hamideh moradi

Most IVF embryos fail to implant before clinical diagnosis. Successful implantation of an embryo relies on the endometrium forming a connection with the embryo, thereby enabling blood vessel formation and a suitable environment for the embryo to develop. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) plays a vital role in angiogenesis. The role of VEGF polymorphisms, including VEGF1154 G/A (rs1570360), has been shown in recurrent implantation failure (RIF) in various ethnic groups.

For this research, 148 healthy women with a previous successful pregnancy served as the control group, while the case group consisted of 75 women with Recurrent Implantation Failure (RIF) who had not achieved a pregnancy after transferring 10 embryos during three or more IVF cycles. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells. PCR was performed, and amplified DNA fragments were sequenced using the Sanger method.

After analyzing with SHEsis application, while the control group exhibited Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium (HWE), a deviation was observed in the case group. However, the chi- square test did not reveal a statistically significant difference between the groups.

There was no significant association between this SNP and RIF in our case-control study. The presence of Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium in the case group, despite the lack of significant difference from the control group, warrants further exploration of potential contributing factors and their implications for the study of this locus in relation to recurrent implantation failure.

In late December 2019, a series of unexplained cases of pneumonia were reported in Wuhan, China. On January 12, 2020, the World Health Organization temporarily named the virus responsible for the emerging cases of pneumonia as the 2019 coronavirus. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to Covid-19 has rapidly spread around the world, and while no specific treatment or vaccine has been reported, mortality rates remain high. One of the suggested treatments for cellular damage in the pathogenesis of ARDS caused by the coronavirus is the administration of high doses of intravenous vitamin C. Considering the paucity of literature on the therapeutic effects of high doses of intravenous vitamin C in patients with ARDS resulting from the coronavirus, this study was conducted to assess this therapeutic supplement in these patients.

 This study was performed as a single-center clinical trial in patients with a documented diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. 54 eligible patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms, based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included in the investigation and randomly divided into two groups. The control group consisted of 26 patients who received standard treatment, whereas the treatment group was comprised of 18 patients administered intravenous vitamin C at a dose of 2 g every 6 hours for 5 days in addition to standard treatment. Demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, length of hospital stay, and mortality rates were reviewed and collected. Oxygen saturation, respiratory rates, serum C Reactive Protein (CRP) levels, lymphopenia and lung parenchymal involvement on CT were investigated at the time of admission and on the sixth day after hospitalization. Finally, all variables were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 23 software and a significant statistical difference was defined for all variables, P <0.05.

 Of these variables, the amount of oxygen saturation in the vitamin C group increased significantly from 86±5% on the first day of hospitalization to 90±3% on the sixth day of hospitalization (P value=0.02). Also, the respiratory rate in the vitamin C group decreased significantly from 27±3 on the first day of hospitalization to 24±3 on the sixth day of hospitalization (P value=0.03). Lung CT scans of patients in the two groups reported by two radiologists were also compared. Based on the report of the radiologists, the rate of lung involvement in the vitamin C group was significantly lower than in the control group at the end of treatment (P value=0.02).

 Due to the effectiveness of high doses of intravenous vitamin C on reducing lung involvement and improving clinical symptoms, further studies with a larger sample size are recommended to demonstrate the effects of this drug supplement.

Acute cholecystitis needs to be treated due to its high prevalence and mortality rate worldwide and high consumption of antibiotics before and after surgery for this disease.

This study investigated the microbiology of bile samples and their antibiogram in patients with acute cholecystitis referred to the Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, in 2019 - 2020.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 97 patients with acute cholecystitis. A surgeon collected bile samples before cholecystectomy. Then, the samples were examined for culture and antibiogram. The results were analyzed using SPSS 16 statistical software.

Among the measured variables, only the relationship between the age category and culture result was statistically significant (P < 0.032). Also, the culture result was negative in 67% of the patients, and in the positive culture of the samples, organisms grown mainly were Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas, and Enterococcus. Among the organisms, 53.1% were susceptible, and in resistant cases, the most resistant mechanism was extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). Moreover, the relationship between different organisms with the sex of patients (P < 0.032) and having gallstones (P < 0.011) was significant.

According to studies, 30 - 50% of cholecystitis cultures of bile samples were positive, the most common organisms growing in these cultures include Ecoli, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Enterococcus and Salmonella species. Also, the most common mechanisms of antibiotic resistance are ESBL, CRE, and AmpC types, respectively. More research needs to be carried out on the prevalence of microbes in cholecystitis and other diseases and the selection of appropriate antibiotic regimens and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a concern in the medical community as the virus spreads around the world. It has a heavy global burden, particularly in low-income countries. This virus has its specific outcomes in each population. Hence, it is necessary to design studies to find the epidemiological behaviour of this virus.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Labbafinezhad hospital, Tehran, Iran. Demographic features include age, sex, past medical history, drug history, habitual file, influenza vaccination history, recent exposure history, clinical symptoms or signs, and the recorded symptoms. The clinical examination and para-clinical assessment, including chest computed tomography (CT) and laboratory testing on admission, were recorded.

It was found that patients with a history of kidney transplantation, high level of LDH, high level of AST, and increased neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio are most at risk of death.

Parameters mentioned could help practitioners predict patient outcomes, and necessary interventions could be considered in this regard.

Currently, clinical details of immunosuppressed patients suffering from COVID-19 are limited. Some studies have shown no more severe diseases among them, but others have highlighted that immunosuppressed patients may have high levels of viral load and impaired immune responses. Herein, this study aimed to specifically address the symptoms, prognosis, laboratory tests, clinical course, and the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infected immunocompromised patients at a tertiary referral center.

Clinical and laboratory information of 75 non-congenital immunosuppressed patients with COVID-19 disease was obtained at a referral center for immunodeficiency diseases and infectious disorders in Tehran, Iran. Three groups of immunocompromised patients were evaluated, including patients with a history of organ transplantation, autoimmune patients receiving medical therapy, and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Among 75 immune-deficient patients with COVID-19, there were 32 patients with a kidney transplant, 23 patients with malignancies, and 19 patients with autoimmune disorders. One patient had both malignancy and multiple sclerosis. The mean length of hospitalization was 10.82 days. By the end of the study, 24 (32%) patients were dead, and 51 (68%) patients were discharged. Dyspnea was the most common (64%) symptom. Low levels of O2 saturation and lymphopenia at admission time significantly affected the mortality rate of patients.

This study showed that mortality rate among immunocompromised patients was 32%. It seems that COVID-19 has a worse outcome and a more severe clinical course in immunocompromised patients regardless of age, gender, and underlying diseases.

The purpose of this study was to predict the motivation of students in the second elementary school of Hamadan through their teachers' technological literacy.

The research method was descriptive correlational. The statistical population of the study consisted of all teachers and students of the second elementary school in Hamadan with 598 and 15287 respectively. The sample of teachers was selected based on the Krejcie and Morgan table; using random cluster sampling methods 234 teacher and 702 students selected. For each teacher, three of their students were selected randomly. The data gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire of technological literacy and Hartre's Educational Motivation Questionnaire. Validity of the questionnaires was determined through content validity based on experts' viewpoints and reliability of the questionnaires based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient was α=0.89 and α=0.85 respectively. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics indices such as percentage, mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics tests such as correlation tests and stepwise regression analysis.

Findings indicate that there is a positive and significant relationship between the teachers' technological literacy and the educational motivation of second elementary school students. There is also a positive and significant relationship between motivation of students in the second elementary school and the dimensions of teacher's technological literacy which includes understanding of the nature of technology, understanding connection between technology and society, understanding technology design, the technological capability, and the understanding of technology in the world around teachers. Therefore, it can be said that the teachers 'technological literacy has increased the student's motivation, and the combination of two dimensions of "technological capability" and "understanding of the relationship between technology and society" can predict students' academic motivation