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Paper Transdifferentiation of Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Dopaminergic Neurons in a Three-Dimensional Culture
Introduction: The induction of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) toward dopaminergic neurons is a major challenge in tissue engineering and experimental and clinical treatments of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson disease. This study aims to differentiate HUC-MSCs into dopaminergic neuron-like cells.Methods: Following the isolation and characterization of HUC-MSCs, they were transferred to Matrigel-coated plates and incubated with a cocktail of dopaminergic neuronal differentiation factors. The capacity of differentiation into dopaminergic neuron -like cells in 2-dimensional culture and on Matrigel was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, and high-performance liquid chromatography.Results: Our results showed that dopaminergic neuronal markers' transcript and protein levels were significantly increased on the Matrigel differentiated cells compared to 2D culture plates. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study suggest that HUC-MSCs can successfully differentiate toward dopaminergic neuron-like cells on Matrigel, having great potential for the treatment of dopaminergic neuron-related diseases
A review of the neurological complications of breast cancer
Conducting broad assessments of the main burden of breast cancer is the core factor for improving overdiagnosis and overtreatment of breast cancer patients as well as their survival rates. Breast cancer patients may experience neurological complications that cause devastating effects on them. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and neuropathic pain are two of the most reported complications. Objective: This study aims to review the neurological complications of breast cancer and the ways to control and treat them. Comprehensive searches were carried out about the keywords of Breast Cancer. Neurological Complications. and Breast Cancer Consequences. These keywords were searched through the most well-known databases of MEDLINE. PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Best Evidence, CancerLit, HealthSTAR, and LegalTrac. In this regard, 83 articles were chosen to be included in this study from 2010 to 2021. The identification and treatment process of neurologic syndromes are not easy. The main neurologic syndromes which the breast cancer patients face are opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (OMS), encephalitis, sensorimotor neuropathy, retinopathy, cerebellar degeneration, and stiff-person's syndrome. CIPN and neuropathic pain are among the most prevalent side effects which are categorized as neurological complications and mainly seen 1 year after the management of breast cancer. Aiming to minimize the burden following the treatment of breast cancer, these complications should be diagnosed and treated accurately
Interactions of melatonin with various signaling pathways: implications for cancer therapy
Melatonin is a neuro-hormone with conserved roles in evolution. Initially synthetized as an antioxidant molecule, it has gained prominence as a key molecule in the regulation of the circadian rhythm. Melatonin exerts its effect by binding to cytoplasmic and intra-nuclear receptors, and is able to regulate the expression of key mediators of different signaling pathways. This ability has led scholars to investigate the role of melatonin in reversing the process of carcinogenesis, a process in which many signaling pathways are involved, and regulating these pathways may be of clinical significance. In this review, the role of melatonin in regulating multiple signaling pathways with important roles in cancer progression is discussed, and evidence regarding the beneficence of targeting malignancies with this approach is presented
Is Pregnancy Characteristic Associated with Ovarian Cancer? A Review of the Available Evidence
Numerous epidemiological studies examining the etiology of ovarian cancer and the role of pregnancy related factors in ovarian cancer has been one of the topics of interest to many researchers. Various articles have only mentioned the link between some risk factors and ovarian cancer, but no study has addressed the various dimensions of this issue to this day. Therefore, due to the important position of ovarian cancer among gynecological cancers, this study was conducted to investigate the pregnancy-related risk factors for ovarian cancer. To determine the relationship between pregnancy characteristic and ovarian cancer, a comprehensive search was carried out in English databases such as; Medline, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus using keywords; pregnancy, ovarian cancer (or 'carcinoma of the ovary' or 'ovarian neoplasm' or 'ovarian tumor'), risk factor, pregnancy characteristic terms and a combination of these terms. Full-text, English language, and original articles were included in this study. In total, 35 articles were entered into the study. The relationship between pregnancy related factors and ovarian cancer were studied. Although there was a weak association between some factors such as preterm birth and the risk of ovarian cancer, only the strong protective effect of parity was seen in the articles. The results of this study did not show that pregnancy related factors increase the risk of ovarian cancer. In summary, the findings are inadequate regarding some risk factors such as gender of fetus, multiple pregnancy, placental and fetal weight, parity, miscarriage, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes, and raised questions for future research
rs12329760 Polymorphism in Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 Gene and Risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Mortality
The protease produced by the transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) gene enhances viral infections and has been linked to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pathogenesis. Therefore, this study evaluated the association between TMPRSS2 and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality. TMPRSS2 rs12329760 polymorphism was genotyped using the tetraprimer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction method in 592 dead and 693 improved patients. In the current study, the frequency of TMPRSS2 rs12329760 CC than TT genotypes was significantly lower in improved patients than in dead patients. According to the findings of the multivariate logistic regression test, higher levels of mean age, creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, aspartate aminotransferase, lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, uric acid, and real-time PCR Ct values and TMPRSS2 rs12329760 CC genotype were observed to be associated with increased COVID-19 mortality rates. In conclusion, the TMPRSS2 rs12329760 CC genotype was a polymorphism linked to a significantly higher incidence of severe COVID-19. Further studies are required to corroborate the obtained findings
Determination of total antioxidant content of methanolic extracts of Cynara scolymus, Echinacea purpurea and Portulaca oleracea
Background: The unique properties of medicinal plants particularly their effects on human health have attracted the attention of many researchers. The antioxidant properties of medicinal plants is a strong reason to use them in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant properties of methanolic extracts of Cynara scolymus, Echinacea purpurea and Portulaca oleracea. Aerial parts of C. scolymus, E. purpurea and P. oleracea were dried and ground.Methods: Then, plant samples were prepared using homogenizing plant powders in methanol solution. Finally, the total antioxidant capacity of the plants was assessed by ferric iron reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay.Results: The results revealed that the total antioxidant capacity was found as 3.45, 1.16 and 1.68 mmol Fe2+/L for C. scolymus, E. purpurea and P. oleracea, respectively. Based on our results, C. scolymus, E. purpurea and P. oleracea showed a potent antioxidant activity.Conclusion: It is recommended that utilization of C. scolymus, E. purpurea and P. oleracea in food and pharmaceutical industries could possibly possess beneficial health effects
comparing the expression levels of tripartite motif containing 28 in mild and severe COVID-19 infection (vol 19, 156, 2022)
Iranian nursing students' experiences of workplace violence: a qualitative study
BACKGROUND: Workplace violence against nursing students is a common phenomenon. This study aimed to investigate Iranian nursing students' experiences of workplace violence, including their reaction to violence and the consequences and the effects of such violence on the students. METHODS: The study participants were undergraduate nursing students. The data were collected using semi-structured, in-depth face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was carried out with qualitative approach using conventional content analysis. RESULTS: Four categories were extracted from the analysis of the interview transcriptions: vertical violence, horizontal violence, reaction to violence and consequences of violence. Nurses were the major imposers of violence against students and psychological and verbal violations were the most of used forms of violence. The students reacted to violence in the forms of counteracting, reporting, disregarding and considering as commonplace. CONCLUSIONS: Workplace violence is a common phenomenon experienced by nursing students in this study, which causes devastating individual, educational, and professional impacts. Action plans including providing safe environment and appropriate support from nurses and educators should be developed in clinical settings to intervene and to prevent workplace violence
Proposing an Intelligent Monitoring System for Early Prediction of Need for Intubation among COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients
Introduction: Predicting acute respiratory insufficiency due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can diminish the severe complications and mortality associated with the disease. This study aimed to develop an intelligent system based on machine learning (ML) models for frontline clinicians to effectively triage high-risk patients and prioritize who needs mechanical intubation (MI). Materials and Methods: In this retrospective-design study, the data regarding 482 COVID-19 hospitalized patients from February 9, 2020, to July 20, 2021, was analyzed by six ML classifiers. The most critical clinical variables were identified by a minimal-redundancy-maximal-relevance (mRMR) feature selection technique. In the next step, the models' performance was assessed using confusion matrix criteria and, finally, the best model was adopted. Results: Proposed models were implemented using 23 confirmed variables. Results of comparing six selected ML algorithms indicated the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) classifier with 84.7 accuracy, 76.5 specificity, 90.7 sensitivity, 85.1 f-measure, 87.4 Kappa statistic, and 85.3 for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) had the best performance in the intubation prediction. Conclusion: It is found that ML enables a satisfactory accuracy level in calculating intubation risk in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, using the MLbased intelligent models, notably the XGBoost algorithm, actually enables recognizing high-risk cases and advising correct therapeutic and supportive care by the clinicians. © 2022, Journal of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development. All Rights Reserved
The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Background: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95 uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4 (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0 (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6 47·8–54·1 of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% 32·5–41·3 of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% 27·9–42·8 and 33·3% 25·8–42·0). Interpretation: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens