A highly sensitive ion-selective chemiresistive sensor for online monitoring of lead ions in water.

Dissolved lead is a serious but common health hazard in drinking water, yet there is still no practical way to monitor its levels continuously in the distribution system or at the point of use. Here we propose using a lead-selective membrane on top of a chemiresistive device to continuously measure Pb2+ ion concentrations in real time. The detection limit was lowered by stabilizing the surface of the resistive film with sodium hydroxide and 15-crown-5 ether and optimizing the sensor geometry to maximize the effective surface area. The detection mechanism is based on the complexation of the Pb2+ ions by the lead ionophores within the membrane, thus modulating the interactions between the ionophores and the chemiresistive film. The limit of detection of the fabricated devices was reliably below 2 µg L-1, with concentrations up to 3 mg L-1 routinely quantifiable over several measurement cycles. The chemiresistive sensors can thus achieve lower detection limits than potentiometric devices while being more robust and simpler to fabricate by omitting the reference electrode. Ion-selective membrane-covered chemiresistors can therefore be deployed to continuously monitor drinking water sources and detect harmful levels of lead in real time.

Caregivers' concerns about the sexual and reproductive health of women with intellectual disability in Iran: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Women with intellectual disability (ID) have many sexual and reproductive problems. This study was conducted to explain the sexual and reproductive health considerations of women with ID from the perspective of their caregivers in a qualitative approach. METHODS: This study was a qualitative research conducted with a content analysis approach in Iran. The sampling method used was targeted sampling with maximum possible variation, which was continued until data saturation. For data collection, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 participants, including 8 mothers, 6 caregivers, and 7 specialist caregivers who had experience working with women with intellectual disabilities. Data analysis was conducted using the conventional content analysis method proposed by Zhang and Wildemuth. RESULTS: Two main themes, four categories and 12 subcategories emerged from the data analysis. The themes include "Reproductive health concerns" and" "Sexual health concerns". This means that this group of women has many problems with menstrual hygiene and vaginal infections. On the other hand, caregivers were concerned about the manifestations of unconventional sexual behaviors and difficulties in controlling sexual behaviors as well as the risk of sexual abuse. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study show that it is not only necessary to provide women with ID with practical instructions on menstrual hygiene and sexual self-care, but also that regular examinations of the reproductive system by obstetricians or midwives, especially in care centers, seem essential.

Women with intellectual disability, experience many sexual and reproductive problems. The results of previous studies have highlighted the problems related to menstrual hygiene, contraceptive choice, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and cancer screening among women with ID. women with intellectual disability are also more exposed to the risk of sexual abuse. In Iran, there are few studies on the sexual and reproductive health of this group, and there is little information in this regard. Therefore, we decided to conduct a study to investigate the sexual and reproductive problems of women with intellectual disability. For this purpose,we interviewed 21 mothers and caregivers who were directly responsible for the care of women with intellectual disability. The results of the study showed that women with intellectual disability have many problems related to menstrual hygiene and vaginal infections. Caregivers were also concerned about inappropriate sexual behaviors among women with intellectual disability and sexual abuse of these women. According to the caregivers, practical training of women with intellectual disability in menstrual hygiene and sexual self-care can help to reduce their sexual and reproductive problems. This training should be visual and repeated. To prevent vaginal infections, regular genital examinations by obstetricians or midwives are also important, especially in care centers.

An ion-selective chemiresistive platform as demonstrated for the detection of nitrogen species in water.

The use of ion-selective electrodes (ISE) is a well-established technique for the detection of ions in aqueous solutions but requires the use of a reference electrode. Here, we introduce a platform of ion-selective chemiresistors for the detection of nitrogen species in water as an alternative method without the need for reference electrodes. Chemiresistors have a sensitive surface that is prone to damage during operation in aqueous solutions. By applying a layer of ion-selective membrane to the surface of the chemiresistive device, the surface becomes protected and highly selective. We demonstrate both anion-selective (NO3-, NO2-) and cation-selective (NH4+) membranes. The nitrate sensors are able to measure nitrate ions in a range of 2.2-220 ppm with a detection limit of 0.3 ppm. The nitrite sensors respond between 67 ppb and 67 ppm of nitrite ions (64 ppb detection limit). The ammonium sensors can measure ammonium concentrations in a wide range from 10 ppb to 100 ppm (0.5 ppb detection limit). The fast responses to nitrate and nitrite are due to a mechanism involving electrostatic gating repulsion between negative charge carriers of the film and anions while ammonium detection arises from two mechanisms based on electrostatic gating repulsion and adsorption of ammonium ions at the surface of the p-doped chemiresistive film. The adsorption phenomenon slows down the recovery time of the ammonium sensor. This sensor design is a new platform to continuously monitor ions in industrial, domestic, and environmental water resources by robust chemiresistive devices.

Abortion services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.

Evidence suggests that COVID-19 may impair access to sexual and reproductive health services and safe abortion. The purpose of this systematic review was investigating the changes of abortion services in the COVID-19 pandemic era. We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus for relevant studies published as of August 2021, using relevant keywords. RCT and non-original studies were excluded from the analysis and 17 studies of 151 included in our review. Requests to access medication abortion by telemedicine and demand for self-managed abortion were the main findings of identified studies. Women requested an abortion earlier in their pregnancy, and were satisfied with tele-abortion care due to its flexibility, and ongoing telephone support. Presenting telemedicine services without ultrasound has also been reported. Visits to clinics were reduced based on the severity of the restrictions, and abortion clinics had less revenue, more costs, and more changes in the work style of their healthcare providers. Telemedicine was reported safe, effective, acceptable, and empowering for women. Reasons for using tele-abortion were privacy, secrecy, comfort, using modern contraception, employing of women, distance from clinics, travel restrictions, lockdowns, fear of COVID-19, and political reasons (abortion prohibition). Complications of women using tele-abortion were pain, lack of psychological support, bleeding, and need to blood transfusions. The results of this study showed that using telemedicine and teleconsultations for medical abortion in the pandemic conditions may be extended after pandemic. Findings can be used by reproductive healthcare providers and policy makers to address the complications of abortion services.Trail registration This study is registered in PROSPERO with number CRD42021279042.

COVID-19 pandemic shocks the international community, especially health policymakers around the world. The most important consequence of this outbreak has been direct and indirect impacts on health service provisions in all parts of the health system, including sexual and reproductive health services. We reviewed numerous studies investigating healthcare related to abortion in the pandemic era that showed women had more requests to access medical abortion, more than surgical. They preferred self-managed abortion process by telemedicine. Presenting telemedicine services without ultrasound has also been reported. Visits to clinics were reduced, and this decrease was reported based on the severity of the restrictions. Abortion clinics had reduced revenue, increased costs, and changed work style of their healthcare providers. Reasons for using telemedicine were fear of COVID-19, travel restrictions, lockdowns, more privacy, secrecy, and comfort. Telemedicine was reported safe, effective, acceptable, satisfying, and empowering for women. Maternal complications using tele-abortion were pain, bleeding, and need to blood transfusions. These findings can be used by policy makers and reproductive healthcare providers to address the complications of abortion management.

Tuning the Chemical and Mechanical Properties of Conductive MoS2 Thin Films by Surface Modification with Aryl Diazonium Salts.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a promising material for applications in sensors, energy storage, energy conversion devices, solar cells, and fuel cells. Because many of those applications require conductive materials, we recently developed a method for preparing a conductive form of MoS2 (c-MoS2) using dilute aqueous hydrogen peroxide in a simple and safe way. Here, we investigate modulating the chemical and mechanical surface properties of c-MoS2 thin films using diazonium chemistry. In addition to a direct passivation strategy of c-MoS2 with diazonium salts for electron-withdrawing groups, we also propose a novel in situ synthetic pathway for modification with electron-donating groups. The obtained results are examined by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The degree of surface passivation of pristine and functionalized c-MoS2 films was tested by exposing them to aqueous solutions of different metal cations (Fe2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, and Co2+) and detecting the chemiresistive response. While pristine films were found to interact with several of the cations, modified films did not. We propose that a surface charge transfer mechanism is responsible for the chemiresistive response of the pristine films, while both modification routes succeeded at complete surface passivation. Functionalization was also found to lower the coefficient of friction for semiconducting 2H-MoS2, while all conductive materials (modified or not) also had lower coefficients of friction. This opens up a pathway to a palette of dry lubricant materials with improved chemical stability and tunable conductivity. Thus, both in situ and direct diazonium chemistries are powerful tools for tuning chemical and mechanical properties of conductive MoS2 for new devices and lubricants based on conductive MoS2.

Psychometric properties of the of the Persian version of the Coping Assessment for Bereavement and Loss Experiences (CABLE).

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The loss of a loved one through death is practically an inevitable part of the human experience. However, not all grieving people cope with this blow in the same way. One of the factors that may differentiate the grieving reactions of mourners in the face of this lesion is the strategies that the person uses in this situation to adapt and manage the situation. A valid and reliable tool is also needed to measure and evaluate coping strategies. The aim of this study was to translate and determine the characteristics of psychological tools for measuring coping with experiences of grief and loss (28 items) in people living in Tehran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a methodological study with a descriptive cross-sectional design that after obtaining written permission from the original developer and according to the WHO protocol, the Persian version of the questionnaire was completed by 480 people who experienced mourn in Tehran in February 2021 to October 2021. Then, the Face validity, Content validity and Construct validity of questionnaire were assessed. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, McDonald's omega and Test-retest were used to determine the reliability. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha for all items was 0.91 and intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.86, both of which indicate the reliability of the Persian version of the CABLE tool. Based on exploratory factor analysis, maximum likelihood (n = 260) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 220) six factors were identified. Factors can explain 50% of the total variance observed. The model had an acceptable fit: GFI: 0.88, CFI: 0.96, IFI: 0.96, NFI: 0.92, PNFI: 0.82, RAMSEA: 0.058, CMIN / DF: 2.37 RMR: 0.056. Internal consistency and construct validity of the questionnaire were confirmed. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study indicate that the Persian version of CABLE has the appropriate validity and reliability to assess the compliance with the experiences of grief and loss in Persian population.

Development and psychometric evaluation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Assessment Scale for women with educable intellectual disability (SRH-WIDS): a sequential exploratory mixed-method study.

BACKGROUND: Women with Intellectual disability have many problems in their sexual and reproductive health due to their special mental and physical conditions caused by disability. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of Sexual and Reproductive Health Scale for Women with Educable Intellectual disability. METHODS: This sequential exploratory mixed-method study was conducted at two qualitative and quantitative stages in Tehran, from 2018 to 2020. At the qualitative stage, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 parents and caregivers of women with intellectual disability to explain the concepts and to generate items. Thereafter, the item pool was formed based on the concepts and themes extracted from the qualitative phase as well as the review of literature. At the second stage, psychometric properties of the scale were assessed. Finally, responsiveness, interpretability, and feasibility of the scale were determined. RESULTS: An item pool containing 95 items was produced at the first stage. At the second stage, the final version of scale was developed. The psychometric properties of this final version were then assessed and the results showed that the instrument has good validity and reliability. The results of exploratory factory analysis showed that the instrument contains seven factors. Accordingly, these factors explained 53% of the total variance of the instrument variables. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the SRH-WIDS with 25 items has sufficient validity and reliability, so it could be easily used by caregivers to assess the sexual and reproductive health of Women with Educable Intellectual disability. Ethical code: IRI.TUMS.VCR.REC 1397.340.

Mid-term (up to 12 years) clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is still a concerning issue in developing countries. Among delayed RHD presentations, rheumatic mitral valve stenosis (MS) remains a prevalent finding. Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) is the intervention of choice for severe mitral stenosis (MS). We aimed to assess the mid-term outcome of PTMC in patients with immediate success. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, out of 220 patients who had undergone successful PTMC between 2006 and 2018, the clinical course of 186 patients could be successfully followed. Cardiac-related death, undergoing a second PTMC or mitral valve replacement (MVR) were considered adverse cardiac events for the purpose of this study. In order to find significant factors related to adverse cardiac outcomes, peri-procedural data for the studied patients were collected.The patients were also contacted to find out their current clinical status and whether they had continued secondary antibiotic prophylaxis regimen or not. Those who had not suffered from the adverse cardiac events were additionally asked to undergo echocardiographic imaging, in order to assess the prevalence of mitral valve restenosis, defined as mitral valve area (MVA) < 1.5 cm2 and loss of ≥ 50% of initial area gain. RESULTS: During the mean follow-up time of 5.69 ± 3.24 years, 31 patients (16.6% of patients) had suffered from adverse cardiac events. Atrial fibrillation rhythm (p = 0.003, HR = 3.659), Wilkins echocardiographic score > 8 (p = 0.028, HR = 2.320) and higher pre-procedural systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (p = 0.021, HR = 1.031) were three independent predictors of adverse events and immediate post-PTMC mitral valve area (IMVA) ≥ 2 cm2 (p < 0.001, HR = 0.06) was the significant predictor of event-free outcome. Additionally, follow-up echocardiographic imaging detected mitral restenosis in 44 patients (23.6% of all patients). The only statistically significant protective factor against restenosis was again IMVA ≥ 2 cm2 (p = 0.001, OR = 0.240). CONCLUSION: The mid-term results of PTMC are multifactorial and may be influenced by heterogeneous peri-procedural determinants. IMVA had a great impact on the long-term success of this procedure. Continuing secondary antibiotic prophylaxis was not a protective factor against adverse cardiac events in this study. (clinicaltrial.gov registration: NCT04112108).

Experiences of health care providers on pregnancy and childbirth care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran: a phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus currently cause a lot of pressure on the health system. Accordingly, many changes occurred in the way of providing health care, including pregnancy and childbirth care. To our knowledge, no studies on experiences of maternity care Providers during the COVID-19 Pandemic have been published in Iran. We aimed to discover their experiences on pregnancy and childbirth care during the current COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study was a qualitative research performed with a descriptive phenomenological approach. The used sampling method was purposive sampling by taking the maximum variation possible into account, which continued until data saturation. Accordingly, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted by including 12 participants, as 4 gynecologists, 6 midwives working in the hospitals and private offices, and 2 midwives working in the health centers. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven stage method with MAXQDA10 software. RESULTS: Data analysis led to the extraction of 3 themes, 9 categories, and 25 subcategories. The themes were as follows: "Fear of Disease", "Burnout", and "Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic", respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal health care providers experience emotional and psychological stress and work challenges during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, comprehensive support should be provided for the protection of their physical and mental health statuses. By working as a team, utilizing the capacity of telemedicine to care and follow up mothers, and providing maternity care at home, some emerged challenges to maternal care services can be overcome.

Investigation of TGF-ß1 gene variant and expression in a group of Iranian women with endometriosis.

PURPOSE: Endometriosis is defined as a common gynecologic and inflammatory disease. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1) gene and its protein level might play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The present study aimed for the first time to assess the associations between endometriosis risk and - 509 C/T (rs1800469) variant of the TGF-ß1 gene as well as TGF-ß1 mRNA expression in eutopic endometrium tissue of patients with and without endometriosis among a group of Iranian women. METHODS: Genotyping was carried out in 100 endometriosis patients (cases) with confirmed histological diagnosis of endometriosis and 197 non-endometriosis subjects (controls). The expression level of TGF-ß1 mRNA was determined using Real-Time PCR assay in 15 eutopic endometrium tissue of women with endometriosis and 15 healthy controls. RESULTS: There was a significant association for allele and genotype frequencies of rs1800469 variant and endometriosis. No significant difference for TGF-ß1 expression was observed between eutopic endometrium of patients and healthy group. Also, evaluation of TGF-ß1expression across the menstrual cycle showed the same level of TGF-ß1 among case and control subjects. CONCLUSION: Our investigations indicated enough evidence for the effect of TGF-ß1 genetic variant on endometriosis risk in an Iranian population. Furthermore, we could not find any relations between TGF-ß1 mRNA expression and susceptibility to endometriosis.

Alendronate slows down aortic stenosis progression in osteoporotic patients: An observational prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common primary valvular disease. Currently, there is no pharmacological approach for the medical management of AS. We investigated the effect of osteoporosis therapy with alendronate on hemodynamic progression in patients concurrently affected by AS and osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this observational prospective study, we enrolled 37 women more than 60 years old with diagnosis of AS and concurrent osteoporosis from August 2017 to December 2019. These patients were treated with alendronate 70 mg every week added to their routine treatment for AS, and their outcomes were compared with 33 patients only affected by AS. Echocardiographic changes and N-terminal-prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) level were evaluated during about 2 years of follow-up. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time for the treated and nontreated groups was 20.89 ± 2.73 and 20.84 ± 2.76 months, respectively. Mean gradient (P = 0.02) and peak gradient (P = 0.04) of aortic valve were significantly different between the groups after follow-up. Aortic valve area was decreased 0.09 cm2 in the treated group by alendronate and 0.23 cm2 in the other group (P = 0.001). Furthermore, NT-pro-BNP was significantly decreased in patients treated by alendronate (P = 0.01), but it was increased in nontreated patients (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Treatment with alendronate in patients with AS and concurrent osteoporosis slows down the progression of stenosis and improves their prognosis. This study could open a new pathway for the treatment of AS. Further studies, particularly randomized controlled clinical trial, should be done for providing more evidence.

Investigating the association between chronological age and thyroid cartilage ossification using CT imaging.

Background: Thyroid cartilage ossifies through time. In addition to different methods for age estimation, ossified volume can be a valuable index for age estimation. In this study, anthropometric characteristics and ossified volume were measured using CT scan imaging to find potential correlations between measures and age. Methods: In this study, 100 thyroid cartilage of Iranian corpses (60 men and 40 women) were studied. Corpses from Kahrizak hall of Tehran Legal Medicine Organization were included in this study. After obtaining required consent from their family, their thyroid cartilage was separated by an expert, and anthropometric properties of the cartilage were recorded. A 64-slice Siemens CT scan machine was used to measure specimen ossified volume and Hounsfield score by 3D reconstruction of images. Pearson's correlation test was used to measure the correlation between thyroid calcified volume and chronological age. Repeated measurement ANOVA test was also used to measure the correlation of the ossified volume and Hounsfield score with different age groups. SPSS version 22 was used for statistical analysis, and significance level was set at than 0.05. Results: All thyroid cartilage measures were higher in men than in women, except for thyroid angle, and the differences were statistically significant. Height of the laminae (R=0.23, p=0.023) and depth of the thyroid notch (R=0.198, p=0.049) were correlated with age. Mean ossified volume (6.1±1.7 cc) and Hounsfield score (308.8±53.5 HU) were directly correlated with age (R=0.205; p=0.040 and R=0.219; p=0.029, respectively), but none of these two radiologic parameters were correlated with age groups (p=0.331 and 0.063, respectively). No specific ossification pattern was obtained from CT images in different age groups. Conclusion: A combination of anthropometric measures such as the height of the laminae and depth of the thyroid notch with CT scan imaging measures such as ossified volume and the Hounsfield score are useful to estimate age with low precision. In addition, thyroid cartilage measures are useful for sex determination.

Association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) Gene polymorphisms and expression with the risk of endometriosis: a case-control study.

Endometriosis is a polygenic and multifactorial gynecology situation which might be associated with angiogenesis. In the current study we assess the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) - 2578 A/C, and + 936 C/T polymorphisms in susceptibility to endometriosis and checking the expression of VEGF mRNA in eutopic tissue of endometrium with and without endometriosis. The study was comprised of 300 patients who underwent laparascopic or laparotomy surgery with 100 cases who had confirmed histological diagnosis of endometriosis, and 200 controls with no histological diagnosis of disease. The genotyping of VEGF polymorphisms was done by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique and the gene expression in tissue was determined using Real-Time PCR assay. There was no important difference of allele distribution of the - 2578 A/C (P = 0.7) and + 936 C/T (P = 0.5) polymorphisms among endometriosis cases and controls. Study of VEGF expression during the menstrual cycle, showed that endometrial tissue in cases group expressed more VEGF mRNA at the secretory phase compared to the proliferative phase (P = 0.03). Our results suggest that - 2578 A/C and + 936 C/T polymorphisms of VEGF did not seem to have impact on endometriosis predisposition in our study population. Also we did not find any link between VEGF mRNA expression and risk of endometriosis.

Expression Level of Circulating Cell Free miR-155 Gene in Serum of Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. Several factors are known to contribute to the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. Different microRNAs have been shown to contribute in the pathogenesis of DN. This study, aimed to evaluate the expression level of circulating miR-155 in patients with diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: In this case-control study, 83 diabetic patients and normal subjects were evaluated in four groups of normal healthy subjects without diabetes and nephropathy, diabetes without nephropathy, diabetes with microalbuminuria, and diabetes with macroalbuminuria. After RNA extraction from serum and cDNA synthesis, the expression of circulating miR-155 was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). RESULTS: Expression level of cell-free miR-155 was significantly lower in diabetics compared to the normal healthy controls (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found in miR-155 expression level between different diabetes groups with different conditions of kidney function. Furthermore, we detected a significant negative correlation between cell-free miR-155 expression and GFR only in patients with microalbuminuria (r = -0.70, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It seems that miR-155 can discriminate diabetic and nondiabetic status, but is not an appropriate biomarker for tracking of macroalbuminuria.

First evidence of the presence of adenovirus type 8 in myocardium of patients with severe idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Previous studies have detected adenovirus and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in cardiac tissue of patients with myocarditis. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the frequency of these viruses, which may be involved in the development of severe dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Myocardial tissue from of 23 cardiac transplant candidates with acute idiopathic DCM below the age of 40 years were analyzed by amplification of adenovirus and CMV DNA and subsequent sequencing. Adenovirus was detected in four (17.4%) and CMV in one (4.3%) of the patients. All controls were negative for the presence of both viruses. Our study shows that myocardial infection with adenovirus may play an important role in the pathogenesis of severe DCM and suggests that vaccination against adenovirus might be helpful in decreasing the prevalence of severe idiopathic DCM. This is the first study in which adenovirus type 8 has been detected in the hearts of patients with DCM.

Evaluation of the correlation between body mass index and endometriosis among Iranian fertile women.

AIMS: The investigations have revealed an inverse correlation between body mass index (BMI) and endometriosis. Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease among women of reproductive age, which is defined as the implantation of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus. In this respect, we aimed to study the correlation between endometriosis and BMI in Iranian fertile women. METHODS: In a case-control design, 46 fertile women with endometriosis and 53 matched controls were recruited. All of the patients had a laparoscopy or laparotomy surgery and histologically confirmed endometriosis. The control group was selected from healthy volunteers who referred to gynecologist for tubal ligation or surgery of benign gynecological diseases. The participants were interviewed based on a structured questionnaire which covered inquiries regarding demographics, reproductive and menstrual history. RESULTS: Statistical analysis was performed by categorizing the BMI to four main groups: >30, 25-29.9, 18.5-24.9 and <18.5. The results showed a significant inverse correlation between BMI and endometriosis (p = 0.039). BMI over 30 was observed in 26% of healthy controls versus 13% of endometriosis patients. On the other hand, BMI under 18.5 were detected in 3 individuals, all of them belonged to the endometriosis group. DISCUSSION: Recent investigations have emphasized the role of BMI in endometriosis. The results of this study suggest that lower BMI is associated with an increased risk of endometriosis. As a parameter easily obtained, BMI may be useful for risk assessment of endometriosis.

Colloidal quantum dot solar cells exploiting hierarchical structuring.

Extremely thin-absorber solar cells offer low materials utilization and simplified manufacture but require improved means to enhance photon absorption in the active layer. Here, we report enhanced-absorption colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells that feature transfer-stamped solution-processed pyramid-shaped electrodes employed in a hierarchically structured device. The pyramids increase, by up to a factor of 2, the external quantum efficiency of the device at absorption-limited wavelengths near the absorber band edge. We show that absorption enhancement can be optimized with increased pyramid angle with an appreciable net improvement in power conversion efficiency, that is, with the gain in current associated with improved absorption and extraction overcoming the smaller fractional decrease in open-circuit voltage associated with increased junction area. We show that the hierarchical combination of micron-scale structured electrodes with nanoscale films provides for an optimized enhancement at absorption-limited wavelengths. We fabricate 54.7° pyramid-patterned electrodes, conformally apply the quantum dot films, and report pyramid CQD solar cells that exhibit a 24% improvement in overall short-circuit current density with champion devices providing a power conversion efficiency of 9.2%.

Thoughts on the current management of acute aluminum phosphide toxicity and proposals for therapy: An Evidence-based review.

The majority of aluminum phosphide (ALP) toxicity cases are suicidal attempts. Despite advances in critical care medicine, the mortality rate of ALP remains very high. Unfortunately, knowledge on the toxicokinetics of ALP is very low. An obsolete idea was proposed that inhibition of complex IV of cytochrome C oxidase is responsible for multiorgan dysfunction. However, based on human studies, this effect might be insignificant. Thus, a novel idea proposes that the main mechanism might be vascular wall integrity disruption. The low frequency of acute toxicity and unanswered questions about the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics has led to leaden advances of novel treatments. The aim of this review was to evaluate problems regarding current treatment protocols and propose new ideas based on updated information. For this purpose, we reviewed all available articles on the management of ALP poisoning published to date. Considering failure of conventional therapies on maintaining systolic blood pressure, correcting acid-base disturbances, and support cardiac function, the previous treatment protocols have been overruled. However, repudiate of conventional treatments in this deadly condition is not without penalties for the health-care provider. The introduction of new therapies including refuse of gastric lavage with water-soluble compounds, administration of a high molecular weight colloidal solution for fluid resuscitation and termination using sodium bicarbonate, and vasoactive agents has been prospected to improve patient survival. This protocol is in early clinical evaluation; nevertheless, it appears to improve patient's survival; hence, future randomized trials should be performed to support their effectiveness.

Successful management of zinc phosphide poisoning.

Zinc phosphide (Zn2P3) rodenticide, is generally misused intentionally for suicidal purpose in Iran. For many years, scientists believe that liberation of phosphine (PH3) on contact with acidic content of the stomach is responsible for clinical presentations. However, relatively long time interval between ingestion of Zn2P3 and presentation of its systemic toxicity, and progression of acute liver failure could not be explained by the current opinion. Hence, an innovative theory intended that phosphonium, as an intermediate product will create and pass through the stomach, which then will reduce to produce PH3in the luminal tract. Here, we present a case of massive Zn2P3 poisoning. In our case, we used repeated doses of castor oil to induce bowel movement with an aim of removing unabsorbed toxin, which was proved by radiography. Interestingly, the patient presents only mild symptoms of toxicity such as transient metabolic acidosis and hepatic dysfunction.

K-Ras 4A Transcript variant is up-regulated in eutopic endometrium of endometriosis patients during proliferative phase of menstrual cycle.

AIMS: K-Ras transcripts comprise two main isoforms: K-Ras 4A and K-Ras 4B, which act differently. The expression of both isoforms was reported in many human tissues. However, K-Ras 4B was the major expressed transcript variant. An increased expression of K-Ras 4B mRNA was reported in eutopic endometrium of endometriosis patients. In this way, we aimed to study the expression of K-Ras 4A transcript in eutopic endometrium related to endometriosis. METHODS: Employing exon4-flanking primers, K-Ras isoforms were simultaneously amplified in a RT-PCR reaction. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed using GAPDH as an internal control. K-Ras 4A transcript expression in eutopic endometrium was analyzed by ΔΔC T method. RESULTS: We identified existence of both of K-Ras 4A and K-Ras 4B in eutopic endometrium of patients and controls. Quantitative real-time analysis demonstrated that K-Ras 4A expression was 2.7-fold higher in endometriosis than non-endometriosis eutopic samples. Interestingly, this overexpression mainly occurs through the proliferative phase of menstrual cycle. CONCLUSION: The findings bring to light the eminent role of K-Ras 4A in endometriosis. This splice variant which is known for promoting apoptosis could be an effective factor in balance between proliferation and death of eutopic endometrial cells.