mohammad mohammadzadeh

Bacillary dysentery is an invasive bacterial gastroenteritis that damages the colon epithelium and leads to bloody diarrhea. Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) and Shigella flexner i are two major etiologic agents of the disease. The virF gene is a transcriptional regulator of the virulence genes involved in the invasion of these bacteria. Previous studies have shown that sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of antibiotics have significant effects on bacterial virulence.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of sub-MICs of ciprofloxacin and azithromycin on S. flexneri and EIEC.

Prototype strains of both bacteria were treated with sub-MICs of 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 of ciprofloxacin and azithromycin antibiotics. Changes in the expression of the virF gene in antibiotic-treated samples compared to control samples were analyzed using relative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

The mean expression of the virF gene in all sub-MICs of ciprofloxacin was increased in both S. flexneri and EIEC, while a down-regulation was observed in sub-MICs of azithromycin. These gene expression changes were dose-dependent.

The results demonstrated that the virulence of S. flexneri and EIEC is affected by sub-MICs of azithromycin and ciprofloxacin. Given that azithromycin, unlike ciprofloxacin, reduces the severity of infection at sub-MICs, it is a more appropriate choice with a lower risk for treating acute infections caused by these bacteria.

Radiomics with single Region of Interest (ROI) and single-sequence Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) may facilitate the segmentation reproducibility and radiomics workflow due to a time-consuming and complicated delineation of that in multi-sequence MRI images. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the radiomics approach in grading glioma based on a single-ROI delineation as Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) in a single – sequence as contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI. This retrospective study was conducted on contrast-enhanced T1 weighted (CE T1W) MRI images of 60 grade II and 60 grade III glioma patients. The GTV regions were manually delineated. Radiomics features were extracted per patient. The segmentation reproducibility of the robust features was evaluated in several repetitions of GTV delineation. Finally, a linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) assessed the classification performance of the robust features. Four significant robust features were selected for training the model (P-value<0.05). The average Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of the four features was 0.96 in several repetitions of GTV delineation. The linear SVM model differentiated grades II and III of glioma with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.9 in the training group.  High predicting power for glioma grading can be achieved with radiomics analysis by a single-ROI delineated on a single-sequence MRI image (CE T1W). In addition, single-ROI segmentation can increase radiomics reproducibility.

The driving and traffic cycle in cities is one of the most important and complex challenges in urban management. For the data collection process, the chasing vehicle moved in a certain route in the city through the selected time period, and data collection was conducted with software installed on a mobile phone. This research investigated the driving cycle in Semnan city using the chasing method and the K-means clustering technique. The distance covered during data collection was approximately 12 km for each route. Additionally, the total distance covered for the data collection in this study was approximately 130 km. The car model information, age, and gender of chased drivers were recorded as the influential parameters. Then, using the K-means technique, the data collected for different routes were analyzed to extract the behavioural patterns in the routes of Semnan city. Furthermore, in this study, the appropriate number of groups for data clustering was investigated, and considering the standard deviation of the data, it was concluded that the optimal number of clusters was 5. Increasing the number of clusters, despite improving the accuracy of calculations, led to longer processing times. Therefore, by clustering with 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 groups, it was observed that these numbers of clusters improved by approximately 40, 80, 90, 98, and 99%, respectively, indicating that increasing the number of clusters showed a significant improvement in the results. These clusters included urban roads, secondary roads, highways, motorways with light traffic, and start-stop. This information can help city officials and traffic managers with traffic and safety improvement programs, according to the specified patterns, and provide a deeper understanding of driving behaviour in Semnan city.

One of the applied branches of psychology is behavior therapy. In behavioral therapy using experimental psychology, especially learning psychology, techniques and methods are extracted and used in order to change and often modify people's behavior. Two schools of behaviorism, Pavlov and Skinner, along with social learning theory and cognitive reconstruction theory, have proposed the most important theories about behavior change. Using the data of these theories, this research tries to identify and present the application of behavior change methods in the life of Imam Reza (a.s.) with a descriptive-analytical typology approach. The results indicate that in Razavi's way, the methods of cognitive reconstruction and observational learning in the position of creating desirable behavior, and the methods of primary, social, exchange and feedback reinforcements, as well as the use of the principle of facilitation in the position of consolidation and expansion Desirable behavior, and methods of inhibition, deprivation of positive reinforcement and compensatory measures to reduce or eliminate undesirable behavior can be identified.One of the applied branches of psychology is behavior therapy. In behavioral therapy using experimental psychology, especially learning psychology, techniques and methods are extracted and used in order to change and often modify people's behavior. Two schools of behaviorism, Pavlov and Skinner, along with social learning theory and cognitive reconstruction theory, have proposed the most important theories about behavior change. Using the data of these theories, this research tries to identify and present the application of behavior change methods in the life of Imam Reza (a.s.) with a descriptive-analytical typology approach. The results indicate that in Razavi's way, the methods of cognitive reconstruction and observational learning in the position of creating desirable behavior, and the methods of primary, social, exchange and feedback reinforcements, as well as the use of the principle of facilitation in the position of ...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common and debilitating sleep disorder with both mental and physical complications. Although medical treatments may improve OSA symptoms, they may not affect its mental sequelae.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of training the components of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) on sleep quality, anxiety, and memory in patients with OSA.

This experimental study was performed on 37 patients (18 to 65 years old) with confirmed OSA diagnosed in the past year with a minimum apnea index score of 5 and no history of medical or psychiatric diseases. The study was conducted between 2022 and 2023. Exclusion criteria were being absent from more than two training sessions, experiencing stressful events, and refusing to continue the study. The intervention group (n = 19) received the training component of CFT in 8 sessions (once a week), while the control group received no psychological intervention. The Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI), Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), as well as a demographic information questionnaire, were filled out by the participants at the baseline and after the intervention.

There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of demographic variables. The training component of CFT was effective in reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality, as well as the auditory-verbal and visual-spatial components of short-term memory in patients with OSA (P < 0.05).

The training component of CFT was efficient and beneficial in reducing anxiety and improving immediate memory and sleep quality in patients with OSA.

Universities are one of the first examples of the application of tradition and modernism in the buildings of any country, and the audience is educated adults who can play an effective role in society. The traditional architecture of India before the arrival of the British in India was more about creating spectacular and attractive forms carved out of stone. At this time, the main purpose of architectural tools was to glorify and magnify rituals and customs. Then the British entered the scene and they built their first modern buildings, which housed all the necessities of running a large empire. At this time, the culture and art of the colonialist country consciously and unconsciously influenced the way of construction and architecture, especially in the big cities of India. India declared independence in 1947 with non-violent struggles. The purpose of this research is to investigate the components of the modernism tradition in the university buildings of Iran and India. The research method in this research is a combination of nested type (qualitative in quantitative) with comparative weighting to the results of analysis in the quantitative field, in the qualitative part, first, using the technique of systematic review of the theoretical literature of articles in the field of tradition and modernism, indicators of tradition and modernism are extracted. And then they are categorized and semi-structured interview questions are developed based on them in the qualitative section. The experts who are selected based on the snowball system with the entry criteria are interviewed and the results are entered into the ATLASTI software for ease of coding. University buildings are selected with Delphi future research system with Kendall's coefficient, and then based on the obtained components, a questionnaire is compiled and provided to space users. The method of selecting the study samples was such that among about 200 universities in Iran and India according to architectural characteristics (tangible and intangible strategies and metaphors), the number of 22 universities in Iran and India in the first stage according to research data, documents and documents available , the plans were selected and then according to the opinion of designers and theorists in the field of contemporary architecture in Iran, using the Delphi method and taking into account the influential factors in their design as well as the availability of existing documents, their number was reduced to 18 universities in Iran and India and examined. In the quantitative stage, the sample size is selected by Morgan's table with the number of 384 people. The results are entered into JMP software for the analysis of inferential statistics. The results indicate that in the university buildings of Iran, the game components with visual communication elements with a value of (1.000) have the highest coefficients of determination in the association of tradition, and introversion with a value of (0.246) has the lowest correlation. In Indian university buildings, the use of brick as the dominant wall material with the value of (1.000) is the highest and the lowest is related to the spatial hierarchy with the value of (0.254). In the components of modernism in Iranian academic buildings, playing with honest dimensions (1.000), honest expression of structural materials on the facade (1.000) and reminders of modernism have the highest coefficient of determination and the lowest related to the connection between inside and outside with wide transparent surfaces with The value is (0.354) in Indian university buildings, the play of light and shadow, the honest expression of structural materials on the facade and reminiscent of modernism with the value (1.000) is the highest value and the lowest value is related to the use of materials and new technological achievements (0.155) ) Is. In the correlation stage between the components of modernism in the universities of the two countries, it was found that in Indian universities, the honest expression of the structural materials in the facade has the highest value (0.865) and the component of spatial planning has the lowest value (0.188) in the buildings. University of Iran, the component of the game with honest dimensions (0.882) has the highest coefficient of determination and the lowest correlation coefficient is related to the component emphasizing the height of the building with the value (0.258).

The present study examines the role of Neishabour City in the development of villages around the city. The research method is descriptive-analytical. The theoretical information is collected through the library method and then studied using statistical methods of population density and rural growth rate during different decades. The physical growth of Neishabour City has been studied using Landsat 5, 7, 8 satellite images during three periods of time (1986, 2000, 2020).. The results show that the population density of villages located around the west of the city is higher than other places. Besides, the growth of the city, in addition to the planned growth in the north of the city, has expanded unplanned in the west. Up to the year of 1425, %65 of the population of the villages around will be occupied by these residential centers. Based on the population and housing census in 2006, the high quality agricultural lands and residency around the City has caused the integration of 8 villages with a population of 4728 people with the City and be recognized as a part of the urban area. At present, 21 villages are physically connected to the City or are located at a maximum distance of 1000 meters from the City; their population in 1395 was equal to 18574 people that it will reach to 37,826 over the next 30 years

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by metabolic and anthropometric abnormalities which are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Red blood cell distribution width is a candidate biomarker for CVD. Nine hundred and eighty-eight girls who were between 12 to 18 years old were enrolled. Anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were measured, together with biochemical and hematological variables, using routine measures. International diabetes federation (IDF) criteria were used for the diagnosis of MetS. Some of the demographic parameters such as weight, neck circumference (NC), waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HP) were significantly different between the groups with and without MetS, as may be expected. Significantly higher values for red blood cell distribution width (RDW) were observed only in subjects with waist circumference (P= 0.017) and fasting blood glucose levels (P= 0.038). RDW measures were directly associated with MetS status (r=0.076 (P =0.043)), WC (r=0.097 (P =0.016)), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) (r= -0.085 (P =0.037)). It was found that the RDW had specificity and sensitivity for MetS-based IDF criteria 48.01 and 77.78, respectively. RDW related cure area (95% CI) for MetS was reported to be 0.588 (0.380- 0.796). We found that an elevated RDW was associated with the presence of MetS and with some its components; but ROC analysis revealed that a weak specificity in spite of good sensitivity of RDW for MetS, along with a low AUC may make it unusable for the diagnostic prediction of MetS in this population.

 Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are two zoonotic pathogens that commonly colonize the digestive tract of animal sources, including poultry, dogs, cats, and other various domestic farm animals. Colonization can lead to acute bacterial gastroenteritis in humans after close contact with animals or through the consumption of contaminated food or water.

 The present study aimed to detect and identify these bacteria in the fecal samples of domestic and livestock employees.

 A total of 96 samples were collected, including 48 sheep faces and 48 livestock workers’ stool samples. DNA was extracted from the samples, and the presence of Campylobacter species was investigated by the polymerase chain reaction due to the detection of specific marker genes.

 Based on the PCR on hippuricase gene (hipO) and aspartokinase gene (asp), C. jejuni was found in 7 (7.3%) and C. coli in 4 (4.2%) of 96 isolates. Analysis of nucleotide sequences of PCR amolicons showed the genetic similarity of isolates from a common livestock center.

 Direct animal-to-human contamination seems unlikely. However, the contamination of farm water sources and sheep products with Campylobacter species can be a potential risk to human health.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly spread worldwide and infected multiple age groups. The best way to reduce the risk of spreading new coronavirus (coronavirus disease 19, COVID-19) is the rapid and accurate identification of carriers and infected patients in society. Although several diagnostic tests are available, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing is commonly used for this purpose. In this review, various methods were introduced for the identification of COVID-19 patients using clinical manifestations, gastrointestinal symptoms, and molecular and serological diagnostic techniques. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of diagnostic tests, including molecular and serological tests, were evaluated to identify the novel coronavirus.

Review:The interpretation of the Holy Quran is considered as one of the prominent sciences of the Islamic sciences and the most popular humanities due to the discovery of the hidden complexities and layers of the words and verses of the Qur'an. This knowledge is for growth and excellence and for getting closer to the truth. And the real meaning of Quranic verses is to use different sciences; ; One of these sciences is pure knowledge, which examines the structural forms of words in the Arabic language, and these structural changes in different types of words can also convey various meanings and meanings. , The present speech, due to the importance of this knowledge in interpretation, has been used in a descriptive and analytical way to answer the basic question of how much Persian-speaking commentators paid attention to morphological points in interpretations and used mere science? Therefore, the two interpretations of Majma 'al-Bayyan and Kashfah al-Asrar have been studied and analyzed with emphasis on the two explicit structures of the source Mimi and Mara. The results show that often these two interpretations have not paid much attention to the morphological implications of these two types of names.

Due to the critical role of antibiotics and increasing trend of resistance in developing countries, comprehensive methods of antibiotic use is necessary to limit the threat of resistant microorganisms. In this study we compare antibiotics consumption by Defined Daily Dose (DDD) per 100 bed-days in Shahid Ghazi hospitals during three months in Tabriz, Iran.

This is a retrospective study, which enrolled patients with malignancy who admitted to Shahid Ghazi hospital from January till March 2016. From all, 58 patients diagnosed with malignancy and received antibiotics for prophylaxis and/or treatment. For the purpose of Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) all antibiotics, antifungals and antiviruses consumption for any reason (prophylaxis, empiric therapy, targeted therapy) were recorded. Data on administered medications such as indication, duration, and dose were compared according to the guidelines of the NCCN 2.2016. The accuracy of antibiotics consumption was assessing by NCCN (2.2016) guideline. Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code J01 was explained as defined daily doses per 100 bed-days (DDD/100) according to the ATC/DDD classification. The amount of consumption was assessed with DDD per 100 bed-days in three months.

from 56 patients, 46 of them had hematologic malignancy and 10 of them had solid tumors. The indication of antibiotics and antifungal prophylaxis were wrong in 19.6% of indications. The prophylaxis dosage of antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral and PCP were wrong in 8.8%, 41.7%, 80% and 50%, respectively. The prophylaxis duration of antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral and PCP were wrong in 69.4%, 61.2%, 80% and 100% respectively. The dose adjustment of antibiotics with GFR and renal status of patients, in 8 of 9 patients (88.88%) who received meropenem, and in 9 of 23 patients (39.13%) who received imipenem, were not applicable according standard guidelines. The total consumption of systemic antibiotics in Ghazi Hospital during 3 months was 5091From all patients 75% of them received antibiotics according to the ATC/DDD classification System.

Specific strategies should be employed in infection control development and engage rational antibiotic utilization in order to reduce future resistant strains and increase anti-microbial efficacy.

The current study aimed to estimate photon skyshine dose rate from a Varian linac equippedwith a Flattening Filter (FF) and its FF-Free (FFF) mode. The skyshine photons from a Linac bunker can influence the radiation dose received by personnel and the public in radiation therapy centers.

In the current study skyshine dose from the conventional flattened beam and the flattening-free beam were compared. The MCNPX Monte Carlo code was used to model an18 MeV photon beam of Varian linac. The skyshine radiation was calculated for FF and FFF linac photon beams at the control room, parking, sidewalk, and corridor around the linac room.

For the conventional beam, the skyshine dose rates of 0.53, 0.42, 0.45, and 0.50 mSv/h were estimated for the control room, corridor, sidewalk, and parking, respectively. While for the FFF beam, dose rates of 0.21, 0.20, 0.20, and 0.23 mSv/h were estimated for the same positions, respectively. The results indicated that the empirical method of NCRP 151 can not distinguish between FF and FFF beams in skyshine dose calculations. Our results found a 50% lower level dose rate from the FFF beam at distant and nearby locations.

The findings of current can be helpful in the radiation dose calculations and the radiation protection designation of radiation therapy bunkers.

Research has shown that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can damage the physiological processes of brain tissue. Given the antioxidant properties of Gingerol (GING), this study aimed to determine the protective effect of 6-gingerol on hippocampal levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), DNA oxidative damage, and the amount of Bax and Bcl2 apoptosis indices of rats exposed to AuNPs.

A total of 42 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (30 days 0.5 mL saline), AuNPs (one time injection of 0.5 mL AuNPs, 200 ppm and 60 Nm + 30 days 0.5 mL saline), AuNPs+GING 50 (one time injection of 0.5 mL AuNPs, 200 ppm and 60 Nm + 30 days 0.5 mL density of gingerol 50 mg/kg), and AuNPs+GING100 (one time injection of 0.5 mL AuNPs, 200 ppm and 60 Nm + 30 days 0.5 mL density of gingerol 100 mg/kg). At the end of the treatment period, the hippocampal levels of NGF, BDNF, 8-hydroxy-desoxyguanosine (8-HOdG), and apoptotic indices of Bax and Bcl-2 were assessed with the ELISA method.

Compared with the AuNPs group, hippocampal levels of BDNF, NGF, and Bcl-2 in rats in the AuNPs+GING 50 and AuNPs+GING 100 groups significantly increased dose-dependently. However, the hippocampal levels of Bax and 8-HOdG significantly decreased dose-dependently (P<0.05).

According to obtained results, gingerol may improve hippocampal BDNF and NGF levels in rats exposed to AuNPs, probably by reducing apoptosis and oxidative DNA damage.

Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of breast cancer. In the process of radiotherapy, the underling lung tissue receives higher doses from treatment field, which led to incidence of radiation pneumonitis. The present study aims to evaluate the predictive factors of radiation pneumonitis and related changes in pulmonary function after 3D-conformal radiotherapy of breast cancer. In prospective basis study, thirty-two patients with breast cancer who received radiotherapy after surgery, were followed up to 6 months. Respiratory symptoms, lung radiologic changes and pulmonary function were evaluated. Radiation pneumonitis (RP) was graded according to common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) version 3.0. Dose-volume parameters, which included percentage of lung volume receiving dose of d Gy (V5-V50) and mean lung dose (MLD), were evaluated for RP prediction. Pulmonary function evaluated by spirometry test and changes of FEV1 and FVC parameters. Eight patients developed RP. Among the dose-volume parameters, V10 was associated to RP incidence. When V10<40% and V10≥40% the incidences of RP were 5.26% and 61.54%, respectively. The FEV1 and FVC had a reduction 3 and 6 months after radiotherapy, while only FEV1 showed significant reduction. The FEV1 had more reduction in the patients who developed RP than patients without RP (15.25±3.81 vs. 9.2±0.93). Pulmonary function parameters, especially FEV1, significantly decreased at 3 and 6 months after radiotherapy. Since most patients with breast cancer who developed RP did not show obvious clinical symptoms, so spirometry test is beneficial to identify patients with risk of radiation pneumonitis.

One of the most common routes of infection development in humans is contaminated water. Legionella pneumophila and Campylobacter jejuni are the important causes of community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia and gastroenteritis that are transmitted to humans via the inhalation of contaminated water droplets and consumption of contaminated water, respectively. Thus, continuous monitoring of the water supply systems for these pathogens has great importance in public health.

This study aimed to evaluate the water contamination of Karaj hospitals with these two bacterial species.

In this study, 62 water samples were obtained from different parts of the hospitals of Karaj from April to September 2019, including air conditioning systems, dialysis equipment, ventilation tanks, and different wards of a hospital such as infectious diseases, pediatrics, gastroenterology, dialysis, and intensive and neonatal intensive care units. The samples were collected in sterile containers and immediately transferred to the laboratory for further analysis. The culture on specific media, staining, and biochemical tests were performed to identify the L. pneumophila and C. jejuni.

Out of 62 water samples, 25.8% (16 samples) were positive for L. pneumophila; 68.75% were observed in hot water samples, and 31.25% were attributed to cold water samples. Among 62 samples, 4.84% (3 samples) were positive for C. jejuni, which were all detected in hot water samples.

Considering that the methods of water refinery of municipal water have no high efficiency, the quality improvement of the water sources of hospitals seems to be necessary

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is complicated condition especially in pediatrics. For better MetS definition, marker discovery are interested. More accurate simple indices may be of value, such as neck circumference (NC). We investigated accuracy of NC for the diagnosis of MetS in adolescent girls.  

This cross-sectional study was conducted on schoolgirl who live in Mashhad and Sabzevar cities, Razavi Khorasan, Iran at 2018. The study sample comprised 988 girls with mean age 14.56 ±1.53 years old. The NC measured in site between mid-cervical spine and mid-anterior neck and enzymatic commercial kits measured biochemical analysis. The definitions of MetS included: IDF, NCEP-ATP III, and two modified NCEPs.

Often subjects are non-smoker, menstruated, and reside in Mashhad. The age, living location, and dwelling type showed the very weak association with NC. NC was significantly associated with WC and elevated TG. The highest (r= 0.275 (P= 0.0001), and lowest (r= 0.155 (p < 0.001) association were between NC and the DeFerranti's and IDF definitions, respectively. The odd ratios (CI 95%) estimated for the different definitions were as follows: IDF: 1.41 (1.18- 1.69), NCEP: 1.54 (1.31- 1.79), Cook's: 1.68 (1.37- 2.07), and DeFerranti's: 1.59 (1.40- 1.80). ROC analysis showed that the specificity ranged between 78.57 – 100.00% and sensitivity ranged between 62.10 – 78.22% of NC for the different definitions of MetS definitions. A NC of >31 cm estimated as cutoff for all studied definitions except Cook's definition.

Besed on the results, NC should be considered as marker for central obesity and fat distribution in the diagnosis of MetS.

The pituitary gland is frequently irradiated during radiation therapy of head and neck tumors which can influence the quality of life of the patients after radiation therapy. This study aimed to estimate the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for the pituitary gland in head and neck cancers using two radiobiological models.

53 patients including 20 cases with nasopharyngeal cancer and 33 cases with brain tumor were studied. The dosimetric properties of each plan including minimum, mean and maximum doses were extracted from the dose-volume histogram curve. For estimation of pituitary gland response for each patient, the BIOPLAN software was used to calculate NTCP by LKB model and Matlab software was applied to calculate NTCP by equivalent uniform dose   (EUD) model. Models’ parameters including TD50, , and‘a’ were extracted from a previous study of radiobiological modeling of pituitary gland response to radiation therapy. For statistical analysis, the T-test was used to compare two models.

The average mean doses of 30.42 and 51.29 (Gy) of the pituitary gland were obtained for nasopharyngeal and brain tumor patients, respectively. The average NTCPs of the pituitary gland for nasopharyngeal patients estimated by LKB and Log-logistic models were 3.84 and 3.91%, respectively. In brain tumors, the average NTCP was 16.33% for LKB and 16.41% for Log-logistic models. The results showed that the log-logistic and LKB models provided comparable results and no statistically significant difference (P-value< 0.05) was found between two models.

The NTCP results indicated that the average NTCP of the pituitary gland for nasopharyngeal patients was approximately four times lower than that of brain tumors. Finally, implementation of follow up studies and modeling investigations are recommended for accurate estimation of pituitary gland complications following radiation therapy.

Autism spectrum disorder refers to a wide range of nervous system disorders. Autistic patients often have a defective antioxidant defense system and manifest symptoms of impaired cognitive interaction. Camel milk has numerous beneficial nutrients and has been used in the treatment of autism. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of camel milk on the antioxidant activity and enzymes of autistic rats.  Pregnant rats were intraperitoneally injected on embryonic day 12.5 with valproic acid (VPA; 500 mg/kg) to induce an autistic state. In addition, 18 male offspring rats were injected with risperidone (0.2 mg/kg) three times per week. Six of these cases were fed daily with raw camel milk (10 ml/kg), and six others were fed with pasteurized camel milk for 42 days. Social interaction and repetitive behaviors were measured using the Y-maze based on catalase (CAT) activity, glutathione (GSH) level, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity at the outset and after the treatment period.  Behavioral symptoms (impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviors) were evident after VPA administration. After receiving treatment, impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviors significantly improved in the autistic rats (P<0.01). In addition, VPA enhanced the oxidative stress status in the biochemical tests (P<0.001), and camel milk increased CAT activity (P<0.001), GSH level (P<0.05), and SOD activity (P<0.0001).  According to the results, camel milk could recover the VPA-induced impairment of social interaction and repetitive behaviors in the autistic rats and improve the defects in their antioxidant defense system.

Chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is still distressing adverse effect for patients. Thus, we conducted this study to assess the compliance of CINV prophylaxis patterns with NCCN guideline.

136 Patients with any kind of malignancy who undergoes chemotherapy in Shahid Ghazi hospital, Tabriz, Iran, were included in this study. Adherence rate to the NCCN guideline of anti-emetic therapy for different emetogenic potential chemotherapy regimens was evaluated.

All patients received their prophylaxis 30 min before chemotherapy, which is completely adherent to guideline. Hematological malignancies were associated with higher adherence rate (P=0.032). For high and moderate emetic risk patients, dexamethasone and ondansetron were remarkably under-dosed, whereas Granisetron was over-dosed. Adherence rate to guideline in high and moderate and minimal emetic risk chemotherapy was 72.3%, 22.9% and 69.2% respectively. None of low emetic risk patients received guideline compliant prophylaxis. In all emetic risk levels, 50 (36.8%) patients received guideline adherent prophylaxis.

As results indicated, adherence rate wasn’t optimal. Available dosage form of a medication has great impact on appropriate prescription. Thus, it is suggested for pharmaceutical companies to be informed about recent guidelines’ updates and subsequently produce proper dosage forms for different indications.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is one of the most common etiologic agent of urinary tract infection (UTI). The ability of Escherichia coli to cause UTI is associated with specific virulence determinants, which are encoded by pathogenicity islands (PAIs).

This study aimed to investigate the distribution of PAIs among the UPEC isolates collected from patients with UTIs.

In this study, a total of 100 E. coli isolates were collected from patients with UTIs using standard microbiological methods. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the identification of the main PAIs of UPEC according to insertion sites and virulence markers.

In total, PAI IV536, PAI III536, PAI I536, PAI, IICFT073, PAI ICFT073, PAI IIJ96, PAI II536, and PAI IJ96 were detected in 23, 22, 17, 17, 13, 11, 11, and 8% of isolates. PAI combinations were identified in 15% of isolates.

The results showed that PAIs of UPEC are not strain-specific and some strains can carry the PAIs associated with the prototype strains of UPEC simultaneously

The prediction of normal tissue complications in treatment planning plays a critical role in radiation therapy of cancer.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate mathematical models and clinical-dosimetric variables for prediction of radiation-induced hypothyroidism (RHT) in patients with head-and-neck cancer (HNC) and breast cancer (BC).

Clinical and dose-volume data from 62 patients treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy were prospectively analyzed in terms of HNCs and BC. Thyroid function assessment was monitored by the level of thyroid hormones from patients’ serum samples. Cox semi-parametric regression models were used to predict the risk of RHT. Model performance and model ranking were evaluated in accordance with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and Akaike’s information criterion (AIC), respectively.

Out of 62 patients, 17 persons developed RHT at a median follow-up of 11.4 months after radiation therapy. Thyroid volumes above the cut-off points of 14.2 cc and 11.4 cc showed a decrease in RHT risk for patients with HNC and BC, respectively. Moreover, the thyroid mean dose above the cut-off points of 53 and 27 Gy increased the risk of RHT for patients with HNC and BC, respectively. Simple and Multiple Cox regression analyses of the complete dataset revealed that thyroid volume and thyroid mean dose were the strongest predictors of RHT. According to AUC, Boomsma’s model, and the generalized equivalent-uniform-dose (EUD) model in the HNC dataset outperformed the BC dataset.

The probability of RHT rises with an increase in the mean dose to the thyroid gland; however, it decreases with increasing thyroid gland volume. Regarding the AUC analysis, gEUD model showed an acceptable predictive performance; however, the logistic Boomsma’s model wassomehowmore effective in predicting RHT on theHNCdataset. Cella’s model revealed a relatively acceptable prediction of RHT on the BC dataset.

The medical tourism industry comprises a combination of tourism and medical services and has attracted the attention of most developed and developing countries during the last decades. This industry has capacities which guarantee progress not only in the economic field, but also in the cultural and political spheres; capacities that can deliver great advantages and opportunities in promoting the power of countries. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the elements of medical tourism on the creation of new economic and political opportunities. Consistent with this purpose, the focus of this article was to investigate the reasons for the presence of Azerbaijani medical tourists in Iran and the common interests between the two countries. Following an analysis of prominent articles in this field, several factors such as culture, quality, infrastructure, cost, and destination image were identified and discussed in detail. The identified factors were used as the basis of a questionnaire seeking the views of experts active in the field of medical tourism, and the results evaluated using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method. The factors driving medical tourism were then classified according to their relative priority. The analysis of the experts’ points of view confirmed Iran's current position and future opportunities in the medical tourism industry.

Ethanol withdrawal following chronic use, is an important challenge clinically. In this study, the effect of clavulanic acid was evaluated on the symptoms of ethanol withdrawal in rats. Alcohol dependence was induced by the gavage of ethanol (10% v/v, 2 g/kg), twice daily for 10 days. Clavulanic acid (10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) was administered concurrently with ethanol (sub-acute study), or a single dose after ethanol withdrawal (acute study). Six hours after the last dose of ethanol, anxiety was assessed by the elevated plus-maze (EPM). Seizure-like behavior was evaluated by a sub-convulsive dose of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 25 mg/kg/IP). Locomotor activity and motor coordination were measured by the open field and rotarod tests, respectively. Lipid peroxidation marker and antioxidant content were assessed through measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), respectively. The number of entries and time spent on the open arms of EPM decreased during the withdrawal state. Motor coordination and locomotor activity were significantly decreased. In the sub-acute study, clavulanic acid 80 mg/kg increased time spent and the number of entries to the open arms of EPM, in withdrawn animals. Both motor incoordination and locomotor activity reduction were normalized by clavulanic acid (10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg). Withdrawal-induced PTZ kindling seizure was also suppressed by all of the doses. MDA increased, while GSH decreased after withdrawal. Clavulanic acid attenuated such changes. Clavulanic acid could prevent the development of alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety and seizure. Alcohol withdrawal causes oxidative stress which can be prevented by clavulanic acid.