3790 research outputs found
Sort by
New Association Between Diabetes Mellitus and Pancreatic Cancer
No full textBACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a global issue which has affected the life of many people all over the world. This disorder which is also called the mother of all diseases possesses high pathogenicity and results in the emergence of many disorders. One of the known correlated diseases is pancreatic cancer which can be accompanied by diabetes mellitus. Therefor finding the new association between these diseases and on common genes is urgent. OBJECTIVE: In this study, in order to survey this relationship between diabetes mellitus and pancreatic cancer, the common genes of these disorders were analyzed by bioinformatics tools. METHODS: For this purpose, we screened 17 shared genes from microarray data downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. In addition, the relationship between identified genes was constructed by STRING and DAVID tools. RESULTS: In total, 112 genes were identified to be differentially expressed. Among these, 17 genes were in common, including two genes that were down-regulated and others that were up-regulated. Other analyses showed that most of the genes were enriched in Vibrio cholera infection and the mTOR signaling pathway. The biological processes of such genes include oxygen and gas transport, phagosome acidification, and GTPase activity. CONCLUSION: In this study, 17 genes of common genes that had not previously been considered in diabetes and pancreatic cancer were screened, which can be further considered in clinical approaches and in vitro studies
Evaluation of Annual Staff Doses and Radiation Shielding Efficiencies of Thyroid Shield and Lead Apron during Preparation and Administration of I-131, Kr-81, and Tc-99m-Labeled Radiopharmaceuticals
No full textNuclear medicine technicians would receive unavoidable exposures during the preparation and administration of radiopharmaceuticals. Based on the staff dose monitoring, the dose reduction efficiencies of the radiation protection shields and the need to implement additional strategies to reduce the staff doses could be evaluated. In this study, medical staff doses during the preparation and administration of Tc-99 m, I-131, and Kr-81 radiopharmaceuticals were evaluated. The dose reduction efficiencies of the lead apron and thyroid shield were also investigated. GR-207 thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) chips were used for quantifying the medical staff doses. The occupational dose magnitudes were determined in five organs at risk including eye lens, thyroid, fingers, chest, and gonads. TLDs were located under and over the protective shields for evaluating the dose reduction efficiencies of the lead apron and thyroid shield. The occupational doses were normalized to the activities used in the working shifts. During preparation and injection of Tc-99 m radiopharmaceutical, the average annual doses were higher in the chest (4.49 mGy) and eye lenses (4 mGy). For I-131 radiopharmaceutical, the average annual doses of the point-finger (15.8 mGy) and eye lenses (1.23 mGy) were significantly higher than other organs. During the preparation and administration of Kr-81, the average annual doses of the point-finger (0.65 mGy) and chest (0.44 mGy) were higher. The significant dose reductions were achieved using the lead apron and thyroid shield. The radiation protection shields and minimum contact with the radioactive sources, including patients, are recommended to reduce the staff doses
Identification of Plant Flora Affecting Anti-Anxiety and Anti- Depression Disorders Based on Ethnobotanical Knowledge of the Arasbaran Region, Azerbaijan, Iran
No full textBackground: Ethnobotany, as a part of every district's national capital, involves residents' experience and knowledge about plants and their features being the result of a long time of trial and error in nature. The purpose of this study was to obtain and document the culture of the traditional application of Arasbaran medicinal plants from Azerbaijan province in Iran.Methods: In this research, the information and knowledge of the people about the effective medicinal plants on common psychiatric syndromes including anxiety and depression were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Questions contain local names, organ usage, and traditional therapeutic characteristics of plants. Interviews then went on until the repeated answers confirmed the reliability and validity.Results: Labiatae plant family with 4 plants was the most effective herb family for the treatment of common psychiatric diseases. Also, the most plant organs utilized for treating nervous disorders included aerial parts (36), fruits (22), flowering branches (each with 21) and flowers (14), and seeds (7). So, identification and documentation of their indigenous knowledge can pave the way for a better application of medicinal plants and their products.Conclusion: In this study, 12 medicinal plant species belonging to 9 families were studied. The largest proportion of plant species was related to the Labiatae family. The most commonly used organs were aerial parts, fruits, and flowering branches, respectively. Native medicinal plants of the Arasbaran region are traditionally used to treat common psychiatric syndromes and can be highly effective in the treatment of disorders such as depression and anxiety
Detection of Malaria Parasites and Other Haemosporidia in Migratory and Native Birds in Mazandaran and Golestan Provinces, Iran
No full textBackground: A variety of haemoprotozoa including Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon cause infections in birds and are transmitted by some known vectors. These parasites cause anemia, low appetite, weakness and ultimate-ly death in birds. The present study was aimed to determine these parasites, in birds of Mazandaran and Golestan prov-inces in Iran.Methods: The project was performed on 340 live birds in 2016. The samples were collected from February to Septem-ber 2016, from each bird, two thin and thick blood smears were prepared and the remaining blood about 1ml was kept in EDTA-containing tubes for molecular studies. The slides were stained with 10 Giemsa, then examined microscopical-ly. About ten percent of the negative samples were considered for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique, using specific primers to diagnose Plasmodium and Haemoproteus spp. Electrophoresis was done for PCR products and rele-vant bands to the parasites were identified based on the size. The considered birds belonged to ducks, chickens, roosters, and pigeons.Results: From 340 microscopically examined blood samples 32 (9.5) samples were positive. Twenty-five (7.35) of them were infected with the genus Haemoproteus. Seven samples (14) out of 50 microscopically negative samples were found as Haemoproteus or Plasmodium spp when PCR technique was employed.Conclusion: This study revealed the existence of malaria parasites and other haemosporidia in birds in Iran. Employing molecular methods (PCR examination) could detect more infections
The electrocardiographic, hemodynamic, echocardiographic, and biochemical evaluation of treatment with edaravone on acute cardiac toxicity of aluminum phosphide
No full textAluminum phosphide (AlP) poisoning can be highly fatal due to its severe toxicity to the heart. Based on the evidence, edaravone (EDA) has protective effects on various pathological conditions of the heart. This research aimed to examine the potential protective effects of EDA on AlP-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. The rats were divided into six groups, including almond oil (control), normal saline, AlP (LD50), and AlP + EDA (20, 30, and 45 mg/kg). Thirty minutes following AlP poisoning, the electrocardiographic (ECG), blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) parameters were examined for 180 min. The EDA was injected 60 min following the AlP poisoning intraperitoneally. Also, 24 h after poisoning, echocardiography was carried out to evaluate the ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume (SV), and cardiac output (CO). The biochemical and molecular parameters, such as the activities of the mitochondrial complexes, reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis and necrosis, and troponin I and lactate levels, were also examined after 12 and 24 h in the heart tissue. According to the results, AlP-induced ECG abnormalities, decrease in blood pressure, heart rate, SV, EF, and CO were significantly improved with EDA at doses of 30 and 45 mg/kg. Likewise, EDA significantly improved complex I and IV activity, apoptosis and necrosis, ROS, troponin I, and lactate levels following AlP-poisoning (p < 0.05). Also, the mean survival time was increased following EDA treatment, which can be attributed to the EDA's protective effects against diverse underlying mechanisms of phosphine-induced cardiac toxicity. These findings suggest that EDA, by ameliorating heart function and modulating mitochondrial activity, might relieve AlP-induced cardiotoxicity. Nonetheless, additional investigations are required to examine any potential clinical advantages of EDA in this toxicity
Comparing artificial neural network training algorithms to predict length of stay in hospitalized patients with COVID-19
No full textBackground: The exponential spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes unexpected economic burdens to worldwide health systems with severe shortages in hospital resources (beds, staff, equipment). Managing patients' length of stay (LOS) to optimize clinical care and utilization of hospital resources is very challenging. Projecting the future demand requires reliable prediction of patients' LOS, which can be beneficial for taking appropriate actions. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop and validate models using a multilayer perceptron-artificial neural network (MLP-ANN) algorithm based on the best training algorithm for predicting COVID-19 patients' hospital LOS. Methods: Using a single-center registry, the records of 1225 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalized cases from February 9, 2020 to December 20, 2020 were analyzed. In this study, first, the correlation coefficient technique was developed to determine the most significant variables as the input of the ANN models. Only variables with a correlation coefficient at a P-value < 0.2 were used in model construction. Then, the prediction models were developed based on 12 training algorithms according to full and selected feature datasets (90 of the training, with 10 used for model validation). Afterward, the root mean square error (RMSE) was used to assess the models' performance in order to select the best ANN training algorithm. Finally, a total of 343 patients were used for the external validation of the models. Results: After implementing feature selection, a total of 20 variables were determined as the contributing factors to COVID-19 patients' LOS in order to build the models. The conducted experiments indicated that the best performance belongs to a neural network with 20 and 10 neurons in the hidden layer of the Bayesian regularization (BR) training algorithm for whole and selected features with an RMSE of 1.6213 and 2.2332, respectively. Conclusions: MLP-ANN-based models can reliably predict LOS in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 using readily available data at the time of admission. In this regard, the models developed in our study can help health systems to optimally allocate limited hospital resources and make informed evidence-based decisions
Explore of the reasons of irrational prescribing in Iran: A qualitative study
No full textBackground: Irrational prescribing is highly prevalent in Iran, and it is under the impact of different factors. Objective: This research aims to recognize the reasons for Irrational prescribing in Iran. Methods: A qualitative approach and a conventional content analysis were employed to perform this research. The research community includes some experts and key specialists in medication prescribing. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The intentional sampling method was applied, and theoretical saturation was reached by conducting 40 interviews with experts. The data analysis process was done following the steps suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. Results: Four main categories and 12 subcategories appeared after analyzing the data. The main categories are organizational and management factors, legal factors, cultural factors, and economic factors. Conclusion: Irrational prescribing can be prevented by reforming the referral system, overseeing pharmacies and physicians, raising public awareness and correcting their misconceptions about the medications, and creating an appropriate mechanism for pricing and selling medicines
Anesthesia and analgesia for common research models of adult mice
No full textAnesthesia and analgesia are major components of many interventional studies on laboratory animals. However, various studies have shown improper reporting or use of anesthetics/analgesics in research proposals and published articles. In many cases, it seems "anesthesia " and "analgesia " are used interchangeably, while they are referring to two different concepts. Not only this is an unethical practice, but also it may be one of the reasons for the proven suboptimal quality of many animal researches. This is a widespread problem among investigations on various species of animals. However, it could be imagined that it may be more prevalent for the most common species of laboratory animals, such as the laboratory mice. In this review, proper anesthetic/analgesic methods for routine procedures on laboratory mice are discussed. We considered the available literature and critically reviewed their anesthetic/analgesic methods. Detailed dosing and pharmacological information for the relevant drugs are provided and some of the drugs' side effects are discussed. This paper provides the necessary data for an informed choice of anesthetic/analgesic methods in some routine procedures on laboratory mice
Comparison of the effect of licorice vaginal cream and estrogen vaginal cream on sexual function of postmenopausal women: An RCT
No full textBACKGROUND: Menopause is a stage in woman's life that some women experience in middle age and some at a younger age (premature menopause). Low levels of ovarian hormones, during menopause can lead to various complications. Menopause is one of the factors that can affect a woman's sexual function. OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to compare the effect of licorice vaginal cream and estrogen vaginal cream on the sexual function of postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial study, 82 postmenopausal women who were referred to health centers in Ilam, Iran from July to November 2020 were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 41/each). One group was given estrogen vaginal cream 2, and the other vaginal licorice cream 2. Participants used the 2 medications for 14-day periods each. We used the finite randomization method. Data collection questionnaires, including a demographic information questionnaire before treatment and a female sexual function index questionnaire were completed before, one month after the medication, and 2 months after using the medication. RESULTS: The mean score of sexual function in the licorice group was 17.86 +/- 4.37 and increased to 20.31 +/- 4.63 at the end of the study. The mean score of sexual function in the estrogen group was 17.14 +/- 3.99 and increased to 22.97 +/- 5.09 at the end of the study (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: The effect of estrogen vaginal cream on the sexual function of postmenopausal women was greater than licorice vaginal cream
An Updated Review on Complicated Mechanisms of COVID-19 Patho-genesis and Therapy: Direct Viral Damage, Renin-angiotensin System Dysregulation, Immune System Derangements, and Endothelial Dysfunction
No full textSARS-CoV-2 was reported as the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in late December 2019. According to sequencing and phylogenetic studies, the new virus belongs to Coro-naviridae family and Betacoronavirus genus. Genomic sequence analysis has shown SARS-CoV-2 to be similar to SARS. SARS-CoV-2 is more infectious, and the high level of COVID-19 community transmission has led to a growing pandemic. Although infections in most patients with COVID-19 are moderate or mild, 20 of the patients develop a severe or critical form of the disease. COVID-19 may affect a wide range of organs and tissues, including the respiratory system, digestive system, nervous system, and skin. Patients with COVID-19 have been confirmed to have renal, cardiovascular, gastro-intestinal, and nervous system problems in addition to pulmonary involvement. The pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 is being investigated, but it is possible that the organ damage might in part be caused by direct viral damage (detection of inclusion bodies in tissues, such as the kidneys), dysregulation of the immune system, renin-angiotensin system, bradykinin pathway, and coagulation, as well as host genetic factors and their polymorphisms, which may affect the disease severity. In this review, an update on the possible pathogenesis pathways of COVID-19 has been provided. It is hoped that the best care strategy will be developed for patients with COVID-19 by identifying its pathogenesis pathways. © 2022 Bentham Science Publishers