The Occurrence of the Strongylid Nematodes, Kalicephalus viparae viparae (Nematoda: Diaphanocephalidae), in Viper Snakes, Macrovipera lebetina (Reptilia: Viperidae), Southwestern Iran.

ancylostomatid Kalicephalus spp. is the common parasitic intestinal nematode of reptiles. West-Asian blunt-nosed viper is a venomous snake found in extensive areas of Iran. From June to September 2017, two dead viper snakes were referred to a parasitology laboratory and examined for intestinal parasites. Several white elongated roundworms were collected and fixed to identify under light and scanning electron microscopes (SEM) based on morphological and molecular characteristics. For the molecular survey, some parts of the identified worms were extracted and the ITS of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Five roundworms were found in one snake and three worms with similar morphological characteristics in another one. All the collected female hookworms were taxonomically identified as Kalicephalus viperae viperae. The SEM findings showed the head was small and had three dorsal, ventral, and middle circumoral papillae with a spike-like process on the median papilla of K. viperae. Moreover, the buccal capsule was bivalvular and included two lateral valves consisting of several chitonid pieces. The tail of the female worm was slim and long with a blunt end and had a terminal spike at its end. In the molecular survey, the ITS of rDNA amplified at about 850 bp was identified as K. viperae. The ITS gene rDNA phylogeny analysis of the K. viperae sequence showed that the isolated species had high similarity to Ancylostoma species from around the world and is close to Ancylostoma braziliense with 88% discrepancies in the phylogenetic tree. The morphological characteristics and a large part of K. viperea viperea rDNA nucleotide sequence were reported in viper snakes for the first time in the world and in Iran.

Association of dietary patterns and risk of cardiovascular disease events in the MASHAD cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the principal cause of mortality and disability in Iranian adults. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between dietary patterns and CVD incidence in a large sample of adults in northeastern Iran. METHODS: The present study comprised a prospective study of 5706 CVD-free men and women aged 35-65 years who participated in a cohort study. All of the participants were followed up for a 6-year period. Dietary patterns were derived from a 65-item validated food frequency questionnaire and the factor analysis method was used to determine dietary patterns. RESULTS: We identified two major dietary patterns: (i) a Balanced dietary pattern (a high intake of green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, fruits, dairy products, red meats, poultry, seafoods, legumes and nuts, as well as a low intake of sugar) and (ii) a Western dietary pattern (a high intake of sugar, tea, egg, snacks, fast foods, potato, carbonated beverages, pickled foods, organs meat and butter) by factor analysis. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of total CVD in the highest versus lowest tertiles of the Balanced pattern were 1.29 (95% CI = 0.67-2.47; P = 0.44). The HR and 95% CIs of CVD in the highest versus lowest tertiles of Western pattern were 2.21 (95% CI = 1.08-4.45; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: During the 6-year follow-up, we found that adherence to a Balanced dietary pattern was not significantly associated with CVD events. However, adherence to a Western dietary pattern was associated with a significantly increased risk of CVD events and its associated risk.

Experimental and theoretical study on diethyl-(Z)-2-(5,7-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazepin-2-yl)-2-butenedioate using different levels of computational methods.

In this research work, diethyl-(Z)-2-(5,7-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazepin-2-yl)-2-butenedioate, 7, was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analyses and mass spectra. The reliabilities of various ab initio methods including HF and B3LYP were evaluated. The bond lengths, bond angles, dihedral angles, charge density on atoms at 7 were calculated. The ab initio calculations indicated that the B3LYP method with a 6-311++G(d,p) basis set can give accurate results. The 13C NMR and 1H NMR chemical shifts of 7 calculated and compared with the related experimental data. The HOMO, LUMO, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) of 7 were investigated. The thermodynamic parameters and physico-chemical properties were calculated.

Distribution of malocclusion types in 7-9-year-old Iranian children.

This study assessed the malocclusion types, very severe crowding and need for serial extraction among a random sample of 7-9-year-old children in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. Of the 3776 children 30.6% had normal occlusion, 47.4% class I malocclusion, 13.7% class II division 1 malocclusion (male/female ratio 3:2), 1.0% class II division 2 malocclusion (male/female ratio 3:1) and 2.1% class III malocclusion. Among the children examined, 47.9% had crowding problems and 14.7% of them had class I malocclusion with very severe crowding-more girls (17.3%) than boys (12.1%). No correlation was observed between the types of malocclusion and family size, parents' occupation or level of education.

Distribution of malocclusion types in 7-9-year-old Iranian children

This study assessed the malocclusion types, very severe crowding and need for serial extraction among a random sample of 7-9-year-old children in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. Of the 3776 children 30.6% had normal occlusion, 47.4% class I malocclusion, 13.7% class II division 1 malocclusion [male/female ratio 3:2], 1.0% class II division 2 malocclusion [male/female ratio 3:1] and 2.1% class III malocclusion. Among the children examined, 47.9% had crowding problems and 14.7% of them had class I malocclusion with very severe crowding-more girls [17.3%] than boys [12.1%]. No correlation was observed between the types of malocclusion and family size, parents' occupation or level of education

The aetiology of mandibular fractures at an urban centre.

The objectives of this study were to determine the common aetiological factors leading to the fracture of the lower jaw (mandible) at an urban centre in England. A total of 96 patients presented to the Manchester Royal Infirmary with mandibular fractures during the calendar years 1991 and 1992. It was determined that the main aetiological factor leading to the disturbance of the mandibular contours was assault or interpersonal violence (74%) followed by falls, road traffic accidents and sporting injuries. The majority of the subjects were males and most of the patients were in the age group of 20-29 years. In most of the patients there was a unilateral pattern of injury and the angle was the most vulnerable area of the lower jaw to be traumatised.

Chewing sticks and the oral hygiene habits of the adult Pakistani population.

This paper discusses the oral hygiene habits of the adult Pakistani population with special reference to chewing sticks. Information collected during the National Health Survey of Pakistan (1990-1994) showed that in the rural areas more than 50 per cent of the population used chewing sticks or miswak as a tool for oral hygiene. Conversely, in the urban population the majority use a toothbrush. About 36 per cent of the Pakistani population clean their teeth daily, irrespective of the method employed. Eight per cent of the 120 million population never clean their teeth, while 54 per cent clean their teeth either on alternate days, weekly or monthly.

Site of the mandible prone to trauma: a two year retrospective study.

The objectives of this retrospective study were to determine the most common site of trauma to the mandible observed at an urban centre. The study, completed at the Manchester Royal Infirmary UK, comprised patients presenting with mandibular fractures in the calendar years 1991 and 1992. A total of 147 fractures were seen in 96 patients, with the majority of patients being males in the age group 20-29 years who sustained injury due to interpersonal assault. The pattern of injury was mostly unilateral due to low velocity impact and the site of the mandible that was most vulnerable to trauma was the angle of the mandible.