Tranexamic acid in total hip arthroplasty: An umbrella review on efficacy and safety.

Purpose: This comprehensive review was conducted to assess the effects of tranexamic acid (TXA) on blood loss, venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk, and wound complications following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Additionally, it sought to evaluate the effects of various TXA dosages, modes of administration, and combinations with other antifibrinolytic drug. Methods: In search of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the use of TXA in THA patients, we searched extensively through databases including Scopus, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, the Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar. We discovered 23 meta-analyses covering 32,442 patients overall that fulfilled our study criteria, spanning the period from the creation of these databases until May 2023. Results: This comprehensive review's meta-analyses, which together examined over 35,000 patients, repeatedly demonstrated how TXA administration during THA successfully lowers perioperative blood loss and the need for transfusions. TXA reduced total blood loss by an average of 151-370 ml, postoperative hemoglobin levels by 0.5-1.1 g/dL, and transfusion rates by 19-26% on average when compared to control groups. The information gathered did not indicate that using TXA significantly increased the risk of VTE or wound complications. When comparing different TXA doses, administration techniques, or its use in conjunction with other anti-fibrinolytic therapies, no discernible differences were found in terms of efficacy or safety outcomes. Conclusion: The comprehensive review clearly indicates that TXA improves THA outcomes without increasing the risk of adverse events by lowering blood loss and the requirement for transfusions. This insightful information can help surgeons decide whether to use TXA during THA procedures.

Environmental Assessment of Dryland and Irrigated Winter Wheat Cultivation under Compost Fertilization Strategies.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a strategic agricultural crop that plays a significant role in maintaining national food security and sustainable economic development. Increasing technical performance considering lowering costs, energy, and environmental consequences are significant aims for wheat cultivation. For drylands, which cover approximately 41% of the world's land surface, water stress has a considerable negative impact on crop output. The current study aimed to assess the environmental aspects of chemical fertilizer in combination with compost in dryland and irrigated winter wheat production systems through life cycle assessment (LCA). The cradle-to-farm gate was considered as the system boundary based on one tone of wheat yield and four strategies: D-C (dryland with compost), D (dryland without compost), I-C (irrigated with compost), and I (irrigated without compost). Based on the results, the highest and lowest amounts of wheat yield were related to the I-C and D strategies with 12.2 and 6.7 ton ha-1, respectively. The LCA result showed that the I strategy in comparison with other strategies had the highest negative impact on human health (49%), resources (59%), ecosystem quality (44%), and climate change (43%). However, the D-C strategy resulted in the lowest adverse effect of 6% on human health, 1% on resources, 10% on ecosystem quality, and 11% on climate change. Utilizing a combination of fertilizer and compost in dryland areas could ensure a higher yield of crops in addition to alleviating negative environmental indicators.

Traumatic middle meningeal artery aneurysm: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic intracranial aneurysms are rare, making up about 1% of all intracranial aneurysms. They can happen due to direct injury or blunt force, with the middle cerebral artery being the most frequent site. The middle meningeal artery (MMA) is the main artery that supplies the cranial dura mater, and, because of its location, is susceptible to damage after trauma. This article reported an unusual case of giant post-traumatic MMA pseudoaneurysm. CASE: A 45 year-old man was referred to our department with a history of craniectomy. He complained of non-specific headache, but neurological examination was normal. A follow-up brain CT scan identified a right temporal fossa hyperdense mass. Digital subtraction angiography diagnosed a traumatic MMA aneurysm. The patient was treated with preoperative aneurysm embolization and surgical resection. DISCUSSION: Traumatic MMA aneurysm is a rare presentation after head trauma. It can manifest as epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma or intraparenchymal hematoma, and sometimes resembles the present case, which was discovered incidentally. CONCLUSION: Pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of MMA trauma, with late presentation. It should be considered in patients with history of traumatic brain injury and temporal fossa extra-axial mass lesion with vascular characteristics.

Powered single hip joint exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gait disorders and as a consequence, robotic rehabilitation techniques are becoming increasingly prevalent as the population ages. In the area of rehabilitation robotics, using lightweight single hip joint exoskeletons are of significance. Considering no prior systematic review article on clinical outcomes, we aim to systematically review powered hip exoskeletons in terms of gait parameters and metabolic expenditure effects. METHODS: Three databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of science were searched for clinical articles comparing outcomes of gait rehabilitation using hip motorized exoskeleton with conventional methods, on patients with gait disorder or healthy individuals. Of total number of 37 reviewed articles, 14 trials were quantitatively analyzed. Analyses performed in terms of gait spatiotemporal parameters like speed (self-speed and maximum speed), step length, stride length, cadence, and oxygen consumption. RESULTS: Improved clinical outcomes of gait spatiotemporal parameters with hip joint exoskeletons are what our review's findings show. In terms of gait values, meta-analysis indicates that rehabilitation with single hip joint exoskeleton enhanced parameters of maximum speed by 0.13 m/s (0.10-0.17) and step length by 0.06 m (0.05-0.07). For the remaining investigated gait parameters, no statistically significant difference was observed. Regarding metabolic parameters, oxygen consumption was lower in individuals treated with hip exoskeleton (- 1.23 ml/min/kg; range - 2.13 to - 0.32). CONCLUSION: Although the analysis demonstrated improvement with just specific gait measures utilizing powered hip exoskeletons, the lack of improvement in all parameters is likely caused by the high patient condition heterogeneity among the evaluated articles. We also noted in patients who rehabilitated with the hip exoskeleton, the oxygen cost was lower. More randomized controlled trials are needed to verify both the short- and long-term clinical outcomes, including patient-reported measures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I (systematic review and meta-analysis).

Soil temperature forecasting using a hybrid artificial neural network in Florida subtropical grazinglands agro-ecosystems.

Soil temperature is a key meteorological parameter that plays an important role in determining rates of physical, chemical and biological reactions in the soil. Ground temperature can vary substantially under different land cover types and climatic conditions. Proper prediction of soil temperature is thus essential for the accurate simulation of land surface processes. In this study, two intelligent neural models-artificial neural networks (ANNs) and Sperm Swarm Optimization (SSO) were used for estimating of soil temperatures at four depths (5, 10, 20, 50 cm) using seven-year meteorological data acquired from Archbold Biological Station in South Florida. The results of this study in subtropical grazinglands of Florida showed that the integrated artificial neural network and SSO models (MLP-SSO) were more accurate tools than the original structure of artificial neural network methods for soil temperature forecasting. In conclusion, this study recommends the hybrid MLP-SSO model as a suitable tool for soil temperature prediction at different soil depths.

Analyzing the influential factors of process safety culture by hybrid hidden content analysis and fuzzy DEMATEL.

Due to the complex nature of safety culture and process industries, several factors influence process safety culture. This paper presents a novel framework that combines the hidden content analysis method with Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Fuzzy logic to achieve a comprehensive set of influential factors and their relationship. The proposed methodology consists of two primary stages. Firstly, combined methods of literature review and Delphi study were used to identifying influential factors of process safety culture. Secondly, the Fuzzy-DEMATEL approach is employed to quantify and determine the relationships between different influential factors. A diverse pool of experts' opinions is leveraged to assess the impact of each factor on others and process safety culture. In the first stage, 18 factors identified as influential factors on process safety. The findings of second stage revealed that eight variables were identified as causes, while ten variables were classified as effects. Also, the Organization management's commitment to safety factor had the greatest influence among all of the factors. As well as, the most significant interaction was associated with the risk assessment and management aspect. The integrated approach not only identified the influential factors, but also elucidates the cause-effect relationships among factors. By prioritizing factors and understanding their interconnections, organizations can implement targeted safety measures to improve process safety culture. Its effectiveness in quantifying qualitative data, identifying influential factors, and establishing cause-effect relationships make it a valuable tool for enhancing safety culture in process industries.

Application of multi-gene genetic programming to the prognosis prediction of COVID-19 using routine hematological variables.

Identifying patients who may develop severe COVID-19 has been of interest to clinical physicians since it facilitates personalized treatment and optimizes the allocation of medical resources. In this study, multi-gene genetic programming (MGGP), as an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tool, was used to determine the importance of laboratory predictors in the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. The present retrospective study was conducted on 1455 patients with COVID-19 (727 males and 728 females), who were admitted to Allameh Behlool Gonabadi Hospital, Gonabad, Iran in 2020-2021. For each patient, the demographic characteristics, common laboratory tests at the time of admission, duration of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and mortality were collected through the electronic information system of the hospital. Then, the data were normalized and randomly divided into training and test data. Furthermore, mathematical prediction models were developed by MGGP for each gender. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the significance of input parameters on the COVID-19 prognosis. Based on the achieved results, MGGP is able to predict the mortality of COVID-19 patients with an accuracy of 60-92%, the duration of hospital stay with an accuracy of 53-65%, and admission to the ICU with an accuracy of 76-91%, using common hematological tests at the time of admission. Also, sensitivity analysis indicated that blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) play key roles in the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. AI techniques, such as MGGP, can be used in the triage and prognosis prediction of COVID-19 patients. In addition, due to the sensitivity of BUN and AST in the estimation models, further studies on the role of the mentioned parameters in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 are recommended.

Direct Versus Indirect Revascularization for Moyamoya: a Large Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Moyamoya is a chronic occlusive cerebrovascular disease of unknown etiology causing neovascularization of the lenticulostriate collaterals at the base of the brain. Although revascularization surgery is the most effective treatment for moyamoya, there is still no consensus on the best surgical treatment modality as different studies provide different outcomes. OBJECTIVE: In this large case series, we compare the outcomes of direct (DR) and indirect revascularisation (IR) and compare our results to the literature in order to reflect on the best revascularization modality for moyamoya. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology guidelines of moyamoya affected hemispheres treated with DR and IR surgeries across 13 academic institutions predominantly in North America. All patients who underwent surgical revascularization of their moyamoya-affected hemispheres were included in the study. The primary outcome of the study was the rate of symptomatic strokes. RESULTS: The rates of symptomatic strokes across 515 disease-affected hemispheres were comparable between the two cohorts (11.6% in the DR cohort vs 9.6% in the IR cohort, OR 1.238 (95% CI 0.651 to 2.354), p=0.514). The rate of total perioperative strokes was slightly higher in the DR cohort (6.1% for DR vs 2.0% for IR, OR 3.129 (95% CI 0.991 to 9.875), p=0.052). The rate of total follow-up strokes was slightly higher in the IR cohort (8.1% vs 6.6%, OR 0.799 (95% CI 0.374 to 1.709) p=0.563). CONCLUSION: Since both modalities showed comparable rates of overall total strokes, both modalities of revascularization can be performed depending on the patient's risk assessment.

Characterization of class 1 integrons in metallo-ß-lactamase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from hospital environment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The emergence and widespread dissemination of antibiotic resistance in A. baumannii, has become a globally challenge. The increasing hospital outbreaks by multi-drug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii strains, shows the necessity of continuous monitoring to find sources of resistant strains in hospitals. This study aimed to identify the presence of class 1 integrons and metallo-ß-lactamase (MBL) related genes in A. baumannii isolates from hospital environment. METHODS: In order to identify A. baumannii isolates, a total of 297 environmental samples were collected from burn wards and intensive care units (ICUs) of two university hospitals. Resistance to common antibiotics was studied by disk diffusion method and microbroth dilution assay was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of imipenem, colistin and tigecycline. The A. baumannii isolates were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of class 1 integrons (intI1, intl CS) and metallo-ß-lactamases (MBLs) (blaIMP, blaVIM, blaNDM) genes. RESULTS: A. baumannii was identified in 68/297 (22.9%) of hospital environment. All A. baumannii strains were multidrug-resistant (MDR), but none of them were resistant to colistin, tigecycline and ampicillin-sulbactam. All (100%) and 38 (95.0%) of A. baumannii isolates from ICUs and burn wards were imipenem resistant respectively. Class 1 integrons was identified in 30/40 (75.0%) and 23/28 (82.1%) isolates from burn wards and ICUs respectively. Two different types of gene cassettes were identified, which included: arr-2, ereC, aadA1, cmlA5 and arr2, cmlA5. MBL genes including blaVIM and blaIMP were detected in 26/28 (92.8%), 27/28(96.4%) and 39/40 (97.5%) and 31/40 (77.5%) of the isolates from the ICUs and the burn wards respectively. None of the isolates contained the blaNDM-1 gene. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study showed that the isolation rate of MBL producing carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) was relatively high in the environmental surface of burn wards and ICUs, which can be considered as a potential source of outbreaks in hospitalized patients.

Insight into the effect of ibuprofen on the permeability of the membrane: a molecular dynamic simulation study.

Studying interactions between drugs and cell membranes is of great interest to designing novel drugs, optimizing drug delivery, and discerning drug mechanism action. In this study, we investigated the physical properties of the bilayer membrane model of POPC upon interaction with ibuprofen (IBU) using molecular dynamics simulations. The area per lipid (APL) was calculated to describe the effect of ibuprofen on the packing properties of the lipid bilayer. The APL was 0.58 nm2 and 0.63 nm2 for the membrane in low and high IBU respectively, and 0.57 nm2 for the membrane without IBU. Our finding showed that the mean square deviation (MSD) increased with increased ibuprofen content. In addition, the order parameter for the hydrocarbon chain of lipids increased with increased ibuprofen content. There was an increment in the transfer free energy after the head group region while it was maximum in the hydrophobic core for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (∼6.2 kcal.mol-1) and H2O (∼3.4 kcal.mol-1) which then decreased to respective values of (∼4.6 kcal.mol-1), and (∼2.3 kcal.mol-1) at the center of the bilayer in the presence of IBU. It seems that in the presence of ibuprofen, the free energy profile of the permeability of water and H2O2 significantly decreased. These findings show that ibuprofen significantly influences the physical properties of the bilayer by decreasing the packing and intermolecular interaction in the hydrocarbon chain region and increasing the water permeability of the bilayer. These results may provide insights into the local cytotoxic side effects of ibuprofen and its underlying molecular mechanisms.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Ibuprofen changes the physical properties of the membrane.Ibuprofen decreases the packing and intermolecular interaction at the hydrocarbon chain of lipids.Ibuprofen increases the permeability of water and hydrogen peroxide as reactive oxygen species (ROS).Results may shed light on the local cytotoxic side effects of ibuprofen.

Electromagnetic Field Exposure and Abortion in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study examined the effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) on pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage. We performed a systematic search for relevant studies published to August 2021 in the medical databases of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Cochrane Library. The following key terms were used: 'electromagnetic field,' 'mobile phones,' 'mobile phone base stations,' 'watching TV,' 'using Internet,' 'miscarriage,' 'abortions,' 'spontaneous abortion,' 'early abortion' and 'late abortion'. All case-control and cohort studies that investigated the effect of EMF exposure on the risk of miscarriage were included without any restriction of language or time. Statistical analyses were done using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (version 2.0). A random-effects model was performed to calculate the overall effect size. A primary search revealed a total of 982 relevant studies; six articles (N = 3,187 participants) met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The results of the random-effects meta-analysis indicated that EMF exposure had a significant effect on miscarriage: rate ratio (RR) = 1.699; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.121, 2.363 (P < 0.001); and heterogeneity (I2) = 84.55% (P < 0.001). The findings showed that pregnant woman who were exposed to high levels of EMF had an increased risk of miscarriage.

Concentration-dependent mechanism of the binding behavior of ibuprofen to the cell membrane: A molecular dynamic simulation study.

Ibuprofen is a commonly used drug for treating headaches, pain, and fever. The lipid bilayer is the primary and most important interface for drugs to interact with biological systems. However, the molecular interactions between ibuprofen and the cell membrane are not well understood. Our findings suggest that the interactions between ibuprofen and the bilayer involve multiple steps and depend on the concentration of the drug. At low concentrations of ibuprofen, it can bind to the surface of the lipid bilayer. The electrostatic and vdW energies of IBU-lipid at 0 ns of the simulation were -22.5 ± 3.2 and -5.9 ± 1.2 kj.mol-1 Fig. 2. In the following, the vdW energy of the IBU-lipid was increased by around -134.6 ± 3.7 kj.mol-1 whereas the electrostatic energy of the IBU-lipid was significantly decreased. This binding is facilitated by electrostatic and vdW interactions between ibuprofen and the head group of lipids. In the second step, ibuprofen is inserted into the lipid bilayer and positioned at the interface between the bilayer and the aqueous phase. In high concentrations of ibuprofen, it moved to the central region of the lipid bilayer. At this concentration, the physical and structural properties of the cell membrane change significantly. Results from the radial distribution function analysis indicate that at low concentrations, ibuprofen molecules are situated close to the head groups of phosphate groups. However, at high concentrations of ibuprofen, these molecules move to the inner side of the lipid bilayer. In addition, our findings indicate that at low concentrations of ibuprofen, these molecules did not significantly alter the physical properties of the cell membrane. In contrast, at high concentrations of ibuprofen, the physical parameters of the hydrocarbon tails, such as thickness, fluidity, and order, changed dramatically. APL parameter for POPC membrane increased slightly to 0.60 and 0.63 nm2 in the presence of low and high concentrations of ibuprofen molecules. The three-step interaction between ibuprofen and the lipid bilayer involves several events, such as the movement of ibuprofen molecules towards the central region of the lipid bilayer and the deformation and alteration of the structural and stability properties of the cell membrane. These effects are observed only at high concentrations of ibuprofen. It appears that the side effects of ibuprofen overdose are related to changes in the properties of the cell membrane and, subsequently, the function of membrane-anchored target proteins.

Clinical profile of patients with seronegative celiac disease.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the clinical profile of patients with seronegative celiac disease (SNCD). Background: Celiac disease (CD) is mainly diagnosed based on positive serology and duodenal mucosal atrophy, but some patients have negative serology. Their diagnosis has some limitations; delays in diagnosis are likely accompanied by a poor prognosis and a high risk of developing complications of CD. Methods: In this retrospective study, 1115 patients were evaluated for CD with mucosal atrophy between 2010 to 2020. SNCD diagnosis requires genetic CD predisposition and improvement of both clinical symptoms and regrowth of duodenal villi after 12 months of a gluten-free diet (GFD) for all patients with IgA deficiency, other IgG-based serology for diagnosis of celiac was done and if these antibodies were negative, consider them as possible SNCD. If they had positive DQ2-DQ8 and improvement of clinical symptoms and mucosal atrophy after 12 months of GFD were confirmed SNCD. Results: Of the 1115 study subjects, 27 had SNCD, 1088 had SPCD with a mean age of 29.7±15.7 years (1 to 76 years) in seropositive celiac disease (SPCD) subjects and 37.1±16.3 years (6 to 63 years) in SNCD participants and 19 female patients with SNCD were presented. The BMI of SNCD and SPCD patients were reported 23.9 and 21.4, respectively. In addition, SPCD subjects were more likely but not statistically significant to have a positive family history. Villous atrophy was shown in 100% SNCD and 95.6% SPCD cases. Scalloping and fissuring in duodenal biopsies were reported in 60% of SNCD and 84.5% of SPCD patients. There was some other cause of seronegative villous atrophy including 3 patients with Crohns disease, 2 with common variable immunodeficiency, 2 drug and one patient with peptic duodenitis. Anemia, neurological symptoms, and liver function tests (LFT) abnormality were common extra intestinal manifestations in SNCD individuals. Levels of Thyroid peroxidase (TPO), TSH were measured, it had been detected that SNCD cases had a higher rate of co-occurrence with thyroid diseases also SPCD cases showed a higher rate of co-occurrence with diabetes. Conclusion: Among patients with celiac disease 2.4% are SNCD. SNCD are older than SPCD at the time of diagnosis and have higher BMI. Most common of cause of seronegative enteropathy also is SNCD followed by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), medication use, and duodenitis, in this area.

Spotlight on contributory role of host immunogenetic profiling in SARS-CoV-2 infection: Susceptibility, severity, mortality, and vaccine effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread continuously worldwide, characterized by various clinical symptoms. The immune system responds to SARS-CoV-2 infection by producing Abs and secreting cytokines. Recently, numerous studies have highlighted that immunogenetic factors perform a putative role in COVID-19 pathogenesis and implicate vaccination effectiveness. AIM: This review summarizes the relevant articles and evaluates the significance of mutation and polymorphism in immune-related genes regarding susceptibility, severity, mortality, and vaccination effectiveness of COVID-19. Furthermore, the correlation between host immunogenetic and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection is discussed. METHOD: A comprehensive search was conducted to identify relevant articles using five databases until January 2023, which resulted in 105 total articles. KEY FINDINGS: Taken to gather this review summarized that: (a) there is a plausible correlation between immune-related genes and COVID-19 outcomes, (b) the HLAs, cytokines, chemokines, and other immune-related genes expression profiles can be a prognostic factor in COVID-19-infected patients, and (c) polymorphisms in immune-related genes have been associated with the effectiveness of vaccination. SIGNIFICANCE: Regarding the importance of mutation and polymorphisms in immune-related genes in COVID-19 outcomes, modulating candidate genes is expected to help clinical decisions, patient outcomes management, and innovative therapeutic approach development. In addition, the manipulation of host immunogenetics is hypothesized to induce more robust cellular and humoral immune responses, effectively increase the efficacy of vaccines, and subsequently reduce the incidence rates of reinfection-associated COVID-19.

Differential expression levels of ß-catenin are associated with invasive behavior of both functional and non-functional pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET).

BACKGROUND: Although research continues to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying pituitary tumor pathogenesis, limited information is available on the potential role and expression profile of ß-catenin in functional and non-functional pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). METHODS AND RESULTS: In the current study, 104 pituitary samples (tumors and cadaveric healthy pituitary tissues) were included and the gene and protein expression levels of ß-catenin were assessed by Real-Time PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The correlation between expression level of ß-catenin and tumor invasive feature and size as well as patient age, gender, and hormonal level was measured. The data showed that PitNET samples expressed higher levels of the ß-catenin gene and protein compared to healthy pituitary tissues. Although there was no difference in ß-catenin expression level between non-functioning (NF-PitNETs) and growth hormone-producing tumors (GH-PitNETs), both tumor types showed significantly elevated ß-catenin levels compared to healthy pituitary tissues. The high level of ß-catenin in the invasive functional and non-functional tumors is indicative of the association of ß-catenin with PitNETs invasion. The expression pattern of the ß-catenin gene and protein was consistently and significantly associated with these tumor types. The correlation between ß-catenin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in GH-PitNETs indicates the potential relevance of ß-catenin and IGF-1 for GH-PitNETs. CONCLUSIONS: The simultaneous increase in the expression of ß-catenin gene and protein level in PitNET tissues and their relationship to the tumor severity indicates the possible contributing role of ß-catenin and its underlying signaling mediators in PitNET pathogenesis.

A computational study of the R120G mutation in human αB-crystallin: implications for structural stability and functionality.

The eye is a vital organ in the visual system, which is composed of transparent vascular tissue. αB-crystallin, a significant protein found in the lens, plays a crucial role in our understanding of lens diseases. Mutations in the αB-crystallin protein can cause lens diseases, such as cataracts and myopathy. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the R120G mutation is not fully understood. In this study, we utilized molecular dynamics simulations to illustrate, in atomic detail, how the R120G mutation leads to the aggregation of αB-crystallin and scattering of light in the lens. Our findings show that the R120G mutation alters the dynamic and structural properties of the αB-crystallin protein. Specifically, this mutation causes the angle of the hairpin at the C-terminal to increase from 80° to 150°, while reducing the distance between the hydrophobic patches around residues 10 and 44-55 from 1.5 nm to 1 nm. In addition, our results showed that the mutation could disrupt the IPI motif - ß4/ß8 interaction. The disruption of this interaction could affect the αB-crystallin oligomerization and the chaperone activity of αB-crystallin protein. The exposed hydrophobic area at the IPI motif - ß4/ß8 could become the primary site for interprotein interactions, which are responsible for large-scale aggregation. We have demonstrated that, in wild-type αB-crystallin protein, salt bridges R120 and D109, R107 and D80 are formed. However, in the case of the R120G mutation, the salt bridges R120 and R109 are disrupted, and a new salt bridge with a different pattern is formed. In our study, it has been found that all of the changes associated with the R120G mutation are located at the interface of chains A and B, which could impact the multimerization of the αB-crystallin. Previous research on the K92-E99 residue has shown that a salt bridge in the dimer I can reduce the chaperone activity of the protein. Furthermore, the salt bridges R120 and D109, as well as R107 and D80 in dimer II, induce changes in the hydrophobic envelope of ß-sheets in the α-crystallin domain (ACD). These changes could have an impact on the multimerization of the αB-crystallin, leading to disruption of the oligomer structure and aggregation. Moreover, the changes in the αB-crystallin resulting from the R120G mutation can lead to faulty interactions with other proteins, which can cause the aggregation of αB-crystallin with other proteins, such as desmin. These findings may provide new insights into the development of treatments for lens diseases.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Cytotoxicity and Mineralization Activity of Calcium Silicate-Based Root Canal Sealers Compared to Conventional Resin-Based Sealer in Human Gingival Fibroblast Cells.

Background: Root canal obturation is performed by gutta-percha cones and sealer. Therefore, these materials, specially sealers, must be biocompatible. This study investigated the cytotoxicity and mineralization activity of two calcium silicate-based sealers (Endoseal MTA and Ceraseal) and an epoxy resin-based sealer (AH26). Materials and Methods: In this experiment, the cytotoxicity of Endoseal MTA, Ceraseal, and AH26 on human gingival fibroblast cells was examined using Methyl-Thiazol-Tetrazolium assay at time intervals of 24, 48, 72, and 120 hr. The mineralization activity of sealers was evaluated by Alizarin red staining assay. Prism, ver.3, software was used to perform statistical tests. One-way analysis of variance analysis, followed by Tukey's test, was used to determine the group differences. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Cytotoxicity of sealers decreased gradually (P < 0.0001). AH26 showed the highest level of cytotoxicity (P < 0.001). In terms of cytotoxicity, no considerable differences were observed between the two-calcium silicate-based sealers (P > 0.05). AH26 showed the lowest mineralization activity (P < 0.0001). Among the calcium silicate-based sealers, mineralization and formation of calcium nodules were more frequently observed in the Endoseal MTA group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The examined calcium silicate-based sealers had less cytotoxicity and higher mineralization activity than the resin-based sealer (AH26). There was negligible difference between the cytotoxicity of the two-calcium silicate-based, but the cell mineralization caused by Endoseal MTA was higher.

Informal sexual relationship-associated factors among young adult smartphone users in South of Iran: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: With the unprecedented pace of modernization, risky sexual behaviors have become more frequent in developing countries, such as Iran. We aimed to assess the prevalence of informal sexual relationship (ISR) and factors associated with having ISR in young adult in Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 414 young adult smartphone users in Iran, in 2019. Data was collected through an online questionnaire (including: ISR, socio-demographic variables, their use of social network, religious beliefs, personality, and loneliness). Logistic regression model was used to determine factors related to ISR. RESULTS: A total of 152 (36.7%; 95% CI 32.1-45.6) participants reported having ISR. Finding an opposite-sex friend through a mobile app (OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.34, 5.01), being currently sexually active (OR = 2.39, 95% CI 1.26, 4.56), higher scores of extroverted personality (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.01, 1.27), and closer relationship with parents (OR = 3.17, 95% CI 2.25, 8.02) were found to be associated with having ISR. Additionally, living in small cities rather than the provincial capital (OR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.10, 0.49) had a reverse association with having ISR. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrated the high prevalence of ISR and its association with increased duration of internet and mobile app use. Innovative and multidisciplinary approaches could be recommended in this regard.

Effect of Two Seeding Rates on Nitrogen Yield and Nitrogen Fixation of Winter and Spring Faba Bean.

Faba bean (Vicia faba L. minor) is an important grain legume and is widely used as food and feed. It is traditionally used as a spring crop in Central European cropping systems. There is increasing interest in winter faba bean due to a higher yield potential, but limited knowledge of nitrogen (N) yields and nitrogen fixation (NFIX) exists. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare N concentrations, N yield of plant fractions, soil mineral N (SMN) and SMN sparing in the soil after harvest, NFIX and N balance of two winter faba bean varieties (Diva and Hiverna) to those of a spring faba bean (Alexia) using two seeding rates (25 versus 50 germinable seeds m-2) in a two-year field experiment under Pannonian climate conditions in eastern Austria. The winter faba bean varieties had higher N yields and NFIX, not only due to higher biomass yields, but also due to higher N concentrations and a higher percentage of N derived from atmosphere in the biomass. Conversely, the soil mineral N after harvest was lower compared to the spring faba bean. All treatments had a negative N balance due to higher grain N yield than NFIX. Winter faba beans left higher amounts of biologically-fixed N in residues for the subsequent crop, whereas spring faba bean left more SMN. Winter faba bean varieties obtained good results with both seeding rates, whereas the grain yield and the grain N yield of Alexia tended to higher with the higher seeding rate.

Diagnostic importance of lung perfusion/ventilation scans in the evaluation of pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 patients: systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcomes of ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy on the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, we performed a systematic review of the available literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed and Scopus were systematically searched up to 4 June 2022, for relevant studies. We included studies on patients with COVID-19 who have performed ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism to describe any diagnosis outcome. Irrelevant and non-English articles were excluded. RESULTS: Overall, 27 articles were included in our review. The database search yielded studies from PubMed, Scopus, and studies identified through reviewing the reference list of included studies. Extracted information from the included studies could be categorized into several aspects: Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism with Q single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) CT, Tracheobronchial uptake, Diagnostic value of V/Q rather than Q at diagnosis pulmonary embolism, Different characteristics (morphological alterations) of COVID-19 in ventilation orperfusion scan, the prevalence of pulmonary embolism with Q or V/Q criteria, and Design of radiotherapy planning in lung cancer patients with COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Different perfusion patterns in COVID-19 are challenging but can be alleviated by adding SPECT/computed tomography (CT) to lung perfusion scans. Although perfusion only SPECT/CT can rule out or rule in others in considerable number of patients, ventilation scan is still needed in certain patients.