Solution structure analysis of the periplasmic region of bacterial flagellar motor stators by small angle X-ray scattering.

The bacterial flagellar motor drives the rotation of helical flagellar filaments to propel bacteria through viscous media. It consists of a dynamic population of mechanosensitive stators that are embedded in the inner membrane and activate in response to external load. This entails assembly around the rotor, anchoring to the peptidoglycan layer to counteract torque from the rotor and opening of a cation channel to facilitate an influx of cations, which is converted into mechanical rotation. Stator complexes are comprised of four copies of an integral membrane A subunit and two copies of a B subunit. Each B subunit includes a C-terminal OmpA-like peptidoglycan-binding (PGB) domain. This is thought to be linked to a single N-terminal transmembrane helix by a long unstructured peptide, which allows the PGB domain to bind to the peptidoglycan layer during stator anchoring. The high-resolution crystal structures of flagellar motor PGB domains from Salmonella enterica (MotBC2) and Vibrio alginolyticus (PomBC5) have previously been elucidated. Here, we use small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). We show that unlike MotBC2, the dimeric conformation of the PomBC5 in solution differs to its crystal structure, and explore the functional relevance by characterising gain-of-function mutants as well as wild-type constructs of various lengths. These provide new insight into the conformational diversity of flagellar motor PGB domains and experimental verification of their overall topology.

Does the risk of metabolic disorders increase among women with polycystic ovary morphology? A population-based study.

STUDY QUESTION: Is polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM) associated with metabolic syndrome (MS), insulin resistance (IR) and dyslipidemia? SUMMARY ANSWER: No associations between PCOM and metabolic disorders were found. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Polycystic ovary morphology has a prevalence of 21-63% in healthy women of reproductive age. Results of studies focusing on metabolic abnormalities among females with PCOM, are insufficient and controversial. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This was a cross-sectional population-based study from five provinces in Iran. A standard questionnaire was filled out during face-to-face interviews and clinical examinations were done. All study subjects were invited to undergo blood sampling and ultrasonographic assessment. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: From a total of 1772 women, 809 participants met the inclusion criteria of this study, i.e. non-pregnant, reproductive-age, ovulatory, normo-androgenic, without hyperprolactinemia/thyroid dysfunction. Participants were divided into two groups; 126 women with PCOM on ultrasound assessment, as the case and 683 women with normal ovarian morphology, as the control groups. The association of PCOM with MS, IR and dyslipidemia were analyzed using logistic regression models, adjusted for confounding variables. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and androstenedione (A4) serum levels of women with PCOM were significantly higher than in the normal group (P = 0.04, 0.05 and 0.008, respectively). Comparison between groups revealed dyslipidemia to be higher among controls. However the results of logistic regression models, after adjustment for possible confounding variables showed that there were no significant association between prevalence of MS, IR and dyslipidemia with PCOM. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Due to the study being cross-sectional, blood samples were collected only once thus we did not measure serum concentrations of progesterone in the luteal phase, which determines subclinical anovulation. Moreover, due to budget limitations, enzyme immunoassay was used for androgenic measurements while mass spectrometry-based assays have been known as the gold standard method. However we defined our groups very strictly to overcome these limitations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: It seems that biochemical and metabolic characteristics of women with PCOM do not differ significantly to those of normal women. To clarify the association between PCOM and metabolic characteristics, longitudinal studies investigating long-term metabolic disorders among women with PCOM are highly recommended. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST: No external funding was used for this study. No conflicts of interest are declared.

Induction of linalool as a pharmaceutical and medicinal metabolite via cell suspension culture of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.).

Cumin is an important medicinal plant in Iran. Plant cell suspension culture is a method for the production of medicinal and secondary metabolites. The linalool is a plant secondary metabolite that has been recognized as a neuroprotective agent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of salicylic acid elicitor on induction of linalool in cell suspension culture of cumin. For this purpose, the cumin seeds were prepared, to obtain sterile seedling, were disinfected with sodium hypochlorite and alcohol, and were cultured on MS basal medium. This research was conducted in two separate experiments including callus induction and suspension cultures. Leaf explants were prepared from sterile seedlings and used to produce callus on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg/l NAA and 0.5 mg/l BAP. In order to establish suspension culture, the appropriate calli were transferred to liquid medium. Then cell cultures were treated with elicitors. The effects of elicitor on the production of linalool secondary metabolite and cell viability were assessed by GC-Mass and tetrazolium test respectively. For this purpose, the salicylic acid (at concentrations of 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg/l) was used. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with five treatments and three replications. The results of cell culture and GC-Mass analysis showed that salicylic acid had significant effects on the linalool production (<0.01). At all concentrations of salicylic acid, viability of the cells in suspension culture experiments was lower than control. Increasing the elicitor concentrations lead to reduction in cell survival. In conclusion it is possible to produce linalool as a secondary metabolite and pharmaceutical agent in cell culture of cumin. It is necessary to determine the best combination of medium and elicitor.

Lack of association between the TNF-α-1031genotypes and generalized aggressive periodontitis disease.

Periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent inflammatory illnesses and is a main cause of tooth loss in human population. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) gene is one of pro-inflammatory cytokines which has important role in pathogenesis of periodontal disease. The main purpose of this study is to determine genotype abundance of TNF-α-1031 gene in both groups of patients and controls, and also investigation of relation of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) these genotypes with periodontal disease risk. DNA was extracted from blood tissue of 31 patients and 54 controls. The TNF-α-1031 polymorphism was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction- confronting two-pair primer (PCR-CTPP) method. In the GAP group, the frequencies of TT, TC and CC genotypes were 35.48%, 61.29 and 3.23%, respectively. In controls the frequencies of TT, TC and CC genotypes were 22.22%, 72.22%, and 5.56%, respectively. Results of this study showed that there was no significant association between TNF-α (-1031 T/C promoter) gene polymorphisms and the risk of generalized aggressive periodontitis disease.

The interleukin-1ß/CXCL1/2/neutrophil axis mediates host protection against group B streptococcal infection.

Previous studies have indicated that group B streptococcus (GBS), a frequent human pathogen, potently induces the release of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), an important mediator of inflammatory responses. Since little is known about the role of this cytokine in GBS disease, we analyzed the outcome of infection in IL-1ß-deficient mice. These animals were markedly sensitive to GBS infection, with most of them dying under challenge conditions that caused no deaths in wild-type control mice. Lethality was due to the inability of the IL-1ß-deficient mice to control local GBS replication and dissemination to target organs, such as the brain and the kidneys. Moreover, in a model of inflammation induced by the intraperitoneal injection of killed GBS, a lack of IL-1ß was associated with selective impairment in the production of the neutrophil chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL2 and in neutrophil recruitment to the peritoneal cavity. Decreased blood neutrophil counts and impaired neutrophil recruitment to the brain and kidneys were also observed during GBS infection in IL-1ß-deficient mice concomitantly with a reduction in CXCL1 and CXCL2 tissue levels. Notably, the hypersusceptibility to GBS infection observed in the immune-deficient animals was recapitulated by neutrophil depletion with anti-Gr1 antibodies. Collectively, our data identify a cytokine circuit that involves IL-1ß-induced production of CXCL1 and CXCL2 and leads the recruitment of neutrophils to GBS infection sites. Moreover, our data point to an essential role of these cells in controlling the progression and outcome of GBS disease.

Evaluating antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles incorporated into reinforced zinc oxide eugenol: an in vitro study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of reinforced zinc oxide-eugenol (rZOE) incorporated with different concentrations of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). METHODS: The pastes of rZOE alone or mixed with AgNPs at concentrations of 1%, 2%, and 5% of weight were prepared. In vitro antimicrobial activity of prepared materials against Streptococcus (S.) mutans and Lactobacillus (L.) acidophilus were evaluated after 2, 4, and 6 h of contact times using direct contact test (DCT) and also following 24 h incubation by well-diffusion test (WDT). The cytotoxicity of the tested materials on human dental pulp stem cells was also determined by MTT assay. RESULTS: The DCT demonstrated that the time-dependent reductions of the colony numbers of both bacteria by three different concentrations of AgNPs incorporated into rZOE were equal but steeper than the rZOE alone (P < 0.05). The increases in growth inhibition zones of S. mutans and L. acidophilus were associated with the increasing concentration of AgNPs mixed with rZOE in the WDT; however, statistical analysis did not show any significant differences (P = 0.092). The MTT assay revealed a significantly lower percentage of cell viability after 1 day of culture only with the rZOE + AgNP5% in comparison to the rZOE alone (P = 0.011) and the control medium (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Since the antimicrobial activities of three different concentrations of AgNPs incorporated into rZOE were equal and AgNPs had lower toxicity at lower concentrations, using AgNPs at 1% concentration is suggested to be mixed with rZOE.

Effect of delaying toothbrushing during bleaching on enamel surface roughness: an in vitro study.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of toothbrushing on enamel surface roughness at three different intervals after daily bleaching treatment. Eighty enamel slabs were initially evaluated for surface roughness and then randomly divided into four groups. The bleaching procedure was carried out for 21 days, six hours daily. In the control group (group 1), the specimens were not brushed after bleaching, but in groups 2-4, they were brushed with toothpaste immediately, one hour, or two hours after bleaching, respectively. Then the specimens were stored in artificial saliva. Enamel surface roughness was reevaluated at the end of the period. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests showed statistically significant differences in the means of surface roughness values between the immediately brushed group and the three other groups (p<0.001). Daily toothbrushing immediately after bleaching increased enamel surface roughness; however, postponing the procedure for one or two hours after daily bleaching and exposing the specimens to artificial saliva during the study period resulted in enamel surface roughness comparable to that of the control group.

Push-out bond strength of quartz fibre posts to root canal dentin using total-etch and self-adhesive resin cements.

OBJECTIVES: Several adhesive systems are available for cementation of fibre posts into the root canal. The aim of the present study was to investigate the push-out bond strengths of quartz fibre posts to root dentin with the use of different total-etch and self-adhesive resin cements. STUDY DESIGN: Ninety single-rooted human premolars were endodontically treated and standardized post-spaces were prepared. Fibre posts were cemented with different luting agents: total-etch (Nexus NX3, Duo-Link, and RelyX ARC) and self-adhesive resin cements (Maxcem Elite, BisCem, and RelyX Unicem). Three post/dentin sections (coronal, middle and apical) were obtained from each specimen, and push-out bond strength test was performed in each section at a cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min. Data was analyzed with two-factor and one-way analysis of variance and a post-hoc Tukey test at a significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: Cement type, canal region, and their interaction significantly influenced bond strength. Significantly higher bond strength values were observed in the apical region of self-adhesive cements. Only Duo-Link and RelyX ARC cements resulted in homogeneous bond strengths. CONCLUSIONS: Cementation of quartz fibre posts using self-adhesive cements provided higher push-out bond strengths especially in the apical region, while total-etch cements resulted in more uniform bond strengths in different regions of the root canal.

Transfusion audit of blood products using the World Health Organization Basic Information Sheet in Qazvin, Islamic Republic of Iran.

We assessed the practicality of using the transfusion Basic Information Sheet (BIS) for data collection, to determine the overall adequacy of physician documentation of blood product transfusion, and to make an audit of the appropriateness of blood product transfusion. The transfusion process and clinical indications for transfusions administered to adult hospitalized patients in 3 tertiary care teaching hospitals in Qazvin were prospectively reviewed. Adequate documentation was achieved in 62.6% of all transfusion episodes, range 41%-73%, depending on the medical specialty; 15.7% of red blood cells and whole blood requests, 40.8% of platelet requests and 34.1% of fresh frozen plasma requests were inappropriate. BIS-based information along with data collection can be used to provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of and compliance with local and national transfusion guidelines.

Comparing the amount of removed dentin thickness in root canal treated primary molar teeth using different instrumentation techniques: in-vitro study using CBCT.

PURPOSE: There is a clinical dilemma about root canal preparation for endodontic treatment of primary teeth. This study aimed to compare the amount of dentin removal in root canal treated primary molar teeth with three preparation techniques by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: A total of 39 s primary molar teeth were selected with a minimum of two-thirds of the entire root length. Access cavity was prepared and preliminary CBCT images were taken and viewed by Romexis programme. The wall thickness of the canal was measured in the danger zone at two axial cut sections of 1 and 2 mm below furcation. Then, the teeth were instrumented with three different methods as manual K-files (size 15-30), Gates glidden burs (in decreasing order of size #2 and #1 followed by hand k-files up to file number 25), and ProTaper rotary files. After canal preparation, the specimens were placed in the same position, and the canal wall thickness was remeasured. Data were analysed by using one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The amounts of removed dentin thickness was not significantly different among the three groups at two axial cut sections of 1 mm and 2 mm below furcation (P = 0.27 and 0.17, respectively). CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, the three instrumentation techniques used in primary molars were comparable regarding the amount of dentin removal.

Ascariasis in common bile duct resulting in a subhepatic abscess.

BACKGROUND: Biliary system ascariasis can be a rare cause of acute abdomen. PATIENT REPORT: A 70-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain for two weeks. She complained of a right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain, intermittent vomiting and weight loss. Physical examination showed RUQ and epigastric tenderness without rebound tenderness or guarding. Laboratory finding exhibited leukocytosis and mildly elevated liver enzymes. RESULTS: Abdominal sonography showed distended gallbladder and a tubular lesion inside the common bile duct (CBD) in favor of a parasitic lesion. A large ascaris roundworm and blood clots were extracted from the CBD by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and sphincterotomy. After 7 days, the disease process was complicated with a subhepatic abscess formation which was managed conservatively. Finally, the patient was discharged home in fair condition after 12 days of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Ascariasis should be considered in endemic areas and early endoscopic intervention and medical therapy can be effective for extrahepatic involvement.

Participant recruitment from minority religious groups: the case of the Islamic population in South Australia.

BACKGROUND: Participant recruitment is a fundamental component of the research process and the methods employed to attract individuals will depend on the nature of the study. Recruitment may be more challenging when the study involves people from a minority religious group. However, this issue has not been well addressed in the literature. AIM: To discuss the challenges of recruiting participants from a minority religious group (the Islamic population) to participate in an interpretive, hermeneutic study concerning the experience of hospitalization. The challenges of recruitment encountered during this study are used as the basis for a broader discussion of this important issue. To ensure the success of this phase of the study, a pre-planned recruitment strategy was essential. METHODS: Multiple recruitment strategies were used, including hospital-based recruitment, snowball sampling, advertising and contact with key people. Despite the use of multiple strategies, recruitment of participants was difficult and required an extended period of time to achieve sufficiently rich data. Thirteen participants shared their lived experience to provide an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. Recruiting participants from minority religious group involves potentially sensitive issues. There is an increased need for the researchers to carefully consider potential participants' rights and ensure that sound ethical principles underpin the study, as failure to do this may hinder the recruitment process. FINDINGS: The two most effective strategies of recruitment were snowball sampling and contact with key Islamic people, with the least effective being advertising. This paper highlights the importance of anticipating potential difficulties and pre-planning strategies to overcome barriers to recruitment. Implementation of multiple strategies is recommended to ensure successful research recruitment.

Diagnosis of the OCD Patients using Drawing Features of the Bender Gestalt Shapes.

BACKGROUND: Since psychological tests such as questionnaire or drawing tests are almost qualitative, their results carry a degree of uncertainty and sometimes subjectivity. The deficiency of all drawing tests is that the assessment is carried out after drawing the objects and lots of information such as pen angle, speed, curvature and pressure are missed through the test. In other words, the psychologists cannot assess their patients while running the tests. One of the famous drawing tests to measure the degree of Obsession Compulsion Disorder (OCD) is the Bender Gestalt, though its reliability is not promising. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study is to make the Bender Gestalt test quantitative; therefore, an optical pen along with a digital tablet is utilized to preserve the key drawing features of OCD patients during the test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among a large population of patients who referred to a special clinic of OCD, 50 under therapy subjects voluntarily took part in this study. In contrast, 50 subjects with no sign of OCD performed the test as a control group. This test contains 9 shapes and the participants were not constraint to draw the shapes in a certain interval of time; consequently, to classify the stream of feature vectors (samples through drawing) Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is employed and its flexibility increased by incorporating the fuzzy technique into its learning scheme. RESULTS: Applying fuzzy HMM classifier to the data stream of subjects could classify two groups up to 95.2% accuracy, whereas the results by applying the standard HMM resulted in 94.5%. In addition, multi-layer perceptron (MLP), as a strong static classifier, is applied to the features and resulted in 86.6% accuracy. CONCLUSION: Applying the pair of T-test to the results implies a significant supremacy of the fuzzy HMM to the standard HMM and MLP classifiers.

Effect of videotape for home instruction on the quality of life of tracheostomy patients: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Nowadays, some of the patients, such as the patients with tracheostomy are taken care of at home. The quality of life of these cases may decrease due to the appearance of changes, limitations caused by tracheostomy and improper care. Objectives: This research was performed in order to discover the effect of videotape for home instruction on the quality of life of tracheostomy cases. Patients and Procedure: A quasi-empirical research was carried out on 80 cases by a tracheotomy in Amir Elm Hospital and the Imam Khomeini Medical Center in Tehran. Patients were randomized into two teams of invasion and check through the randomized block design method. At the time of discharge and after a routine training from the clinical staff, the two groups completed a questionnaire regarding the demographic information and the sf-36 quality of life. Then, the intervention team was given a CD containing the routine training for patient care to watch at home. After two months, the participants completed the sf-36 questionnaires again, and the data were entered into SPSS version 20. The information was investigated by using the statistical tests. Findings: The statistical investigation demonstrated that the comparison between the two groups after the intervention in the overall quality of life (p = 0.003) and all the concepts included: the physical role (p = 0.02), the mental role (p = 0.01), energy and fatigue (p = 0.03), motion health (p = 0.005), social functioning (p = 0.06), disorder (p = 0. 001), common health percentage (p = 0.002) and physical functioning (p = 0.001) in the arbitration team, being higher than in the check one. Conclusion: Using the videotape education additionally to routine care has a significant effect on the improvement of the quality of life in these patients. Therefore, the use of this method is recommended as a complementary program for tracheostomy patients.

Modeling of starch retrogradation onset in its aqueous solution using thermoreversible gelation concept.

A model was developed to predict starch retrogradation onset in its aqueous solution and verified with the selected literature data. The most probable chain helix distribution was first estimated via minimizing the system free energy with respect to chain helix length. Later, the calculation was extended to double helix formation among single polymer chains with ζ2=10 as the retrogradation criterion. ζ2 is the average double helix length usually equals 10 implying the number of participating residues in the thickness of the thinnest reported starch lamella in the literature. The model prediction namely the retrogradation onset temperature, showed quite reasonable agreement with the selected literature data. Equal chain conformational entropy loss, Δs/k(B)≈-0.7, was inferred for various starch aqueous solutions due to the double helix kind of associations. Nonetheless, the studied systems showed distinct restrictions, σ=9 × 10(-4)-4.7 × 10(-3), against association.

A Monte Carlo Study for Photoneutron Dose Estimations around the High-Energy Linacs.

BACKGROUND: High-energy linear accelerator (linac) is a valuable tool and the most commonly used device for external beam radiation treatments in cancer patients. In the linac head, high-energy photons with energies above the threshold of (γ,n) interaction produce photoneutrons. These photoneutrons deliver the extra dose to the patients undergoing radiation treatment and increase the risk of secondary cancer. OBJECTIVE: In this study, a simplified model of the linac head was simulated and photoneutron dose equivalent was calculated at the isocenter and maze in the sphere detector. In addition, the absorbed and equivalent dose of photoneutron were estimated in the some organs of the phantom. METHODS: The simulations were made using the Monte Carlo code. The ICRP reference adult male voxel phantom was used as the human body model for dosimetry calculations. RESULTS: The results of dose calculations at the isocenter and maze showed that photoneutron dose decreases as the function of distance from the isocenter and increases with increasing the distance from the entrance maze. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the simplified model of linac head is a useful and reliable method in dosimetry calculations. Calculations illustrated that the photoneutron dose is not negligible and duo to its harmful biological effects on body, it should be considered in the treatment plans.

Investigation of the awareness of the students of shiraz dental school concerning the patients' rights and the principles of ethics in dentistry.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Deliberating the patients' rights is one of the major human ethical and legal principles which can be investigated through the agenda of professional and medical ethics.accordingly , the students of dentistry have to be educated about this issue and achieve the necessary skills in deliberating and concerning the patients' rights. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to investigate Shiraz dental students' awareness and attitude regarding the patients' rights as well as the principles of dental ethics in order to design methods for organizing and improving the ethics in dentistry. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 111 students of different departments of Shiraz Dental School. The study data were collected through a questionnaire designed based on the patients' rights charter in Iran, ADA ethical codes which are internationally acceptable in the field of dentistry, and the guidelines of the ministry of health, treatment, and medical education (No. 140588). Then, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software and analyzed. RESULTS: Of all participants, 21.6% were men and 78.4% were women. According to the results, 71% of the students were acquainted with the patients' rights. In addition, the patients' characteristics, including gender and nationality, were not important for 58.6% of the students. CONCLUSION: The study findings showed that 71% of the participants were acquainted with the patients' rights Establishment of a comprehensive, integrated charter in Iran is needed. With rapid development of medical sciences, new issues appear which necessitate taking into account the mutual rights of the physicians, people, and patients.

Increasing antimicrobial resistance among Shigella isolates in the Bushehr, Iran.

Antibiotics are drugs used for treatment of infections caused by bacteria. Misuse and overuse of these drugs have contributed to phenomena known as antibiotic resistance. In this research, the antimicrobial resistance of the Shigella has been determined. This descriptive research analyzed registered laboratory data of patients referred to Fatemeh Zahra Hospital of the Bushehr, Iran. Shigella was isolated from their cultured sample from the year 2002-2008. In this study, the total of 121 registered Shigella collected from 2002-2008 were analyzed. There were 62 cases of S. sonnei, 46 cases of S. flexneri, eight cases of S. boydii and five cases of S. dysenteriae among them. Furthermore, two cases of Shigella sonnei were collected from the blood and the rest from the watery stools of the infected patients. The following is the resistance pattern of these organisms; to ciprofloxacin, 4.25%; ceftizoxime, 8.62%; nalidixic acid, 12.12%; co-trimoxazole, 86.13% and to tetracycline, 93.02%. Results ofantibiogram showed that highest rate of drug resistance belongs to tetracycline and co-trimoxazole and the lowest belongs to ciprofloxacin and ceftizoxime. One of the important issue for clinicians, now a day is drug resistance of microorganisms. This phenomenon is increasing due to some factors such as improper use of antibiotics and irrational prescribing. These factors lead to development of new drug resistant species.

Share of Nations in 37 International Public Health Journals: An Equity and Diversity Perspective towards Health Research Capacity Building.

BACKGROUND: This paper contributes to further exploration of inequity in access to health research capacity development by examining the representation of different nations in international public health journals. It also aims to examine the degree of diversity that exists in these journals. METHODS: This study is a descriptive survey. It was done with objective sampling on 37 ISI health journals on October of 2008. The number and nationality of people in different editorial positions of the journals was identified. The second analysis involved recalculating the numbers obtained for each nation to the population size of nations per million inhabitants. In order to better compare countries in terms of presence in editorial team of the journals, a 'public health editor equity gap ratio' (PHEEGR) was developed. RESULTS: Low income countries have occupied none of the leadership positions of chief editor or associate /assistant chief editors and middle income countries at maximum shared less than 5 percent. The PHEEGR gap in access to the different editorial positions between highest to the lowest representation of countries was 16/1 for chief editors, 12/1 for associate editors, 335/1 for editorial boards and 202/1 for associate editorial boards. However, after normalizing the data to the country's population, the gap increased significantly. CONCLUSION: There is an imbalance and possibly even inequity in the composition of editorial boards and offices of international health journals that should be paid significant attention. This can contribute to fill the equity gap exists between health in developing and developed countries.

Microtitration of rubella virus in monovalent vaccinal products.

BACKGROUND: Potency test for control of rubella vaccine is a significant factor to qualify production line and vaccination program. For this reason, WHO recommends to use the microtitration method by both vaccine companies and control laboratories. Then the study was done to improve this test. METHODS: Three rubella virus samples, including an in-house standard, a lot of vaccine and an in-process product, were tittered in cell culture tubes. Then micro titration steps were tested on 96-well microplate using cocultivation of standard rubella vaccine dilutions and RK-13 cell line. After 6-7 days, final reading was done and calculated the titer. Two other samples were assayed with the micromethod. RESULTS: Titer reduction less than 0.5 log was acquired for each sample during frequent tests and between two methods. CONCLUSION: The procedure was profitable and accurate for potency and identity tests of rubella virus vaccine, on the basis of WHO recommendations.