فهرست مطالب alireza rafiei

Knowledge translation is the sharing of knowledge obtained from research with knowledge users, including community members, organizations, and policymakers, to use it to improve systems and improve the provision of services and products. The implementation of the knowledge translation process in the health field is facing challenges in our country, which is partly because of insufficient knowledge about the concept of knowledge translation and how to implement the knowledge translation process. In the present study, the definition of knowledge translation, and how the process and tools of knowledge translation were discussed, and then, while reviewing the status of knowledge translation in Iranian universities of medical sciences, solutions for the implementation of knowledge translation were presented. Some of the mentioned knowledge translation tools in this study are podcasts, three-minute thesis presentations, webinars, infographics, research news from research results, press releases, journal clubs, policy briefs, and clinical guidelines. The situation of knowledge translation has been reported as inappropriate and incomplete in medical sciences universities of Iran. In these studies, the evaluation was done using the evaluation tool of knowledge translation, which included the four areas of audience needs assessment, knowledge production, knowledge transfer, and evidence application. According to the current situation of knowledge translation, the implementation solutions of knowledge translation in each field have been presented separately. Appropriate networking between knowledge producers and knowledge users, as well as holding regular meetings with representatives of executive organizations and industry owners to determine research priorities, are among the solutions presented in the audience needs assessment section. Creating the infrastructure to carry out research projects based on the needs of the audience, allocating the necessary resources for the implementation of research projects, active participation of representatives of executive organizations in the process of conducting research, creating an internal network between academic researchers to advance research priorities as much as possible, and also pay attention to the quality of knowledge production to gain the trust of the audience are the solutions provided in the knowledge production sector. Acquainting researchers with the field of knowledge transfer and its importance, allocating resources to implement the knowledge transfer process, using appropriate and up-to-date tools for knowledge transfer by researchers, and creating rules to support researchers who, before publishing their research findings in reputable journals, publish them through other means of knowledge transfer, institutionalizing the mechanisms of benefiting from the research achievements in the general education program, and also considering the incentive plans for the transfer of the produced knowledge are among the solutions presented in the knowledge transfer section. Producing valid and reliable evidence, placing produced evidence at the disposal of policymakers, building trust in the audience by researchers, policymakers, and relevant officials to use produced evidence, informing the audience about the need to use production evidence, creating appropriate communication between knowledge producers and knowledge users through the use of knowledge brokers, the existence of resources and financial support for the use of evidence by policymakers as well as target audiences are some of the solutions provided in the use of evidence section

Health tourism is one of the dimensions of sustainable development to help Mazandarn’s economic dynamic. A strong agreement is doubted in identifying factors influencing the attraction of health tourists. This study was implemented to design a questionnaire to measure the factors influencing the attraction of healthy tourists and investigate its psychometric properties.

This study was done with a combinatorial approach in three steps, including relevant literature and the opinions of experts as long as health tourists' opinions of Mazandaran province were applied to the development of the item pool. Then, content validity, face validity, construct validity, and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed for the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. The final questionnaire was approved after performing 17 interviews and applying professional expertise in the qualitative part. In the first stage of the quantitative part content validity was studied by 10 people from an expert panel, and its face validity, the questionnaire was completed by 10 participants. Finally, the construct validity of the designed instrument was calculated using exploratory factor analysis using SPSS 24 software and confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 24 software by asking 300 people familiar with health tourism in Mazandaran province. The internal and external validity were determined using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest in 25 people.

The results of the literature review and interviews with experts in the first and second stages of the study led to the design of 76 items. In the next step, the changes in the qualitative stage 15 questions did not receive favorite points in Content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) calculation in the quantitative part of content validity. Then face validity was applied and the item effect index for 8 items was lower than 1.5 in the quantitative stage of face validity. Then the questionnaire with 53 items was entered into construct validity. In the exploratory factor analysis, the value of KMO was equal to 0.778. Furthermore, the value of Bartlett's test of significance was less than 5%. Based on the rotated matrix of components, eight factors with positive values were obtained. The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that 7 items had a factor loading of less than 0.4, which were removed from the questionnaire, and finally, 46 items remained. In the confirmatory factor analysis stage, the factor load of all dimensions was in good condition and the P-value was in the acceptable range. Cronbach alpha rate was calculated as 0.831. The external reliability was lower than 0.05 (ICC= 0.90, P<0.001).

The designed questionnaire, due to the low number of questions, the simplicity of the sentences, as well as the acceptable validity and reliability, can be used to identify and investigate the factors affecting the attraction of health tourists. Normalization of the questionnaire in other cultures is suggested. It is hoped that the findings of this study will be utilized by researchers, healthcare and tourism system managers, and other stakeholders to inform the planning of interventions aimed at increasing medical tourism. Additionally, it is hoped that the results of this study will serve as a springboard for future research in this area.

Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, paying full attention to the national priorities and being aware of its competitive advantages, has chosen eleven academic fields (disciplines) in order to achieve academic distinction and achieve thematic scientific supremacy while forming scientific excellence centers. In order to fulfill its academic mission, this university has developed a strategic plan and a draft operational plan with dozens of specific strategies. The use of these strategies can lead to targeted development in the short term, in the medium term to the leadership position of the country's scientific community, and in the long term, to the authority and supremacy of the international scientific community in selected fields of knowledge.

Bioinformatic approaches for designing vaccines have become a promising alternative to conventional methods. We herein designed a multi-epitope-based vaccine against colorectal cancer (CRC).

Used peptides in the CRC vaccines were retrieved from databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Clinical trials. The adjuvants of Mycobacterial heparin-binding hemagglutinin and pan DR epitope were inserted in the N and C terminus of the vaccine sequence. Physicochemical properties, immunological characterizations, and prediction of the secondary and tertiary structure of the vaccine were evaluated. Linear and conformational B cells were predicted by IEDB. Docking and molecular dynamics simulations were performed between the vaccine and toll-like receptor of 4 (TLR4). In silico cloning and mRNA stability were predicted to evaluate the expression of the vaccine in Escherichia coli (E.Coli).

The vaccine contains 368 amino acids constructed from peptides of OGT, FTO, CASP5, CASP8, U2SURP, MED25, FMO5, CEA, and TGFβIIR CRC antigens. The vaccine has a high-quality structure and suitable physicochemical and immunological properties. It has large and accessible B-celll epitopes. Docking and molecular dynamics simulation of the vaccine with TLR4 showed an appropriate and stable interaction between the vaccine and immune receptors. In silico cloning showed the vaccine can transcript and translate in E.Coli as a host.

The CRC vaccine is immunogen, non-allergen, and structurally stable. In the next step, the in silico results of this study will verify using in vitro and in vivo studies.

Neuroinflammatory processes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is related to the immune system. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential elements of this association. Deficiency in these cells may have a role in worsening of ASD. 

This study reviews the physiology of Tregs and their molecular mechanisms in regulating the immune system, their role in neurological disorders, abnormality in Treg number and function in patients with ASD, and the association of neuroinflammatory processes with Tregs. The comprehensive literature search was performed by electronic databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to July 2023.

Expression of cytokines in Treg induction decrease in ASD patients which causes Th/Treg cells imbalance and deficiency in Treg cells. This may be clinical evidence of ASD. However, there are scant research on molecular mechanism of Tregs causing healthy behaviors in ASD patients. Future studies on the effect of Th/Treg cells imbalance on attenuating behavior deficits and finding treatments for ASD based on the activation of Tregs and regulation of the immune system are recommended

The use of approaches that balance the function of the immune system, especially through the activation of Tregs, may help improve the health of the patients.

Expression and location of nucleolin are often abnormal in malignancies, which may result in the production of autoantibodies. Despite this, the identification of such autoantibodies may be essential for the early diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. In this investigation, the recombinant nucleolin protein was generated using an Escherichia coli expression system and was used an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect anti-nucleolin autoantibodies in cancer patients' sera. Lung cancer patients' autoantibodies displayed the highest seroreactivity with the recombinant protein, with area under the curve of 0.948 and sensitivity and specificity of 85% and 96.67%, respectively (accuracy=92%). Anti-nucleolin autoantibodies were linked with lung tumor size (r=0.793), tumor, node, metastasis staging (r=0.643), and proliferation (r=0.744). These autoantibodies distinguished patients with early-stage lung cancer from healthy controls. Since anti-nucleolin autoantibodies are strongly linked to tumor size, clinical staging, and growth, they can be used to measure how well a treatment is working.

In the present study, Micro-capsulated fish oil omega-3 fatty acids and Lactobacillus Plantarum produced by electrostatic interaction coacervation was investigated in three biopolymer formulations.

Three biopolymer formulations of fish gelatin-gum Arabic, fish gelatin–chitosan, and gum Arabic-gelatin were used to study the effect of wall materials. Also, we investigated the effect of wall-to-core materials ratio at 2: 1, 3: 1, and 4: 1 and homogenizer speeds of 3500 and 7000 rpm.

The results of the microencapsulation efficiency of omega-3 fatty acids showed that treatment 12 had the highest yield (96.26 ± 0.19). It contained a biopolymer mixture containing gelatin-chitosan which surrounded a high percentage of omega-3, while the amount of omega-3 on the surface of the capsule was very low. Also, treatment 6 containing gelatin wall materials and gum Arabic had a high ability to surround bacteria and compared to free bacteria, the bacterial mortality rate was lower when exposed to simulated gastric conditions. In addition, after being in the simulated intestinal condition, the number of bacteria increased after 120 minutes that shows the capsule has released its compounds in alkaline conditions of the intestine.

This study showed that using the combined coacervation technique using fish gelatin biopolymers, chitosan, and gum Arabic as wall materials, can produce omega-3 capsules and Lactobacillus Plantarum in micrometer sizes. They can play a protective role in preventing the oxidation of probiotic and omega-3 bacteria.

Context:

 There are some discrepancies regarding the association between periodontal disease and preterm in the literature. Considering all periodontal pathogens, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) is the most invasive bacterium in connective tissues, and the impact of its presence in the diverse microbial community of periodontal pathogens with a lower frequency is much greater than expected.

This study investigated the association of Pg in infra-gingival plaque of preterm and low birth weight (PTLBW) mothers.

Setting and Design: 

This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 89 women, who were referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari, Iran, in 2017.

The samples were assigned by purposive method with 30 mothers had PTLBW newborns and 59 mothers had normal term and normal birth weight (NTNBW) neonates. The probing depth, bleeding on probing clinical attachment levels, plaque index, and gingival index were measured. A sample from the periodontal pocket was collected to distinguish the Pg in subgingival plaque by polymerase chain reaction. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Mann–Whitney U and Chi-square test.

According to the periodontal indexes, 37.3% and 26.7% of the mothers in the NTNBW and PTLBW were diagnosed with periodontitis, respectively. Furthermore, Pg was detected in 30% and 20.3% of the cases in the PTLBW of NTLBW mothers. The amount of Pg in infra-gingival plaque was significantly higher in the PTLBW mothers than in the NTNBW (P = 0.016).

The results indicated that the quantity of Pg could be considered a risk factor for PTLBW delivery.

Detection of a new molecular marker for diagnosis and treatment of cancer is a growing field of recent research. The main challenge for molecular investigation is nucleic acid extraction from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (FFPE) of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) samples. In this research, we have compared four different commercially available RNA isolation kits by evaluating the quality and quantity of total RNA. RNA extraction of 10 FNA-FFPE of hepatocellular carcinoma and 10 normal tissue samples were compared and optimized using four commercially available kits: Isol-RNA lysis Reagent (5-PRIME), Cinna Pure RNA kit (SinaClon BioScience), Denazist RNA extraction kit (DENAzist Asia Biotechnology), and RNeasy FFPE Kit (Qiagen) to use in downstream applications. Evaluation of RNA extracting was done by spectrophotometer and electrophoresis. Also, quantitative reverse-transcription PCR was used for assessing the expression of SOX2. RNeasy FFPE Kit had the highest concentration of RNA between the four commercial kits (106.2 ± 17.15) and also, the highest RNA integrity with some modification. The most preferred kit for RNA extraction based on gene amplification was the RNeasy FFPE Kit, which has the lowest CT due to the high quality and integrity of RNA compared to the other three kits with the same modification. Our results suggested that RNeasy FFPE Kit with some modifications in temperature and incubation time was the best kit for RNA extraction from FNA-FFPE issues to a considerable extent with high purity and maintaining the integrity of RNA.

Autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs) are disorders with an inborn error of innate immunity, characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and inflammatory attacks. The spectrum of AIDs is expanding, but there are no standardized clinical criteria for the diagnosis of the patients. This study aims at establishing the first autoinflammatory registry of an Iranian population focusing on the clinical and laboratory features that may help clinicians for a better understanding and diagnosis of these disorders. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients who were clinically and or genetically diagnosed with AIDs were collected during 15 years. The updated version of classification criteria from the Eurofever Registry was used for the clinical diagnosis. Twenty-eight patients (16 males and 12 females) with the mean±SD age of 28.03±14.49 years (from 2 to 68 years) were entered this study. About 29% were genetically diagnosed. Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) was the most common diagnosis of the patients. Fever duration episodes were between 1-10 days. Some of the clinical manifestations from the most to the least common were as follows: arthralgia and arthritis (80%), myalgia (76%), coughs and shortness of breath (68%), fatigue (60%), abdominal pain (56%), increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) (48%), and splenomegaly (24%). Here, we presented the most common clinical manifestations of Iranian AIDs who have registered in our AID registry which would be a useful guide for managing the same patients and also designing the future studies.

The northern coastal regions of Iran are endemic for leptospirosis which may range from a subclinical illness to a progressively fatal disease. There has been growing evidence that inflammatory markers play a significant role in the severity and prognosis of leptospirosis. This study aimed to investigate inflammatory cytokines in patients with leptospirosis.

This descriptive-analytical prospective study was performed in 75 patients over 18 years old who had a positive microscopic agglutination test (MAT) titer from January to June 2019. SPSS software Version 20 was used for statistical analysis and the significance level was considered as p<0.05.

The patients’ age enrolled in this study are from 21 to 75 years with a mean and standard deviation of 48.6 ± 14.0. The male to female ratio in our participants was 54/21. Fever was the most common symptoms in 66 (88.0%) patients, followed by myalgia in 62 (82.7%) cases. The level of interleukin 10 was significantly higher in severe illness (P=0.003) and fatal cases (p<0.028) compared with recovered patients. The level of TNF-α level was also higher in the severe illness and Weil's syndrome compared with the mild kind (P=0.022).

Our results showed that the levels of TNF-α and IL-10 significantly increased in severe leptospirosis. Also, IL-10 was significantly higher in fatal cases. The inhibition of IL-10 production might play an important role in decreasing the risk of fatal outcomes in leptospirosis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is ranked as the second most common cancer in men and the third most common cancer in women worldwide. Routine treatments have many side effects and little efficiency. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) on epigenetic changes of some genes involved in CRC progression.

Proliferation rate of cells after 40 s treatment was analyzed using MTT assay. Gene expressions of Beclin-1, Runx3, and AIM2 were measured using Real time PCR and methylation alternations of mentioned genes were evaluated with quantitative Methylation-Specific PCR (Q-MSP).

The viability of CAP-treated C26 cells significantly decreased compared to that of the L929 cells. The viability of C26 cell line decreased to75%, 52.2%, and 34% following 12, 24, and 48 hours of CAP therapy for 40 seconds. CAP therapy decreased the AIM2 expression (fold change=0.12) and increased the Runx3 gene expression (fold change=2.66) in C26 cell line. Also, treatment with CAP decreased the methylation level of Runx3 gene in CAP-treated cells compared with untreated cells (33.45% vs 63.24%).

This study confirmed the selective effect of CAP on cancer cells which is an ultimate goal of cancer therapy approach. Also, CAP treatment was found to affect gene expression and methylation level of critical players of CRC.

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a hereditary auto-inflammatory disorder that is caused by mutations in the Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene and is associated with an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-18 (IL-18), leading to excess inflammation. Colchicine is a common drug widely used for treatment of FMF attacks, but about 5–15% of the patients show resistance to the regular colchicine treatment. In this study, we used dimethylamino-parthenolide (DMAPT), as a small molecule inhibitor of Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), NLR family Pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), and cysteine-aspartic acid protease 1(Caspase-1) on FMF-derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The effects of DMAPT and colchicine on metabolic activity and apoptosis of FMF-derived PBMCs were evaluated by MTT and Annexin V/PI assays, respectively. Also, the expression levels of NF-κB, NLRP3, MEFV, CASP1, and IL-1β mRNA were investigated using a TaqMan real-time PCR, and the protein levels of IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-37 were assessed via an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in LPS/ ATP-stimulated PBMCs. DMAPT decreased the expression levels of NFκB (0.38±0.096, P<0.0001), NLRP3 (0.39±0.12, P<0.001), MEFV (0.384±0.145, P<0.001), CASP1 (0.48±0.13, P=0.0023), and IL-1β (0.09±0.09, P<0.0001) and reduced the secretion levels of IL-1β (8.92±5.3 vs. 149.85±20.92, P<0.0001), IL-18 (135±32.1 vs. 192±22.18, P=0.01), and IL-37 (27.5±6.3 vs. 78.19±14.3, P<0.0001) as compared to untreated cells. Given the obtained results in comparison with previous research, the future clinical development of DMAPT could result in the expansion of new anti-inflammatory therapeutics for FMF disorder.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the infectious agents that causes genital and non-genital warts and skin cancers in humans. The E7 protein of this virus is one of the small oncoproteins that may be the main target in therapeutic vaccines. E7 protein with HIV-1 Tat peptide (49-59), plays a protective role that cause immune Th1 and CTLs response. The aim of this study was to design a recombinant HIV-1 Tat 49-59 / HPV16, 18, 6, 11 E7 protein in vitro and the function of this antigen for MHC-1 expression.

In this study, macrophage cell line J774 was used to evaluate the expression of MHC-1 and the function of Tat peptide in delivery of recombinant protein to the surface of MHC-1. J744 mouse macrophage cell line was treated by10, 50, and 100 μg of each of the proteins with and without Tat peptide. After 24 hours, the cells were collected and then analyzed by flow cytometry.

In this study, J774 cells were treated and analyzed by E7-Tat and E7 proteins at different concentrations. The study showed that 10 μg of E7-Tat protein increased the expression of MHC-1, while at higher concentrations of this protein, the expression of MHC-1 molecule decreased considerably compared to the group without Tat peptide.

E7-Tat protein at lower concentrations can act as a stimulant for increasing the MHC-1 expression and could be used in therapeutic vaccines.

Biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) have great attention of scientists, as it provide clean, biocompatible, non-toxic and inexpensive fabrication. In this study, Feijoa sellowiana leaf extract was used for synthesizing SNPs which reduces silver nitrate into silver zero-valent. SNPs were characterized by UV, FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDS and TEM analysis. They were also examined for their biological activities. The presence of biosynthesized SNPs was characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy and also crystal nature of SNPs identified with XRD analysis. FT-IR spectrum was used to confirm the presence of different functional groups in the biomolecules which act as a capping agent for the nanoparticles. The morphology of SNPs was explored using SEM and the presence of silver was confirmed by elemental analysis. The size of the nanoparticles was in the range of 20–50 nm determined by TEM. The green synthesized SNPs showed a good antibacterial activities against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and also in resistant clinical isolated pathogens. Furthermore, the green synthesized SNPs showed reliable anticancer activity on the gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines with little effect on normal (HFF) cells. The in vitro antioxidant activity of SNPs showed a significant effect on scavenging of free radicals and iron chelating activity.

Capers (Capparis spinosa) are one of the valuable medicinal plants that can grow in a wide range of ecological situations. In order to investigate the effect of climate on the physiological compounds of this plant, plant samples were collected in late summer with three replications from the mountainous areas of Amol city (Nemarestaq, Delarestaq and Behrestaq) at four altitudes with a difference of 150 meters (minimum altitude 850 meters). Some physiological traits of leaves and fruits were measured and analyzed by compound analysis in a completely randomized design. Data analysis showed that all the measured traits were affected by climate and were statistically significant, so that the highest amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, vitamin C, phenol, flavonoids, anthocyanins, antioxidants at an altitude of 1650 meters in Behrestagh region with 6.75, 10.56, 3.59, 15.60, 24.66 mg/g fresh weight, 4.51, 2.55 μmol/g fresh weight and 81.78% inhibition, respectively, and the lowest was observed at an altitude of 850 meters in Nemarstagh area. Regression slope also proved the significant relationship between traits and region and altitude, and antioxidant capacity which is the most important medicinal property of this plant, along with chlorophyll a, had the highest relationship (r² = 0.93). Also, the analysis of Pearson simple correlation coefficients showed a positive and significant effect between the traits. In general, with increasing altitude, an increase in the amount of measured physiological compounds that have medicinal effects was observed, so it is possible to develop the cultivation of some medicinal plants close to this family in the highlands.

Plant flavonoids show positive responses to geographical changes, especially altitude, and considering that the medicinal plant of capper (Capparis spinosa) is ecologically distributed in different habitats, so in this research the effect of altitude on the content of anti-cancer flavonoids such as rutin and quercetin were studied in capper which sampled in summer from three mountainous areas of Amol (Nemarestaq, Delarestaq and Behrestaq) at four altitudes with difference heights of 150 meters from each other (minimum 850 and maximum 1650 meters) and with three replications in a completely randomized design. Total flavonoids, rutin and quercetin were measured and analyzed by spectrophotometry and HPLC. The results showed a significant difference between measured traits in different regions (p≤0.01 and p≤0.05), so that the highest amount of flavonoids, rutin and quercetin were obtained at an altitude of 1650 m in the third region (Behrestaq) with 4.51±17 μmol, 24.62±0.28 and 4.91±0.18 mg/g fresh weight, respectively. Therefore, zone and altitude had a positive effect on the amount of medicinal metabolites of capper. Also, the equation of regression lines and explanatory coefficients (r² = 0.91, r² = 0.74 and r² = 0.78) showed that the amount of flavonoids, rutin and quercetin at different altitudes in Nemarestaq, Delarestaq and Behrestaq increased with increasing altitude and the slope of the regression line for all traits was positive. Therefore, nature is the best model for obtaining more concentrated and desirable anti-cancer flavonoids in plants.

Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein with antimicrobial, antioxidant, immune-modulating, antiviral, and most importantly anticancer properties. In the present study, the effect of lactoferrin on breast cancer cell growth and the expression of Bax and Bak genes are evaluated.

MCF7 cells were cultured in a 96-well plate with 1×105 cells in each well. Different lactoferrin concentrations of 0, 50, 300, 600, and 800 μg/mL were added to each well in three replicates and the well was incubated for 24 hours. After treatment, cell survival was measured using the MTT assay. To determine the level of expression of Bax and Bak genes, the cells were treated with lactoferrin concentrations of 0, 50, and 800 μg/mL in 2 replicates for 24 hours. Then RNA extraction was performed and cDNA was synthesized immediately and the expression of the genes in the presence of beta-actin reference gene and cyber-green fluorescence color was investigated with real-time reactions.

The cells viability in lactoferrin concentrations of 0, 50, 300, 500 and 800 μg/μL were 100%, 94%, 83%, 62%, and 32%, respectively. The expression level of the Bax gene at a concentration of 50 μg increased by 2.71 times and in 800 μg concentration decreased by 0.88 times. Also, the expression level of the Bak gene at concentrations of 50 and 800 μg increased by 1.23 and 1.0 fold, respectively. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that the expression levels of two genes at a concentration of 50 μg/mL of lactoferrin significantly increased (P<0.01), compared to the control. The significance level in this study was set at < 0.05.

In this study, lactoferrin showed a growth inhibitory effect on breast cancer cells and increased the expression of Bax and Bak genes involved in apoptosis at a concentration of 50 µg/mL.

Cancer is one of the major health challenges in the world. The efficacy of current treatments is low but their side effects are high. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a new modality for cancer treatment. This study aimed to compare the cytotoxicity effect of CAP on the cell line models of common cancers and normal cells.

In this experimental study, argon based CAP was used to treat mouse melanoma (B16-F10), human breast cancer (MCF-7), human lung cancer (A549) cell lines, and compared with normal mouse fibroblast cells (L929), and human immortalized normal respiratory epithelial cell (Beas). We cultivated 4 groups in each cancer and normal cell lines: untreated cells; CAP exposed cells  for 20 seconds, 30 seconds, and 40 seconds.The morphological alterations and proliferation rate of the cells were evaluated after 24 and 48 hours.

The viability of CAP-treated cancer cells significantly decreased compared to that of the untreated cells. The viability of A549 and MCF-7 cell lines decreased to 33.9% and 49.5%, 24 hours after CAP therapy for 30 seconds. In addition, 40 seconds exposure to CAP reduced viability of B16-F10 melanoma cells to 37.9%. Whereas the CAP had no detrimental cytotoxic effect on normal L929 cells. The maintenance effect of CAP had a time dependent pattern and its cytotoxicity effect increased from 24 to 48 hour incubation.

This study showed that the effect of CAP on cancer cells is a selective effect that is largely dependent on the radiation dose and duration of exposure of cells to compounds produced by CAP. We can use CAP in treatment of cancer because of its cytotoxicity and selectivity on cancer cells.

 We assessed the urinary level of L-FABP in patients with APN and compared between patients with scar versus normal kidneys.

We enrolled children aged 2 months to 12 years old with APN. The urine concentration of L-FABP and L-FABP/Cr were measured. Patients divided into three groups; patients with scarring APN as group 1, patients with non-scarring APN as group 2, and controls.

79 children (aged 57.4 ± 40.5 months, (87.5%) female) enrolled in the study. Group 1 was composed of 19 (16 female) cases, group two 35 (32 female) cases, and group three 26 (2 female) healthy controls. There was no significant difference in absolute urinary level of L-FABP between APN groups and controls. Group 1 patients had a significantly higher concentration than group 2 (P < .05). The UL-FABP /Cr was significantly higher in group 1, than groups 2 and 3 [(0.28 ± 0.39 pg/mg, 0.08 ± 0.08 pg/mg, and 0.10 ± 0.09 pg/mg; respectively), (P < .05, P < .05)]. The difference between group 2 and 3 was not significant (P > .05). The sensitivity and specificity of UL-FABP /Cr ratio in prediction of scar was 50% to 72% and 44% to 56%, respectively.

The urinary ratio of L-FABP to creatinine is not a useful tool for diagnosis of APN or VUR but could be helpful in prediction of long-term potency to renal parenchymal scar formation.

Active species used in bio-chemical for synthesizing nanoparticles is poly phenolic compounds. The ability of flavonoids (e.g. quercetin) to dissolve in water is low and the production of metallic nanoparticles from them in the aqueous medium is hard. Previous studies recommend that quercetin was not capable of reducing Ag+ to Ag0. The current research aimed at synthesizing quercetin-mediated silver nanoparticles (Q-AgNPs) and evaluate the antioxidant and anticancer activities of Q-AgNPs in vitro.

The green synthesis of Q-AgNPs in an aqueous medium has been demonstrated. The resultant nanoparticles were characterized by several analytical techniques of imaging and spectroscopic. The improved antioxidant activity of Q-AgNPs (DPPH and nitric oxide scavenging and iron chelating assay) was determined by the colorimetric method. Possible biomedical applications such as antioxidant and anticancer activities of Q-AgNPs have been assessed.

The DPPH and nitric oxide radical scavenging activity of Q-AgNPs was found to be (IC50=46.47±1.79 and 30.64±3.18μg/mL, respectively). Q-AgNPs exhibited better iron chelating activity than standard EDTA (IC50=3.12 ±0.44μg/mL). Significant anticancer activity of Q-AgNPs (IC50=57.42μg/mL) was found against HepG2 cell lines after 24-hour exposure. Furthermore, the antifungal activity (MIC = 4, 8 and > 64 μg/mL) was found against Candida krusei, Candida parapsilosis and Aspergillus fumigatus, respectively.

The present method is a competitive option to produce multifunctional nanoscale hybrid materials with higher efficiency and using natural sources for diverse biomedical applications such as antioxidant and anticancer activities.

Nowadays, examining the toxicity of nanoparticles including the synthesized and functionalized iron nanoparticles using methods like green synthesis is highly considered, due to their increasing usage in various fields of medicine, biology, industrial, and pollution removal. Hence, in this study, the toxicity of the zero valent iron nanoparticles synthesized by plant-Myrtus communis (MC-ZVINP) was investigated.

Human normal Foreskin Fibroblast (HFF) cells were used for cytotoxicity examination using MTT method. Also, biochemical factors such as liver enzymes level, and factors such as the number of white and red globules, lymphocytes, platelets, amount of blood hemoglobin, and histopathological test of liver tissue in laboratory small rats were examined after intraperitoneal injections of the MC-ZVINP with different concentrations daily and a duration of 3-month, with the groups receiving trivalent iron, the extract of plant-case, and normal saline.

Cytotoxicity concentration of iron-case nanoparticles was obtained for 50% of HFF cells (CC50=149.23±4.45μg/mL). The results obtained from the blood factors examination showed a decreased the serum level of liver enzymes as well as an increase in the number of red and white globules and hemoglobin rate in mice receiving iron nanoparticles compared to the trivalent iron receiving group. Receiving the concentrations of 100 and 200 mg/kg/bw of iron nanoparticles have caused the incidence of mild and moderate inflammation in the liver of mice.

Generally, it can be concluded that, the MC-ZVINP have shown no significant toxicity on the levels of blood cells, enzymes, and liver tissue.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic inflammatory disease of the white matter of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Proinflammatory cytokine network such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) has a role in the initiation of a destructive immune response in CNS and the progression of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the comparative levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in MS patients and healthy controls and also to assess any fluctuation in IL-6 and IL-8 levels in MS progression.

This case-control study recruited a total of 183 subjects, including 103 MS patients and 80 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. MS patients included 51 Relapsing Remitting MS (RRMS), 25 secondary progressive MS (SPMS), 27 Primary Progressive MS (PPMS), and Progressive Relapsing MS (PRMS). Clinical findings were collected, and serum levels of IL-6, IL-8, and 25-hydroxyl vitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) were determined with ELISA.

The mean serum level of IL-6 was significantly higher in MS patients than healthy controls (23.8±2.1 vs. 15.6±2.7 pg/mL, P=0.043). MS patients with SPMS had more prominent IL-6 levels than RRMS or PPMS (P=0.008). However, IL-8 levels did not show a significant change either in the patients compared with the controls or in the different forms of MS. MS was more prone to progressive form in male patients. Mean 25(OH)D3 level was significantly lower in MS patients than the controls. Meanwhile, the mean 25(OH)D3 level was surprisingly higher in MS patients with SPMS.

The increased serum level of IL-6 in more advanced MS status, SPMS, suggests that IL-6 but not IL-8 might be a prognostic marker for the disease deterioration. Besides, the tendency for MS to progress to worse stages in affected men is an important finding that needs further clarification.

Gutta-percha is generally accepted as the main canal filler. Standard gutta-percha cones are available in 2-10% tapers. The purpose of this study was to compare apical microleakage of canals obturated with different tapers of gutta-percha, using the protein penetration technique.

In this study, 96 maxillary anterior teeth were selected and were prepared by protaper rotary files. The teeth were divided into six experimental groups (n=15) and two control groups (n=3). All groups were obturated with different tapered master cone (2-4-6%) and accessory cone (2-4%) by lateral condensation technique. Protein microleakage was measured in each sample. Data was analyzed applying Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann Whitney test.

Statistical analysis showed significant differences between all experimental groups (P<0.001). The least levels of microleakage were seen in the group treated with 2% master cone and 2% accessory cone, while the highest levels were found in teeth obturated with 4% master cone and 2% accessory cone.

In this study, 2% master cone and 2% accessory cone caused least microleakage, but the 6% master cone and 4% accessory cone also showed good results.

The Tabari cohort study (TCS), part of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN), is a large longitudinal prospective cohort designed to better understand the risk factors associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across two urban and mountainous regions in north of Iran. The enrollment phase of TCS started in June 2015 and ended in November 2017. During this phase, individuals aged 35–70 years from urban and mountainous regions of Sari township (Mazandaran province) were invited to the cohort center by health volunteers (urban regions) and Behvarz (mountainous areas) using census information. Data was collected based on the PERSIAN cohort study protocols. Hypertension was defind as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg or history of diagnosis with hypertension or taking antihypertensive medications among participants free from cardiovascular diseases. Diabetes was defined as fasting blood sugar ≥126 mg/dL or a history of diagnosis or taking glucoselowering medications among all participants. A total of 10,255 participants were enrolled in TCS, 59.5% of whom were female. Among the total population, 7,012 participants were urban residents (68.4%). The prevalence of daily smoking in the total population was 9.1%. Body mass index in 75.9% of participants was ≥25 kg/m2. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and thyroid disorders were 22.2%, 17.2%, and 10.5%, respectively. The Tabari cohort is different from other cohorts in terms of levels of risk factors associated with NCDs. This study has certain important strengths including its population-based design and large sample size that provides a valid platform for conducting future investigations and trials. A biobank that has been designed to store blood, nail, hair and urine samples for future research is another strength of this study. Researchers who are interested in using the information can refer to the following web page: http://persiancohort.com.