirmed that patients with HZ, without receiving antiviral therapies, may have an increased risk of developing dementia. Further longitudinal research is warranted in this area
Association Between Gallstone Disease and Kidney Stone Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
No full textBackground and aims: Gallstone disease (GSD) and kidney stone disease (KSD) have increased due to lifestyle in recent decades. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between these two diseases. Methods: A comprehensive electronic database search was conducted before August 25, 2024. This systematic review and meta-analysis included observational studies. The meta-analysis employed a random-effects model to compute the overall summary estimates of the association between GSD and KSD using risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as the primary measure of the effect size. Heterogeneity was evaluated using chi-square tests, the I² statistic, and forest plots. Publication bias was assessed through Begg’s and Egger’s tests. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant, and all analyses were performed using Stata 17 software. Results: The meta-analysis included 9 studies encompassing 982 847 participants. The pooled analysis revealed a statistically significant association between GSD and KSD, with a risk of 1.78 (95% CI: 1.572.03, P ≤ 0.001). Begg’s and Egger’s tests demonstrated no significant bias (Begg’s test P = 0.835, Egger’s test P = 0.812). Variables such as study year, sample size, mean age of participants, mean follow-up, and study quality as determined by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) were examined, but none could significantly impact heterogeneity (P > 0.10). Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis provide evidence of a significant association between GSD and KSD. Therefore, further investigation into the underlying mechanisms and potential risk factors is necessary
The emerging role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in diarrhea: where we stand
No full textAlthough Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) hasn’t been considered as a recognized agent of diarrhea, this organism is able to cause community-acquired diarrhea accompanied by fever and sepsis, as well as antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). Antibiotic resistance rates in stool isolates of PA are generally lower compared to other infection sites, but in patients with AAD, there are reports of resistance to most of the antibiotic classes in these isolates. PA, along with other opportunistic pathogens like Clostridioides difficile, can cause AAD. Therefore, it is suggested to examine stool samples of patients with predisposing factors such as intensive care unit (ICU) admission and long-time antibiotic treatment, especially with cephalosporins, for both C. difficile and PA
Dietary Antioxidant Index and the Risk of Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis
No full textBackground: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common condition that affects the oral mucosa. Antioxidants are crucial in neutralizing free radicals in the body and may have a preventive role against RAS. This study aims to examine the association between dietary antioxidant index (DAI) and RAS occurrence. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 144 individuals with RAS and 135 individuals without RAS. The dietary intake of the participants was assessed using the food frequency questionnaire. The DAI was applied to measure the antioxidant capacity of the diet. Logistic regression models were applied to assess the link between RAS and DAI after adjusting the confounding variables. Results: There was a significant negative association between RAS and DAI of zinc (OR = 0.639, CI95%: 0.456-0.896, P = .009) and total score of DAI (OR = 0.802, CI95%: 0.682-0.944, P = .008) after adjustment for age. The results remained significant after further adjustment for body mass index and calorie intake. Conclusion: The present study indicated a possible negative association between the risk of RAS and the DAI score as a measure of the antioxidant potential of diet. Further studies are warrante
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Statin Therapy on Heart Transplantation
No full textBackground: Most of the mortality after Heart Transplantation (HT) is attributed to severe cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and rejection. Objectives: This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of postoperative statin therapy on outcomes (mortality, rejection, and CAV in HT patients). Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed on publications between 1980 and October 2023 in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Embase databases. Heterogeneity was assessed using Chi-square, I2, and forest plots. Publication bias was evaluated using Begg's and Egger's tests. Analyses were performed in Stata 15 with significance at p < 0.05. Results: This meta-analysis included 17 studies comprising 4,627 participants and conducted between 1995 to 2021. Compared to non-users, the odds of mortality were lower among statin users (OR= 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32–0.75, p < 0.001). The odds of CAV were also reduced with statin use (OR= 0.71, 95% CI: 0.53–0.96, p = 0.027). The odds of rejection were not significantly different (OR= 0.69, 95% CI: 0.41–1.15, p = 0.152). However, rejection odds were lower with statins in RCTs (OR= 0.42, 95% CI: 0.21–0.82, p = 0.012) but not in case-control studies (OR= 0.87, 95% CI: 0.49-1.52, p = 0.615). No publication bias was observed with Begg's test, but Egger's test showed possible bias. Conclusion: This meta-analysis found postoperative statin use associated with lower mortality and CAV, but not overall rejection, though RCT subgroup analysis showed decreased rejection with statins. Statin therapy may improve prognosis in HT patients
Anti-seizure Effects and Mechanisms of Berberine: A Systematic Review
No full textBackground: Epilepsy is one of the most common in all age groups and disabling neurologic disorders around the world. Objectives: This systematic review was to explore whether berberine (BBR) has any anti-seizure or anti-epileptic effects and also reviewed this possible mechanism. Methods: The EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched before Sep 2023. All types of studies that investigated the effects of BBR on epilepsy or chemical-induced seizures were eligible for inclusion. Two authors independently evaluated and reviewed titles/abstracts to identify publications for potential eligibility, and a third team member resolved discrepancies. Data were extracted in an Excel form, and the outcomes were discussed. Results: BBR showed its neuroprotective properties by reducing oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and anti-apoptosis effects. It also increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release and reduces transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). BBR by increasing scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), endogenous antioxidant enzymes, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and inhibition of lipid peroxidation insert its antioxidant activity. Moreover, BBR showed antiinflammatory activity by reducing Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels and through inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and including nuclear factor kB (NF-kB). In addition, it modulated c-fos expression and neuronal excitability in the brain. Conclusion: BBR indicated promising anti-seizure effects with remarkable antioxidant, antiinflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and neuroprotective activity. Future studies should be based on well-designed clinical trial studies that are integrated with new methods related to increasing bioavailability