The effect of topical magnesium on healing of pre-clinical burn wounds.

BACKGROUND: Magnesium (Mg) is an essential factor in the healing process. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Mg creams on healing burn wounds in the rat model. METHODS: To induce burns under general anaesthesia, a 2 × 2 cm2, 100 °C plate was placed for 12 s between the scapulas in 100 male adult Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were divided into five groups (n = 20); positive control (induced burn without treatment); vehicle control (received daily Eucerin cream base topically); comparative control (induced burn and treated daily with Alpha burn cream topically); Treatment 1 and 2 (received daily Mg cream 2% and 4% topically, respectively). All animals were bled for hematological assessment of malondialdehyde (MDA) and TNF-α and sacrificed on days 0, 1, 7, 14, and 21 after interventions for biomechanical, histological, and stereological studies. RESULTS: Stereologically speaking, in treatment groups an increase in dermal collagen volume and fibroblasts was noticed. In treatment groups, the length of vessels, angiogenesis, and skin stretch increased, but the wound area, MDA, and TNF-α level decreased. CONCLUSION: Mg cream was effective in healing burns.

Prevalence of neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes in Iran : A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes, which leads to amputation and significant disability in patients. Studies conducted in this field show different prevalences and inconsistencies in the country. This study attempts to determine the overall prevalence of neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes in Iran with a meta-analysis. METHODS: The present study was conducted using a meta-analysis method from January 2000 to December 2018. The papers related to the study subject were obtained from searching Scopus, ScienceDirect, Magiran, Barakat Knowledge Network, SID, Medline (PubMed), and Google Scholar databases. The heterogeneity of studies was examined using I2 index and the data were analyzed using the software Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (version 3, Biostat, Englewood, NJ, USA). RESULTS: The results of the systematic review showed regional differences in the prevalence of neuropathy in Iran. According to the meta-analysis and review of 10 studies and 2992 individuals between the ages of 5 years and 86 years, the overall prevalence of neuropathy in type 2 diabetes patients in Iran was 56.5% (95% confidence interval, CI 42.8-69.3%). The highest prevalence of neuropathy in type 2 diabetic patients was found in Mashhad with 87.2% (95% CI 77.9-92.3%) in 2012 and the lowest prevalence of neuropathy in type 2 diabetic patients was found in Ahvaz with 22.7% (95% CI 18.5-27.6%) in 2014. With the increase in years of research, the prevalence of neuropathy in type 2 diabetes in Iran was reduced, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Considering the high prevalence of neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes in the country, it is essential that health policy makers take effective measures to reduce this disease in diabetes patients.

Inkjet-Printing Technology for Supercapacitor Application: Current State and Perspectives.

Inkjet-printing (IJP) technology is recognized as a significant breakthrough in manufacturing high-performance electrochemical energy storage systems. In comparison to conventional fabrication protocols, this printing technique offers various advantages, such as contact-less high-resolution patterning capability; low-cost, controlled material deposition; process simplicity; and compatibility with a variety of substrates. Due to these outstanding merits, significant research efforts have been devoted to utilizing IJP technology in developing electrochemical energy storage devices, particularly in supercapacitors (SCs). These attempts have focused on fabricating the key components of SCs, including electrode, electrolyte, and current collector, through rational formulation and patterning of functional inks. In an attempt to further expand the material design strategy and accelerate technology development, it is urgent and essential to obtain an in-depth insight into the recent developments of inkjet-printed SCs. Toward this aim, first, a general introduction to the fundamental principles of IJP technology is provided. After that, the latest achievements in IJP of capacitive energy storage devices are systematically summarized and discussed with a particular emphasis on the design of printable functional materials, the printing process, and capacitive performance of inkjet-printed SCs. To close, existing challenges and future research trends for developing state-of-the-art inkjet-printed SCs are proposed.

Evaluation of sexual dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction indicators in women with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, and one of the long-term complications of this disease is sexual dysfunction in women with type 2 diabetes, which has been studied in fewer studies. The aim of this study is to determine the overall prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with type 2 diabetes and its indicators with systematic and meta-analysis approach. The present meta-analysis study reviewed articles published foreign journals by searching the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Science direct, Embase, Proquest and Persian databases, including Iranmedex, Magiran, and SID between January 2000 to December 2018. The heterogeneity of studies was studied using the I2 index and data analysis was carried out in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. The Meta-analysis review of 25 studies and 3892 individuals aged 70-18 years showed that the overall prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with type 2 diabetes was 68.6% (95% CI 61.1-75.3%). The highest and lowest prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 94.4% in Iranian women with type 2 diabetes (95% CI 91.9%-96.3%) in 2014 and 17% in Italian women with diabetes Type 2 (95% CI 6.4-36.9%) in 2015. Results of meta-regression showed that with the increase in sample size and year of study, the overall prevalence of sexual dysfunction decreased and increased, respectively and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Regarding the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with type 2 diabetes, health policymakers need to take appropriate measures to address this disorder in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Effects of various glutamine concentrations on gene expression and steviol glycosides accumulation in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is one of the most important biologically sourced and low-calorie sweeteners that contains a lots of Steviol glycosides. Tissue culture is the best method for propagation of stevia and micro nutrients can affect both morphological traits and steviol glycosides production. In the present study, we investigated the effect of different concentrations of glutamine (10, 20, 30 and 40 g/l) on expression of UGT74G1 and UGT76G1 genes and stevioside and rebaudioside A accumulation in the leaves of stevia under in vitro conditions. The highest level of expression for UGT74G1 (1.000 Total lab unit) was seen at plants grown in MS media without glutamine and the highest gene expression level for UGT76G1 (1.321 Total lab unit) was observed at plants grown in 2% glutamine. Based on HPLC results, the highest amount of stevioside (22.74) was accumulated in plants which were under 3% glutamine treatment and the lowest production level of stevioside (16.19) was resulted under MS (0 glutamine) medium. The highest rebaudioside A (12.19) accumulation was observed under 2% glutamine treatment and the lowest accumulation of rebaudioside A (8.41) was seen at plants grown in MS medium.

Effects of life cycle and leaves location on gene expression and glycoside biosynthesis pathway in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is One of the most important biologically sourced and low-calorie sweeteners that known as "Sweet Weed". It contains steviol glycosides that they are about 200-300 times sweeter than sucrose. Tissue culture is the best method with high efficiency that can overcome to problems of traditional methods, and it is the most useful tools for studying stress tolerance mechanisms under in vitro conditions to obtain drought tolerance. In the present research, we investigated the impact of life cycle, leaves location and the harvesting time on expression of UGT74G1 and UGT76G1 as well as steviol glycosides accumulation. The highest gene expression of both UGT74G1 and UGT76G1 (207.677 and 208.396 Total Lab unit, respectively) was observed in young leaves in the second vegetative year. Also, the highest amount of stevioside accumulation (13.04) was due to the old leaves in vegetative stage which had significant differences with other effects whereas the lowest accumulation (7.47) was seen at young leaves at vegetative stage. Interestingly, the highest level of rebaudioside a production (15.74) was occurred at the young leaves at vegetative stage. There was significant differences between life cycle and leaves location on steviol glycoside production in stevia.

Effects of different concentrations of mannitol on gene expression in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is one of the most important herbal sweetener plants from Asteracea family that have a lot of Steviol glycosides. Among different methods, tissue culture is the best way with high efficiency that is useful for studying stress tolerance mechanisms to obtain drought tolerance of stevia. For this purpose, different concentrations of mannitol (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 mg/l) were used as various treatments in the culture medium of stevia. According to the results, the highest level of UGT85C2 gene expression (1.181 Total lab unit) was seen in plants grown under 30 mg/l mannitol treatment and the lowest level of this gene expression (0.603 Total lab unit) was observed under 40 mg/l mannitol treatment. However, the highest level of KO gene expression (1.323 Total lab unit) was observed under 20 mg/l mannitol. It shows stevia growth is affected by osmotic stress. Water deficiency has a negative impact on Stevia. However, the expression of genes had increased by particular mannitol concentrations. Actually, stevia can survive under various abiotic stresses.

Nanohybrids of Two-Dimensional Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides and Titanium Dioxide for Photocatalytic Applications.

The ever increasing need for renewable and clean energy resources as well as environmental concerns are considered as two serious challenges of today's society. Photocatalysis has proved to be a reliable and effective technology to overcome these issues. However, to bring the full potential of this approach into reality, two main hurdles of fast charge recombination and the limited visible light absorption should be tackled. To address these obstacles, nanocomposites based on titanium dioxide nanostructures and semiconducting two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides have been developed and proven to be excellent photocatalysts. In this review, we will overview the recent developments on the fabrication and rational design of these nanocomposites both for hydrogen production and photocatalytic degradation of pollutants with emphasis on those appealing structures.

Effect of Self-Care Education by Face-to-Face Method on the Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients (Relying on Ferrans and Powers Questionnaire).

INTRODUTION: One of the most common methods to control chronic renal failure, Hemodialysis creates numerous changes in the style and the quality of life in patients. Educating patients is one of effective factors to improve the quality of life. The present study aims to investigate influences of self-care education by face-to-face method on determining quality of life in hemodialysis patients in Jahrom, Iran, during 2014-2015. METHODS: This is a quasi-experimental, single-blind study in which 50 patients undergoing hemodialysis at Shahaid Mottahari Hospital, Jahrom. The patients were placed in two groups of 25 individuals: the face to face educational group and the control group. The control group received only routine care in hemodialysis unit. The face to face educational group received 8 instruction sessions of 60 minutes before starting dialysis and received an instruction booklet. Data collection tools were a questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics, a checklist of needs assessment for hemodialysis patients and a quality of life questionnaire, whose reliability and validity were previously approved. The questionnaires were completed face to face, before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The results show that the research units did not have any significant difference in terms of demographic variables. Also increase in various aspects of the quality of life compared with the control group is observed after the intervention in the face to face educational group (p<0.001). DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION: Given the results, representation of adequate training in hemodialysis ward can cause improve in physical function, mental health and thus increase the quality of life in hemodialysis patients, through raising the awareness level.

The association between the built environment and dietary intake - a systematic review.

We reviewed the literature that examines the association between the built environment and diet. The MEDLINE electronic database was searched. Eligible articles must have been published between 2000 and 2013, in the English language, and must have been conducted among a population-based sample of adults older than 18 years of age. Twenty-four articles met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies (over 70%) focused on fruit and vegetable consumption. Most studies (88%) found a statistically significant relationship between diet and some aspect of the built environment. However, the results across studies were not consistent. These inconsistencies may be attributable to methodological challenges, including differing definitions of neighbourhood, and inconsistent approaches to measuring built environment features and diet. In order to explore the complex relationship between built environment and people's dietary behaviour, research design needs to be improved, and the items people actually buy need to be examined. In addition, more research is needed to investigate the causal pathways linking environmental factors and dietary intake.

Postcoital penile drug eruption in a co-trimoxazole-sensitive patient following vaginal use of triple sulfa vaginal cream by his partner.

INTRODUCTION: This is a report of a very rare case of proven postcoital penile drug eruption in a patient following vaginal use of triple sulfa vaginal cream by his partner. AIM: To report the rare case of cross-reaction following vaginal use of triple sulfa vaginal cream in partner. METHODS: A case of postcoital penile drug eruption in a patient following vaginal use of triple sulfa vaginal cream in his partner is presented including subjective reporting, physical examination, and laboratory evaluations. RESULTS: We report a 42-year-old man with known sensitivity to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (co-trimoxazole) who developed a penile drug eruption at the glans after having intercourse with his wife, who was taking sulfathiazole/sulfacetamide/sulfabenzamide (triple sulfa) vaginal cream. The nature of the lesion was confirmed by a rechallenge test. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the fourth case of proven postcoital penile drug eruption in a patient following vaginal use of triple sulfa vaginal cream in his partner. Our case illustrates the importance of history taking. In clinical practice of urology, it is not rare to see patients who present with strange penile lesions following coitus. To reach a correct diagnosis, one should obtain a drug history of the sexual partner and allergic history of the patient in such cases.

Nonischemic priapism following penile tattooing.

INTRODUCTION: To our knowledge, here we report the first case of nonischemic priapism following penile tattooing. AIM: To report the first case of nonischemic priapism following penile tattooing. METHODS: A case with tattooing-induced priapism is presented including subjective reporting, physical examination, and laboratory/radiologic evaluations. RESULTS: A 21-year-old man, presented with partially rigid penis of 3-month duration. On examination, the penis was half rigid, with a tattoo on its dorsal surface, and a smaller tattoo on the glans (Figure 1). The patient initially stated that the tattoo had been created years ago, but later admitted that he had it created just before the occurrence of priapism. A traditional tattooist created the tattoo manually, using a handheld needle. Bleeding from deep penile tissue for several days complicated the tattooing. Known etiologies of priapism were investigated and ruled out. Specifically, perineal injury, leukemia, sickle cell trait, thalassemia, urinary tract infection, neurogenic, neoplastic, infectious, toxic, and pharmacological causes were actively investigated and ruled out. There was no history of alcohol consumption or smoking. Aspirated penile blood was bright red. Cavernous blood gas measurements confirmed high oxygen and low carbon dioxide content, diagnostic of arterial priapism. There was no embolization facility in Kermanshah. In fact, there are few experts in superselective embolization in Iran. We referred the patient for superselective embolization. However, he underwent a nonindicated Sacher procedure. Predictably, the procedure was unsuccessful. At present, the patient continues to have priapism. Because of the painless nature of erections, moderately good preservation of erectile function during intercourses, and disappointment with former surgery, the patient declined further therapies, and he lives with his condition. CONCLUSIONS: Tattooing should be added to the etiologies of nonischemic priapism. Considering this case, we discourage penile tattooing.