National and subnational burden of brain and central nervous system cancers in Iran, 1990-2019: Results from the global burden of disease study 2019.

INTRODUCTION: Central nervous system cancers (CNS cancers) impose a significant burden upon healthcare systems worldwide. Currently, the lack of a comprehensive study to assess various epidemiological indexes of CNS cancers on national and subnational scales in Iran can hamper healthcare planning and resource allocation in this regard. This study aims to fill this gap by providing estimates of CNS cancer epidemiological measures on national and subnational levels in Iran from 1990 to 2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is a part of Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 that contains epidemiological measures including prevalence, incidence, mortality, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLDs), and Years of Life Lost (YLLs) of CNS cancers. Age standardization was utilized for comparing different provinces. RESULTS: In 2019, 5811 (95% Uncertainty Interval: 2942-7046) national new cases and 3494 (1751-4173) deaths due to CNS cancers were reported. National age-standardized incidence (ASIR), deaths (ASDR), and DALYs rates were 7.3 (3.7-8.8), 4.6 (2.3-5.5), and 156.4 (82.0-187.0) per 100,000 in 2019, respectively. Subnational results revealed that ASDR and ASIR have increased in the past 30 years in all provinces. Although incidence rates have increased in all age groups and genders since 1990, death rates have remained the same for most age groups and genders except for young patients aged under 15, where a decrease in mortality and YLLs can be observed. CONCLUSION: The incidence, deaths, and DALYs of CNS cancers increased at national and subnational levels. These findings should be considered for planning and resource allocation.

Effects of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) on inflammatory mediators: a systematic review of preclinical studies.

The aim of the current systematic review was to gather the researches about the effect of quinoa (chenopodium quinoa) on inflammatory parameters interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, WOS, ProQuest, and Google scholar databases without any restriction on language or publication date until July 2022 and search alert services were used to detect novel papers published after the initial search. Only 20 animal and in vitro investigations were eligible for this systematic review. According to in vitro researches and 8 of 14 animal investigations, IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α level decreased remarkably after quinoa administration, which indicates the capability of quinoa in alleviating inflammatory factors. Quinoa is favorable but not yet a confirmed agent for alleviating systemic inflammation in inflammatory diseases.

A Review of Substrates for Solid-State Fermentation of Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), for Basidiome Production and Effect on Bioactive Compounds.

Mushrooms in the genus Ganoderma have been collected and used as medicine since ancient times. However, commercial basidiome production has only recently been achieved. The solid substrates for basidiome production usually consist of lignocellulosic materials as the major component and the supplements (e.g., different types of bran and flour) as the minor segment. Research on substrates for solid-state fermentation with the purpose of basidiome production has focused on investigating locally available agrowaste materials, and their suitability is judged by the economic outputs. This review summarizes the formulations of the substrates and discusses their effects on the yield of basidiome or its bioactive compounds. Through a comprehensive look, this review concludes that future research focused on various treatments to modulate extracellular enzyme production may bring more options to the table for innovative solid substrate formulation.

Regulatory Effect of let-7f Transfection in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer on its Candidate Target Genes.

Background: Let-7f has essential impacts on biological processes; however, its biological and molecular functions in lung cancer pathogenesis have yet been remained unclear. We aimed to investigate the expression level of let-7f and its candidate target genes both in lung cancer tissues and A549 cell line. Methods: Bioinformatics databases were first used to select candidate target genes of let-7f. Then the relative gene and protein expressions of let-7f and its target genes, including HMGA2, ARID3B, SMARCAD1, and FZD3, were measured in lung tissues of NSCLC patients and A549 cell line using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The electroporation method was used to transfect A549 cells with let-7f mimic and microRNA inhibitor. The impact of let-7f transfection on the viability of A549 cells was assessed using MTT assay. The expression data of studied genes were analyzed statistically. Results: Results indicated significant downregulated expression level of let-7f-5p (p = 0.0013) and upregulated level of the HMGA2 and FZD3 in NSCLC cases (p < 0.05). In A549 cells, after transfection with let-7f mimic, the expression of both mRNA and protein levels of HMGA2, ARID3B, SMARCAD1, and FZD3 decreased. Also, the overexpression of let-7f significantly inhibited the A549 cell proliferation and viability (p = 0.017). Conclusion: Our findings exhibited the high value of let-7f and HMGA2 as biomarkers for NSCLC. The let-7f, as a major tumor suppressor regulatory factor via direct targeting genes (e.g. HMGA2), inhibits lung cancer cell viability and proliferation and could serve as a marker for the early diagnostic of NSCLC.

Evaluating the airborne asbestos dispersion in enclosed parking lots in Iran.

Each time a car's brakes are used, asbestos is dispersed in the air. Breathing the air in enclosed parking lots can expose people working in these places to asbestos. This study aimed to evaluate the airborne asbestos dispersion in enclosed parking lots. In this study, 35 air samples were collected from six enclosed parking lots in Tabriz City. The samples were analyzed quantitatively by phase contrast microscopy (PCM) and qualitatively by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer. The mean of fiber concentrations was found 0.155 ± 0.069 PCM f/cc. The SEM data demonstrated that the fibers consisted of synthetic fibers (69.57%) and asbestos (30.43%). Fiber concentrations in many enclosed parking lots in the city were higher than the threshold limit value-time weighted average of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists and Occupational Exposure Limits of Iran. However, further investigations are needed to clarify asbestos exposure in such places.

Serum trace elements levels and clinical outcomes among Iranian COVID-19 patients.

OBJECTIVES: The relationship between immunity and trace elements levels is well known. We aimed to estimate the association of serum trace elements with severity and outcomes in the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients. METHODS: In this single-centered, prospective, observational study, we enrolled 114 patients admitted to severe intensive care units (ICUs) and corresponding 112 sex and aged-matched non-ICU ward patients. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and outcomes were all collected. We analyzed serum levels of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and manganese (Mn) in both severity groups. RESULTS: The serum levels of Cu, Se, and Mn in both groups were within the normal range while Zn serum levels were lower than normal values. Based on these findings, Zn, Cu, Se, and Mn serum levels were not associated with disease severity (P > 0.05), while we found Zn serum levels were strongly associated with patient outcomes (P = 0.005). Our results indicated lower Mn serum levels were associated with age more than 55 years (P= 0.006). Our results were not in favor of a causal relationship between serum trace elements levels and disease severity. CONCLUSION: We found Zn level to be a strong indicator for patients' outcomes that can be considered for monitoring patient prognosis. Nutritional measures or supplementation can help reduce poor outcomes caused by low Zn levels in Iranian COVID-19 patients.

Terminalia Catappa Extract (TCE) Reduces Proliferation of Lung and Breast Cancer Cell by Modulating miR-21 and miR-34a Expressions.

BACKGROUND: After cardiovascular illness, cancer is the one of the main and second cause of death in the worldwide. Despite significant advances in this field, low survival, drug resistance, and side effects of chemotherapy remain an unsolved problem. Due to the high mortality rate among cancer patients, finding the new substance to treatment with low side effects is important. Previous studies have been informed that positive effects of herbal medicines on cancer patients, which are very efficient in the treatment of cancer. METHODS: In this study, the antitumor effect of ethanolic Terminalia catappa leaf extract (TCE) on MCF-7, MDA-231, and A549 cell lines was examined. For this reason, the effects of TCE on cell migration, gene expression, and growth were investigated by scratch, test, real-time PCR (qPCR) qPCR, and MTT tests respectively. RESULTS: As a reported by the MTT outcomes, TCE significantly decreased the viability of A549, MCF-7, and MDA-231 cells (P < 0.05).  Moreover, genes expression patterns that are related to proliferation (miR-21, miR-34a), migration (MMP-13, Vimentin), and apoptosis (Cas-3, Cas-8, Cas-9, Bcl-2, Bax) also have changed significantly after treatment with TCE. Also, in the A549 cell line, Bax (p value: 0.029), Cas-9 (p value: 0.00023), miR-34a (p value: 0.031), Bcl-2 (p value: 0.0076), MMP-13 (p value: 0.041), Cas-3 (p value: 0.00051) and in MCF-7 cell line Bax (p value: 0.0004), Cas-3 (p value: 0.0003), Cas-9(p value: 0.037), miR-34a (p value: 0.005), Bcl-2(pvalue:0.0007), mir-21(p value:0.016), MMP-13(p value: 0.011) and in MDA-231 cell line Bax(p value<0.0001), Cas-3(p value: 0.003), Cas-9(p value: 0.0004). mir-34a (p value:0.0019), Bcl-2(p value:0.0023), MMP-13(p value: 0.032) have significantly changed compare to control group. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this research determined that T. Catappa might be a potential source of antitumor compounds and could be a candidate for further research.
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Anticancer Impacts of Terminalia catappa Extract on SW480 Colorectal Neoplasm Cell Line.

PURPOSE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most lethal and prevalent cancers throughout the world. Despite the remarkable advance in the field, drug resistance still remains as an unresolved problem in cancer. Hence, finding effective compounds with minimal side effects to fight cancer is of central priority. Herbal products have been traditionally used to prevent and treat a variety of diseases. METHODS: In the present study, the antitumor effect of Terminalia catappa plant ethanolic extract (TCE) was assessed on SW480 CRC model cell line. In this regard, effects of TCE were evaluated on the proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of SW480 cells by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, Annexin V/PI flow cytometry, and scratch tests, respectively. Furthermore, changes in the expression of genes involved in these events including Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase 3, Caspase 8, Caspase 9, MMP-13, miR-21, and miR-34a were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: According to the MTT results, TCE reduced the proliferation of SW480 cells significantly. The flow cytometry test also revealed a notable rate of apoptosis induction after TCE treatment. An inhibitory effect on cell migration was also evident in scratch test. Expression patterns of the assessed genes also changed subsequent to TCE treatment. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that T. catappa could be considered as a potential source of anticancer compounds and a candidate for further investigations.

Refinement of coding SNPs in the human aryl hydrocarbon receptor gene using ISNPranker: An integrative-SNP ranking web-tool.

Different bioinformatic methods apply various approaches to predict how much the effect of a SNP could be deleterious and therefore their results may differ significantly. However, variation studies often need to consider an integrated prediction result to analyze the effect of SNPs. To address this problem, we used an algorithm to map ordinal predictions to a numeral space and averaging them, and based on it we developed the ISNPranker web-tool (http://isnpranker.semilab.ir/). It takes heterogonous outputs of different predictors and generates integrated numerical predictions and ranks SNPs based on them. Afterward, we used ISNPranker to identify the most deleterious coding SNPs (cSNPs) of the human aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) gene. AHR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that governs many molecular and cellular mechanisms and cSNPs may affect its structure, interactions, and function. Forty validated cSNPs of AHR were initially analyzed using 16 publicly available SNP analyzers and the results were introduced to the ISNPranker and integrated predictions were obtained. The cSNPs were ranked in 34 levels of danger and rs200257782 in the ARNT dimerization domain (ADD121-289) of AHR was identified as the most deleterious cSNP. The rs148360742, which affect ADD40-79 and Hsp90 binding domain (HBD27-79) was in the second rank and the third and fourth ranks were occupied by ADD121-289-located variations rs571123681 and rs141667112 respectively. In conclusion, we introduced ISNPranker, which is a web-tool for integrative ranking of SNPs, and we showed that AHR structure and function may be highly sensitive to the cSNPs in the ARNT dimerization domain.

Long non-coding RNAs as potential biomarkers in the prognosis and diagnosis of lung cancer: A review and target analysis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) have been emerged as a novel class of molecular regulators in cancer. They are dysregulated in many types of cancer; however, there is not enough knowledge available on their expression and functional profiles. Lung cancer is the leading cause of the cancer deaths worldwide. Generally, lncRNAs may be associated with lung tumor pathogenesis and they may act as biomarkers for the cancer prognosis and diagnosis. Compared to other invasive prognostic and diagnostic methods, detection of lncRNAs might be a user-friendly and noninvasive method. In this review article, we selected 27 tumor-associated lncRNAs by literature reviewing to further discussing in detail for using as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in lung cancer. Also, in an in silico target analysis, the "Experimentally supported functional regulation" approach of the LncTarD web tool was used to identifying the target genes and regulatory mechanisms of the selected lncRNAs. The reports on diagnostic and prognostic potential of all selected lncRNAs were discussed. However, the target genes and regulatory mechanisms of the 22 lncRNAs were identified by in silico analysis and we found the pathways that are controlled by each target group of lncRNAs. They use epigenetic mechanisms, ceRNA mechanisms, protein interaction and sponge mechanism. Also, 10, 23, 5, and 28 target genes for each of these mechanisms were identified, respectively. Finally, each group of target genes controls 50, 12, 7, and 2 molecular pathways, respectively. In conclusion, LncRNAs could be used as biomarkers in lung cancer due to their roles in control of several signaling pathways related to lung tumors. Also, it seems that lncRNAs, which use epigenetic mechanisms for modulating a large number of pathways, could be considered as important subjects for lung cancer-related diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.

Factor V Leiden 1691G > A mutation and the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL): systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although numerous replication case-control studies have attempted to determine the association between Factor V Leiden (FVL) 1691G > A mutation and susceptibility to Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), there have been confliction among the results of various ethnic groups. To address this limitation, here we implemented first meta-analysis to provide with consistent conclusion of the association between FVL 1691G > A mutation and RPL risk. METHODS: After a systematic literature search, pooled odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the strength of the association. Additionally, meta-regression analyses were performed to find potential source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: In this meta-analysis, 62 studies, containing 10,410 cases and 9406 controls, were included in quantitative analysis. Overall population analysis revealed a significant positive association in the dominant (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.84-2.50, P < 0.001), over-dominant (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.61-2.19, P < 0.001), allelic (OR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.79-2.35, P < 0.001), and heterozygote (OR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.68-2.30, P < 0.001) models. Moreover, a significant association of dominant (OR = 3.04, 95% CI = 2.04-4.54, P < 0.001), over-dominant (OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.74-4.05, P < 0.001), and heterozygote (OR = 2.67, 95% CI = 1.81-4.22, P < 0.001) models was found in the Iranian population. The subgroup analysis indicated strong significant association in Asian, European, Africa population, and case-control studies but not in South Americans and cohort studies. CONCLUSION: The FVL 1691G > A mutation and the risk of RPL confers a genetic contributing factor in increasing the risk of RPL, particularly in Iranians, except for South Americans.

Validation of the Persian work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire in asthmatic patients.

BACKGROUND: The work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI) questionnaire is a fine linguistic validated tool to measure work productivity and activity impairment. Considering its capability, this study aimed to evaluate the validity of the Persian version of WPAI-AQ in asthmatics. METHODS: The standard forward-backward process was used to translate the English version of WPAI-AQ into Persian. The convergent validity and responsiveness were evaluated by analyzing the correlations between the Persian WPAI-AQ and the health outcomes, and its longitudinal change score with the change in SGRQ score, respectively. Additionally, the stability was estimated according to test-retest scores. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between the Persian WPAI-AQ related outcomes and symptoms, activities, and impacts of disease (r = 0.41-0.89, p < 0.04). Desirable stability was observed by the test-retest analysis; 0.90 (95%CI: 0.89-0.95) for overall impairment, 0.90 (95%CI: 0.86-0.93) for work time missed, 0.72 (95%CI: 0.54-0.83) for activity impairment; 0.79 (95%CI: 0.71-0.86) for student class time missed, and 0.76 (95%CI: 0.66-0.81) for school impairment. Response to the change scores strongly supported the longitudinal responsiveness of the Persian WPAI-AQ (r = 0.37 to 0.63, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The Persian WPAI-AQ is a feasible valid tool to estimate work productivity and activity impairment in Persian-speaking asthmatic patients.

Combination therapy with KRAS siRNA and EGFR inhibitor AZD8931 suppresses lung cancer cell growth in vitro.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with less than a 5-year survival rate for both men and women. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Kirsten rat sarcoma oncogene (KRAS) signaling pathways play a critical role in the proliferation and progression of various cancers, including lung cancer. Genetic studies have shown that amplification, over-expression, or mutation of EGFR is an early and major molecular event in many human tumors. KRAS mutation is a negative factor in various cancer, including non-small-cell lung cancer, and complicates therapeutic approaches with adjuvant chemotherapy and anti-EGFR directed therapies. This article is dedicated to evaluating the synergistic effect of a novel EGFR inhibitor AZD8931 and KRAS small interfering RNA (siRNA) on the proliferation and apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cancer cells. A549 lung cancer cells were treated with KRAS siRNA and the EGFR inhibitor alone or in combination. The cytotoxic effects of KRAS siRNA and te EGFR inhibitor were determined usingMTT assay, and induction of apoptosis was determined by FACS analysis. Suppression of KRAS, Her-2, and EGFR expression by treatments was measured by qRT-PCR and western blotting. KRAS siRNA and the EGFR inhibitor significantly reduced the proliferation of A549 cells as well as KRAS and EGFR mRNA levels 24 hr after treatment. The results also indicated that the silencing of KRAS and EGFR has synergistic effects on the induction of apoptosis on the A549 cells. These results indicated that KRAS and EGFR might play important roles in the progression of lung cancer and could be potential therapeutic targets for treatment of lung cancer.

The Challenges of Recombinant Endostatin in Clinical Application: Focus on the Different Expression Systems and Molecular Bioengineering.

Angiogenesis plays an essential role in rapid growing and metastasis of the tumors. Inhibition of angiogenesis is a putative strategy for cancer therapy. Endostatin (Es) is an attractive anti-angiogenesis protein with some clinical application challenges including; short half-life, instability in serum and requirement to high dosage. Therefore, production of recombinant endostatin (rEs) is necessary in large scale. The production of rEs is difficult because of its structural properties and is high-cost. Therefore, this review focused on the different expression systems that involved in rEs production including; mammalian, baculovirus, yeast, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) expression systems. The evaluating of the results of different expression systems declared that none of the mentioned systems can be considered to be generally superior to the other. Meanwhile with considering the advantages and disadvantage of E. coli expression system compared with other systems beside the molecular properties of Es, E. coli expression system can be a preferred expression system for expressing of the Es in large scale. Also, the molecular bioengineering and sustained release formulations that lead to improving of its stability and bioactivity will be discussed. Point mutation (P125A) of Es, addition of RGD moiety or an additional zinc biding site to N-terminal of Es , fusing of Es to anti-HER2 IgG or heavy-chain of IgG, and finally loading of the endostar by PLGA and PEG- PLGA nanoparticles and gold nano-shell particles are the effective bioengineering methods to overcome to clinical changes of endostatin.

Rapid Detection of Rifampicin- and Isoniazid-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using Real-Time PCR.

BACKGROUND: Accurate and rapid detection of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis is fundamental for the successful treatment of tuberculosis (TB). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of common mutations leading to isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RMP) resistance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study carried out in 2014, 90 patients with M. tuberculosis from five border provinces of Iran were selected. After a full clinical history and physical evaluation, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was performed for the detection of mutations in the patients' katG and rpoB genes. The results were compared with results of a standard proportion method as well as a multiplex allele-specific PCR (MAS-PCR). RESULTS: A total of 23 mutations were found in isolates among which, codon katG 315, rpoB P1 (511 - 519 sequence) and rpoB P2 (524-533 sequence) were responsible for seven, nine and seven cases, respectively. The mean (standard deviation (SD)) of melting temperature (Tm) in katG 315 codon, rpoB P1 and P2 sequences in susceptible and mutant isolates was as follows: katG 85.4°C (0.18) and 87.54°C (0.62); rpoΒ P1 84.6°C (0.61) and 82.9°C (0.38); rpoΒ P2 83.4°C (0.18) and 85.3°C (0.19), respectively. In comparison to the standard proportion test, the sensitivity of real-time PCR in detecting INH- and RMP-resistant mutations was 75% and 83.3%, respectively. In comparison to the MAS-PCR test, 100% of katG 315 mutations and 80% of rpoB mutations were determined. Overall, 10% of the patients were diagnosed with a recurrence of TB. Age and previous history of TB treatment increased mutation odds in rpoB sequences (P = 0.046, P = 0.036, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Detection of drug resistance associated with mutations through real-time PCR by melting analysis technique showed a high differentiating power. This technique had high concordance with the standard proportion test and MAS-PCR results.

Patterns of Drug Resistance Among Tuberculosis Patients in West and Northwestern Iran.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among chronic infectious diseases. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this cross-sectional study (2011-2013;2013) was to examine the patterns of TB drug resistance among HIV-negative pulmonary TB patients in regions near the Iranian border. METHOD: To this end, MTB isolates were harvested from 300 HIV-negative, pulmonary smear-positive TB patients from the northwest and west Iranian border provinces. Isolates were subjected to first and second-line drug susceptibility testing by the 1% proportion method. Demographic and clinical data were provided using a questionnaire and information from patient records. Results were analyzed using SPSS-18. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 52.03 years and 54.3% were male. The prevalence of resistance to any TB drug was 13.6% (38 cases). Eleven percent of the new treatment TB group (28 patients) and 40.7% of the retreatment TB group (11 patients) were resistant to all TB drugs. Twelve (4.3%) patients had multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) (2.38% in the new TB treatment group and 23.1% in the retreatment group). One patient had extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). There was a statistically significant relationship between TB drug resistance and smoking (p=0.02) and a history of migration from village to city (p=0.04), also between TB drug resistance and recurrence of TB in patients that had previously received treatment (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Knowledge of drug resistance patterns for new and previously treated cases is critical for effective control of MDR-TB in different regions of the country. The burden of MDR-TB in retreatment cases was high. Previous TB treatment was one of the most important mokers and those who had a history of rural to urban migration were at high risk for the occurrence of TB drug resistance.

Evaluation of pulsing magnetic field effects on paresthesia in multiple sclerosis patients, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: Evidence is mounting that magnet therapy could alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study was performed to test the effects of the pulsing magnetic fields on the paresthesia in MS patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study has been conducted as a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group clinical trial during the April 2012 to October 2013. The subjects were selected among patients referred to MS clinic of Imam Reza Hospital; affiliated to Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Sixty three patients with MS were included in the study and randomly were divided into two groups, 35 patients were exposed to a magnetic pulsing field of 4mT intensity and 15-Hz frequency sinusoidal wave for 20min per session 2 times per week over a period of 2 months involving 16 sessions and 28 patients was exposed to a magnetically inactive field (placebo) for 20min per session 2 times per week over a period of 2 months involving 16 sessions. The severity of paresthesia was measured by the numerical rating scale (NRS) at 30, 60days. The study primary end point was NRS change between baseline and 60days. The secondary outcome was NRS change between baseline and 30days. RESULTS: Patients exposing to magnetic field showed significant paresthesia improvement compared with the group of patients exposing to placebo. CONCLUSION: According to our results pulsed magnetic therapy could alleviate paresthesia in MS patients .But trials with more patients and longer duration are mandatory to describe long-term effects.

Relationship Between Psychiatric Distress and Criminal History Among Intravenous Drug Abusers in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Sychotropic agents (alcohol, drugs, and illicit substances) have an important effect on the occurrence or exacerbation of psychological and behavioral derangements such as criminal activity and mental abnormalities. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to assess the relationship between psychiatric distress and criminal history among abusers of intravenous drugs, including heroin, benzodiazepine, codeine, cannabis, opium, and ecstasy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Criminal activity history and psychiatric distress were evaluated among intravenous drug abusers in drop-in centers (DIC) (141 subjects) and an outpatient service to delivery methadone to the addicts located in Razy Hospital (Baghdad, Iraq) (120 subjects). Logistic regression analyses using the SPSS for Windows 18.0 were used for analyzing the data. RESULTS: About 86% of the intravenous drug abusers had psychiatric distress and 48.2% had criminal activity history. DIC addicts group had a better mental well-being compared to the other group, but criminal history rate was similar in two groups. In multiple logistic regression, addiction to heroin (odds ratio [OR] = 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1 - 4.1), mental disorders (ß = 0.060, P = 0.026), and low level of education was highly related with criminal activity (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.03 - 0.89). CONCLUSIONS: Higher scores in mental well-being questionnaire of DIC addicts suggest the positive effects of psychological interventions. There is a possibility of the involvement of heroin in occurrence of mental disorders and criminal activity. This finding needs further investigations by larger cohort studies.

Emergence of whooping cough: notes from three early epidemics in Persia.

Whooping cough is a relatively new infectious disease afflicting human beings, compared with other infectious diseases, and is undergoing a resurgence despite decades of vaccination. The oldest known epidemic is thought to be the Paris outbreak of 1578. In this Historical Review, we describe three epidemics of whooping cough in Persia, which although arising roughly one century before the Paris outbreak, have not been examined in detail. A great amount of epidemiological detail was reported that not only distinguishes the various stages and complications of whooping cough, but also reveals unique immunological aspects of this disease. The first of these epidemics is the oldest recorded whooping cough epidemic. On the basis of epidemiological features, we propose that this whooping cough epidemic was the first to have taken place in Persia and might have been part of the first pandemic. This theory pushes back the date of first documented emergence of whooping cough by almost a century, which matches molecular data about its spread. Here, we discuss features of these early epidemics in relation to their initial emergence, potential origins, and spread to Europe.