Preconceptional maternal hyperandrogenism and metabolic syndrome risk in male offspring: a long-term population-based study.

PURPOSE: There is limited research on the effects of maternal hyperandrogenism (MHA) on cardiometabolic risk factors in male offspring. We aimed to compare the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in sons of women with preconceptional hyperandrogenism (HA) to those of non-HA women in later life. METHODS: Using data obtained from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Cohort Study, with an average of 20 years follow-up, 1913 sons were divided into two groups based on their MHA status, sons with MHA (n = 523) and sons without MHA (controls n = 1390). The study groups were monitored from the baseline until either the incidence of events, censoring, or the end of the study period, depending on which occurred first. Age-scaled unadjusted and adjusted Cox regression models were utilized to evaluate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between MHA and MetS in their sons. RESULTS: There was no significant association between MHA and HR of MetS in sons with MHA compared to controls, even after adjustment (unadjusted HR (95% CI) 0.94 (0.80-1.11), P = 0.5) and (adjusted HR (95% CI) 0.98 (0.81-1.18), P = 0.8). Sons with MHA showed a HR of 1.35 for developing high fasting blood sugar compared to controls (unadjusted HR (95% CI) 1.35 (1.01-1.81), P = 0.04), however, after adjustment this association did not remain significant (adjusted HR (95% CI) 1.25 (0.90-1.74), P = 0.1). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that preconceptional MHA doesn't increase the risk of developing MetS in sons in later life. According to this suggestion, preconceptional MHA may not have long-term metabolic consequences in male offspring.

The relationship between air pollutants and gestational diabetes: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Air pollution is an environmental stimulus that may predispose pregnant women to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate the relationship between air pollutants and GDM. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were systematically searched for retrieving English articles published from January 2020 to September 2021, investigating the relationship of exposure to ambient air pollution or levels of air pollutants with GDM and related parameters, including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin resistance, and impaired glucose tolerance. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated using I-squared (I2), and Begg's statistics, respectively. We also performed the subgroup analysis for particulate matters (PM2.5, PM10), Ozone (O3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the different exposure periods. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies examining 2,826,544 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Compared to non-exposed women, exposure to PM2.5 increases the odds (likelihood of occurrence outcome) of GDM by 1.09 times (95% CI 1.06, 1.12), whereas exposure to PM10 has more effect by OR of 1.17 (95% CI 1.04, 1.32). Exposure to O3 and SO2 increases the odds of GDM by 1.10 times (95% CI 1.03, 1.18) and 1.10 times (95% CI 1.01, 1.19), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study show a relationship between air pollutants PM2.5, PM10, O3, and SO2 and the risk of GDM. Although evidence from various studies can provide insights into the linkage between maternal exposure to air pollution and GDM, more well-designed longitudinal studies are recommended for precise interpretation of the association between GDM and air pollution by adjusting all potential confounders.

A novel method for the separation of saponin from soybean meal by colloidal gas aphrons: optimization based on response surface methodology.

Natural surfactants, such as soy saponins, are rich in triterpenoid saponins, which have significant biological activities and are used in different applications, such as cosmetics, food, and pharmaceutical industries. In this research, it was used colloidal gas aphrons (CGAs) as a green and cost-effective method to concentrate soy saponin from soybean meal extract. The production of micro-nano bubbles, in conjunction with the investigation of the effect of different chemical and process variables, significantly impacted the purity and recovery of saponins in this method. The response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the process. The purity and recovery percentage of saponins were found to be 75.12 and 25.87 in optimal conditions, respectively. Furthermore, when the maximum value for both responses was selected, the purity and recovery reached 57.61% and 71.94%, respectively. Eventually, the results indicate that this method is technically promising, straightforward, and cost-effective in separating saponins for various applications.

The targeted high-risk case-finding approach versus universal screening for thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy: thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and/or thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) test?

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of different thyroid screening scenarios, using the universal and targeted high-risk case-finding approaches with different diagnostic tests on the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), thyroid autoimmunity, and pregnancy outcomes after adjustments for the intervention. METHODS: During a secondary analysis of data collected in Tehran Thyroid and Pregnancy Study, a total of 2277 women from the total population, including 1303 high-risk individuals for thyroid dysfunction. The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method, adjusted for the intervention, was also used to evaluate the relationships between different screening scenarios [i.e., universal approach using thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and/or thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) tests and targeted high-risk case-finding approach using TSH and/or TPOAb tests] and pregnancy outcomes (i.e., preterm delivery and NICU admission). The universal approach using both TSH and TPOAb measurements was considered as the reference scenario. We analyzed outcomes of different screening methods in individuals treated with LT4, compared to those individuals who were not treated. RESULTS: Compared to the universal screening approach with both TSH and TPOAb measurements, the targeted high-risk case-finding approach overlooked approximately 42%, 62%, and 74% of women with elevated TSH (> 4 µlU/mL) when using both TSH and TPOAb tests, TSH alone, and TPO alone, respectively. After adjusting for the missed cases, 2.86% of women with preterm delivery and 2.76% of women with NICU admission were missed when they were screened using the targeted high-risk case-finding approach by measuring both TSH and TPOAb. The percentage of missed cases increased when applying the targeted approach with the TSH test alone, without measuring TPOAb. Overall, 4.16% and 4.02% of women with preterm delivery and NICU admission were overlooked in this scenario, respectively. After adjustments for the intervention, the probability of NICU admission in neonates of mothers, who were screened using the targeted high-risk case-finding approach with TPOAb measurement, was 2.31 folds higher than those screened by the reference scenario. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that although the targeted high-risk case-finding approach including both TSH and TPOAb tests, may overlook some women with SCH, it is a reasonable option since it is not associated with a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The effectiveness of mindful parenting training on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in male students.

OBJECTIVE: One of the main influential factors in the occurrence of behavioral problems in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the behavior related to the parenting styles. This study aimed at investigating the effect of mindful parenting training on mothers of children with ADHD in reducing the symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention behaviors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest control group. The study population consisted of all mothers of children from 8 to 12 years. Therefore, 24 mothers of children with ADHD whose scores in the Connors questionnaire (parent form) were above the cut-off point score and diagnostic interview were selected and randomly paired and assigned into two experimental and control groups. All the mothers were between 30 to 38 years old. The research tools included the Connors questionnaire. Mindful parenting training was accomplished in eight 90-minute sessions for the experimental group. In the end, the two groups completed the questionnaires as post-test. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The analysis of the results showed the effect of mindful parenting training on reducing the symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention behaviors of children with ADHD in the experimental group compared to the control group (p-value <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The educational and behavioral methods that parents and especially mothers use in response to their children's problematic and undesirable behaviors can increase the incidence of these behavioral problems in the long run. Hence, it is addressed in this study due to the great importance of changing the behavioral and educational methods of such parents. The findings generally show that mindful parenting education has affected the emotional climate governing parent-child interactions and has reduced behavioral problems in children suffering from ADHD.

Improved Constraints on Primordial Gravitational Waves using Planck, WMAP, and BICEP/Keck Observations through the 2018 Observing Season.

We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the BICEP2, Keck Array, and BICEP3 CMB polarization experiments up to and including the 2018 observing season. We add additional Keck Array observations at 220 GHz and BICEP3 observations at 95 GHz to the previous 95/150/220 GHz dataset. The Q/U maps now reach depths of 2.8, 2.8, and 8.8 µK_{CMB} arcmin at 95, 150, and 220 GHz, respectively, over an effective area of ≈600 square degrees at 95 GHz and ≈400 square degrees at 150 and 220 GHz. The 220 GHz maps now achieve a signal-to-noise ratio on polarized dust emission exceeding that of Planck at 353 GHz. We take auto- and cross-spectra between these maps and publicly available WMAP and Planck maps at frequencies from 23 to 353 GHz and evaluate the joint likelihood of the spectra versus a multicomponent model of lensed ΛCDM+r+dust+synchrotron+noise. The foreground model has seven parameters, and no longer requires a prior on the frequency spectral index of the dust emission taken from measurements on other regions of the sky. This model is an adequate description of the data at the current noise levels. The likelihood analysis yields the constraint r_{0.05}<0.036 at 95% confidence. Running maximum likelihood search on simulations we obtain unbiased results and find that σ(r)=0.009. These are the strongest constraints to date on primordial gravitational waves.

Ethnopharmacological studies of medicinal plants in central Zagros, Lorestan Province, Iran.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Lorestan Province (Iran) has a great diversity of habitats and plant diversity and the people living in this province have a good knowledge of herbal therapies. AIM OF THE STUDY: In this study, the authors aimed to identify and report the medicinal plants used in the folk medicine of Lorestan. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The indigenous medicinal information was collected with a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire, interviews, and personal observations. The relative importance of the species were estimated through frequency of citations (FC). RESULTS: and discussion: A total of 555 plants belonging to 91 families were identified. The plants belong to Asteraceae with 62 species followed by Lamiaceae (56), Apiaceae (44), Fabaceae (41), and Brassicaceae (31). The plants were mostly used as a decoction or eaten raw (32%). Leaves (22%) were the most utilized plant parts followed by shoots (16%), and seeds (13%). Thymus daenensis, Thymus eriocalyx, Mentha longifolia, Mentha spicata, Mentha piperitha, Alium sativum, Quercus infectoria, Quercus persica, Ziziphora clinopodioides, and Malus domestica had the highest FC values. Most of the plants were used for gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin problems. CONCLUSION: Lorestan is a region rich in medicinal plants. The local knowledge of herbal therapies can be used as complementary medicine, particularly by people in remote areas and as a guide for the future pharmacological and phytochemical studies. While the known medicinal plants can be harvested or cultivated for medical and pharmaceutical purposes, the less known plants with high FC scores can be investigated phytochemically and pharmacologically in the future studies.

Molecular Detection of Theileria annulata among Dairy Cattle and Vector Ticks in the Herat Area, Afghanistan.

Theileriosis is one of the most important diseases in tropical and subtropical regions and leads to annual economic losses, such as the reduction of dairy products and casualties. Although the clinical form of bovine theileriosis has been observed in Afghanistan, to the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive study has been conducted on this issue. This molecular survey was performed to identify Theileria annulata and tick vectors in dairy cattle in the Herat area, Afghanistan, from June 2015-September 2016. A total of 100 dairy cattle were clinically examined and their blood smears, EDTA blood samples, and ixodid ticks were collected. The blood samples were transported to the laboratory, followed by the preparation of the blood smears and staining with the Giemsa method. The collected ticks were identified at the species (spp) level using the identification key and were then separated into 70 tick pools according to their species. Subsequently, the salivary glands were dissected out in 0.85% saline under a stereomicroscope. The DNA of blood and salivary glands was extracted using a commercial kit and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The ring form of Theileria spp infection was observed in 22 (22%) of blood smears, while 74% of blood samples were T. annulata positive using PCR. Among the collected ticks, the numbers of male and female ticks were obtained at 219 and 130 ticks, respectively. The frequency of tick spp was rated in descending order as Hyalomma annatolicum (73.9%), Hyalomma excavatum (22.3%), Hyalomma nymph spp (12%), Hyalomma marginatum (1.7%), Hyalomma asiaticum (1.1%), and Hyalomma rufipes (0.75%). The PCR results showed that seven pools belonging to salivary glands of H. anatolicum were infected with T. annulata. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that T. annulata had a high frequency in dairy cattle and H. anatoloicum was also identified, such as the vectors of T. annulata in the Herat area, Afghanistan.

Effects of oral contraceptives on serum concentrations of adipokines and adiposity indices of women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) with different progestins, including Levonorgestrel (LNG), Desogestrel (DSG), Cyproterone Acetate (CPA), and Drospirenone (DRSP) on adipokines levels and adiposity indices in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: In this parallel randomized clinical trial, 120 women with PCOS randomly assigned to intervention with OCs containing LNG, DSG, CPA, or DRSP. Outcomes of interest, including serum concentrations of adiponectin, leptin, and resistin, and adiposity indices, i.e., body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), obesity, central obesity, waist to hip ratio (WHR), waist to height ratio (WHtR), lipid accumulation product (LAP), a body shape index (ABSI), body roundness index (BRI), and visceral adiposity index (VAI), and lipid profiles were assessed at baseline, and 6 months of treatment. RESULTS: This study showed no significant differences in serum concentrations of adipokines between the four study groups after 6 months of treatment. Our results also showed that patients treated with various compounds of OC for 6 months had no significant differences in their adiposity indices, except for LAP (p = 0.04), and VAI (p = 0.03). PCOS patients treated with OCs containing CPA had significantly a higher mean LAP, compared to those using products containing LNG. Besides, patients treated with OCs containing CPA had significantly a higher mean VAI, compared to those treated with OCs containing DRSP. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that OCs with low androgenic and antiandrogenic activities had identical effects on serum concentrations of adipokines, and adiposity indices, except LAP, and VAI parameters. REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT20080929001281N3.

Assessment of genetic diversity of cultivated and wild Iranian grape germplasm using retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism (REMAP) markers and pomological traits.

Understanding the genetic diversity and relationships between genotypes is an effective step in designing effective breeding programs. Insertional polymorphisms of retrotransposons were studied in 75 cultivated and wild grape genotypes using retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism (REMAP) technique. In the morphological part of work, seven pomological traits with a high breeding interest were also analyzed in the cultivated genotypes. A total of 328 markers were produced by 42 primer pairs, out of which 313 markers (95.43%) were polymorphic. Number of markers ranged from 4 in loci Tvv1Fa-873, Vine1-811, Gret1Ra-855 and Tvv1Fa-890 to 12 in locus Vine1Ra-841 with an average value of 7.45. Similarity values based on Dice's coefficient among all 75 grapevine genotypes varied from 0.41 to 0.77. Classification of genotypes using unweighted pair-group method using complete-linkage clustering led to six distinct groups. Some wild and cultivated varieties placed in the same groups. It seems there are close relationship between wild and cultivated genotypes and maybe wild genotypes are ancestor of native grapevines. Grouping of grapevine genotypes based on molecular marker data was not in agreement with clustering by agro-morphological data indicating that the most of multiplied sequences are confined to the non-coding regions of transposon elements. Results showed a substantial level of genetic diversity at molecular and pomological level and the potential of this diversity for future grape breeding programs.

Lost productivity among military personnel with cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with significant productivity loss among all occupational groups. However, the increased occupational requirements of military personnel pose physical and psychological demands that could lead to greater lost productivity of CVD. The aim of this study was to determine the economic cost of lost productivity of military patients with CVD. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken on all military patients attending a specialist CVD clinic in Tehran, Iran. All participants were interviewed using face-to-face questioning using a Valuation of Lost Productivity questionnaire. Data captured included paid and unpaid time lost due to CVD, military job characteristics and their work environment. Ordered logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of lost productivity. RESULTS: The mean time of lost productivity was 118 hours over a 3-month period, of which 70 and 48 hours were paid and unpaid work, respectively. The average cost per patient of total lost productivity was estimated to be US$303 over a 3-month period. CONCLUSIONS: CVDs are associated with significant lost productivity among military personnel. There is a statistically significant relation between some military occupation characteristics and lost productivity from CVD. Level of income, teamwork and physical activity have the greatest effects on lost productivity. Military workers who were suffering from other chronic conditions (in addition to CVD) were four times more likely to lose productivity. A supportive work environment should be created for military personnel with emphasis on developing teamwork, improving worker's attitudes towards disease and giving priority to workers with comorbidities.

Antimicrobial Effect of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles on Some Oral Bacteria and Candida Species.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Acid producing bacteria including Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli cause tooth demineralization and lead to tooth decay. Also, oral colonization of the species of Candida has been reported in many studies that are resistant to antifungal agents. OBJECTIVES: In this study, antibacterial and antifungal effects of nano-CuO were studied against some oral bacteria and yeast fungi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) for oral bacterial and fungal test strains were determined in 96-well microtiter plate technique. The agar diffusion test (ADT) was employed to assess the antifungal properties of nystatin. RESULTS: The MIC50 value of CuO NPs was determined at the range of 1-10 µg/ml for S. mutans, < 1 µg/ml for L. acidophilus, and 10 µg/ml for L. casei. Higher concentrations of CuO NPs (100-1000 µg/ml) were effective on the bacterial cell growth, resulting in 100% reduction in the optical density in TSB medium. The cells of Candida albicans, C. krusei and C. glabrata were treated with CuO NPs and the results showed a decrease in fungal growth at a concentration of 1-1000 µg/ml in TSB medium. The MIC50 value of CuO NPs was determined 1000 µg/ml for three species of Candida. The diameter of growth inhibition zones of 1100 µg/ml nystatin was obtained 15-21 mm for clinical isolates of three species of Candida. CONCLUSIONS: With respect to the potential bactericidal activity of CuO NPs on various cariogenic bacteria examined in this study, these NPs could be introduce as a candidate control agent for preventing dental caries or dental infections. In our study, on the other hand, Nano copper oxide had a weak effect on the candida species.

Removal of salicylic acid as an emerging contaminant by a polar nano-dendritic adsorbent from aqueous media.

A polar nano-dendritic adsorbent containing amine groups (SAPAMAA) was synthesized onto the nanoparticles of SiO2Al2O3 and its uptake of salicylic acid (SA) from the synthetic and real water was investigated. The synthesized nanomaterials were fully studied by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum (1H NMR and 13C NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), zeta potential (ζ), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and elemental analysis. Various parameters such as the effect of the contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial SA concentrations, effect of solution's temperature, interfering ions, the hydrophobicity of the nanoadsorbent and initial pH were assessed. The contact time to approach equilibrium for higher adsorption was 15min (252.8mgg-1). The isotherms could be fitted by Sips model (with the average relative error of 6.6) and the kinetic data could be characterized by pseudo-second-order rate equation (with the average relative error of 13.0), implying chemical adsorption as the ratelimiting step of uptake process which was supported by the experimental data from the effect of interfering ions, zeta potential, and altering of the adsorbent's hydrophobicity. The uptake capacities decreased with temperature increasing, and showed that the uptake of SA was chemically exothermic in nature between 15 and 80°C. In addition, the spent SAPAMAA could be regenerated by the removal of adsorbed SA with NaOH and ethanol to regain the original SAPAMAA, the regenerated SAPAMAA also exhibited the high adsorption capacity after 10 runs. Moreover, SAPAMAA could also be applied to uptake SA from a real water (Anzali lagoon water). We envisage that the prepared nano-dendritic with remarkable characteristics such as environmentally friendly, low-cost, easy preparation in large quantity, high mechanical and chemical stability will play a significant role in developing a new generation of emerging contaminants adsorbent.

Adsorption of methyl orange and salicylic acid on a nano-transition metal composite: Kinetics, thermodynamic and electrochemical studies.

In this work synthesis of Mn-nanoparticles (MnNPs) supported on the Schiff base modified nano-sized SiO2Al2O3 mixed-oxides (Si/Al) and its implementation as an adsorbent for the removal of organic pollutions such as methyl orange (MO) and salicylic acid (SA) was investigated. Si/Al were functionalized by grafting Schiff base ligand and in the next step, MnNPs were prepared over the modified nano sol-gel Si/Al. Structures and adsorption characteristics of the obtained organometallic-modified SiO2/Al2O3 mixed oxide were studied by several methods such as elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), inductively coupled plasma (ICP-AES), Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). EPR data of the immobilized manganese ions resulted that the transition state of active sites in the nano-adsorbent are in the form of Mn(II) ions at the surface. The adsorption properties of heterogeneous Mn(II) ions showed that this nano-adsorbent has very good potential to remove MO and SA ions from aqueous solution. The removal efficiency of the SAPAS@MnNPs towards MO reached out to 89.3 and 29.1% and for SA approached to 54.6 and 18.9% at 150 and 500mg/dm(3) initial organic pollution concentrations, respectively. To investigate the adsorption kinetic of Mn(II) ions onto the nano-sized support, pseudo first and pseudo second order kinetics, and the Freundlich, Langmuir and Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm models have also been applied to the equilibrium adsorption data. The contact time to obtain equilibrium for maximum adsorption capacity was 45min. The adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature and it was well explained with pseudo-second-order kinetic model. No remarkable loss of removal capacity even after 8th times regeneration was obtained, implying that the immobilized MnNPs has high solidity through the regeneration process. Finally, the mechanism of the MO adsorption process as a model has been studied by the CV, EIS and FTIR techniques. The electrochemical results showed that the oxidation of Mn(II) was easier and took place at lower potentials in the presence of MO, where the electron density at SAPAS@MnNP is higher, consequently reduction of Mn(III) to Mn(II) is more favored. These results suggest that the surface of SAPAS@MnNP was interacted and complexed by MO therefore accelerates electron transfer rate of the reaction related to Mn(II)/Mn(III) redox couple.

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on pain anxiety during burn wound care.

BACKGROUND: Changes in neuronal activity by cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the sensory cortex can relieve acute pain. Studies have demonstrated high correlation between burn pain and anxiety in burn patients. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of tDCS on pain anxiety in patients with severe burn. METHODS: In a controlled randomized clinical trial, 60 subjects who were hospitalized during the year 2014 in the Department of Burn and Reconstructive Surgery of Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad were selected as the sample for this study. The patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. A cathodal stimulation group that received real 1.0mA tDCS over sensory cortex lasted 20min and the control group received sham tDCS. Pain anxiety was obtained by self-report pain anxiety questionnaire before and after stimulation. It was also completed immediately after burn dressing. The data were analyzed by performing the Chi-square, Fisher's exact, independent samples t, paired samples t, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests using SPSS 11.5 software. RESULTS: Pain anxiety score reduced significantly in the real tDCS compared with sham group (23.4±3.8 versus 29.3±2.0, p≤0.001). After stimulation there was a decrease in pain anxiety score in real tDCS group (p=0.010). CONCLUSION: According to our study, cathodal cortical stimulation with tDCS is associated with significant reduction in pain anxiety in burn patients.

Smart micro/nanoparticles in stimulus-responsive drug/gene delivery systems.

New achievements in the realm of nanoscience and innovative techniques of nanomedicine have moved micro/nanoparticles (MNPs) to the point of becoming actually useful for practical applications in the near future. Various differences between the extracellular and intracellular environments of cancerous and normal cells and the particular characteristics of tumors such as physicochemical properties, neovasculature, elasticity, surface electrical charge, and pH have motivated the design and fabrication of inventive "smart" MNPs for stimulus-responsive controlled drug release. These novel MNPs can be tailored to be responsive to pH variations, redox potential, enzymatic activation, thermal gradients, magnetic fields, light, and ultrasound (US), or can even be responsive to dual or multi-combinations of different stimuli. This unparalleled capability has increased their importance as site-specific controlled drug delivery systems (DDSs) and has encouraged their rapid development in recent years. An in-depth understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these DDS approaches is expected to further contribute to this groundbreaking field of nanomedicine. Smart nanocarriers in the form of MNPs that can be triggered by internal or external stimulus are summarized and discussed in the present review, including pH-sensitive peptides and polymers, redox-responsive micelles and nanogels, thermo- or magnetic-responsive nanoparticles (NPs), mechanical- or electrical-responsive MNPs, light or ultrasound-sensitive particles, and multi-responsive MNPs including dual stimuli-sensitive nanosheets of graphene. This review highlights the recent advances of smart MNPs categorized according to their activation stimulus (physical, chemical, or biological) and looks forward to future pharmaceutical applications.

Assessment of the Effects of IL9, IL9R, IL17A, and IL17F Gene Polymorphisms on Women with Allergic Rhinitis in Shahrekord, Iran.

BACKGROUND: The genes encoding IL9, IL9R, IL17A, and IL17F have recently been implicated in the genetic basis of rhinitis and allergy. AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess the association of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL9, IL9R, IL17A, and IL17F and potential interaction of these genes with the determination of IgE levels in women with allergic rhinitis (AR) in Shahrekord, Iran. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In a case-control study, SNPs from the IL9, IL9R, IL17A, and IL17F were genotyped in 394 random samples including 195 AR patients and 199 normal controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed for the determination of serum total IgE levels. The Student's t-test was used to compare the differences. The Chi-square test was performed to compare proportions of cases with different clinical features among cases with different genotypes. The genotype and allele frequencies were obtained by direct counting. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was tested between cases and controls separately. The relative risk associated with rare alleles was estimated as an odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The rs731476 SNP in the IL9R was significantly associated with the AR phenotype in women. No association was found between any of the other SNPs in IL9, IL17A, and IL17F genes and AR. In the gene-gene interaction analysis, we found that IL9R/IL9 genotype rs731476 T-/rs2069885 G conferred a higher risk for AR phenotype development. We also did not find a significant association in terms of IgE levels between cases and controls. CONCLUSION: Our result suggests that the rs731476 SNP located in the IL9R is associated with an increased susceptibility to AR in females. In a subsequent gene-gene interaction analysis, the rs731476 T-/rs2069885 G-genotype combination (IL9R/IL9) has significantly been associated with the development of the AR phenotype.