bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
Authors: Khatakho Rajesh , Gautam Dipendra , Aryal Komal Raj , Pandey Vishnu Prasad , Rupakhety Rajesh , Lamichhane Suraj , Liu Yi-Chung , Abdouli Khameis , Talchabhadel Rocky , Thapa Bhesh Raj , Adhikari Rabindra
Published: May 2021

Natural hazards are complex phenomena that can occur independently, simultaneously, or in a series as cascading events. For any particular region, numerous single hazard maps may not necessarily provide all information regarding impending hazards to the stakeholders for preparedness and planning. A multi-hazard map furnishes composite illustration of the natural hazards of varying magnitude, frequency, and spatial distribution. Thus, multi-hazard risk assessment is performed to depict the holistic natural hazards scenario of any particular region. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, multi-hazard risk assessments are rarely conducted in Nepal although multiple natural hazards strike the country almost every year. In this study, floods, landslides, earthquakes, and urban fire hazards are used to assess multi-hazard risk in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is then integrated with the Geographical Information System (GIS). First, flood, landslide, earthquake, and urban fire hazard assessments are performed individually and then superimposed to obtain multi-hazard risk. Multi-hazard risk assessment of Kathmandu Valley is performed by pair-wise comparison of the four natural hazards. The sum of observations concludes that densely populated areas, old settlements, and the central valley have high to very high level of multi-hazard risk.
Integrating Social Innovation into the Curriculum of Higher Education Institutions in Latin America: Insights from the Students4Change Project
Authors: Unceta Alfonso , Guerra Igone , Barandiaran Xabier
Published: May 2021

In the last two decades, social innovation (SI) and social entrepreneurship (SE) have gained relevance and interest within the framework of academia at international level. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are key players in promoting innovation and social entrepreneurship initiatives that respond to multifaceted challenges. They support strategies on the basis of the strengthening of participation, collaboration, and cooperation with society and its local communities. However, the approach of Latin American universities to SI and SE has been very uneven in the way they have understood them, integrated them into academic programmes, and transferred knowledge to society. On the basis of the experience of the Students4Change project, we sought to understand the role of Latin American HEIs in promoting social innovations by analysing the experiences of 10 participating universities to formalise a pedagogical programme on SI and SE in their institutions. The results suggest that there is still a need to formalise an academic syllabus that is specifically designed to promote social innovations and to train universities in this endeavour. This paper contributes to the identification of the main levers of change, strengths, and challenges that Latin American universities face to institutionalise SI and SE in their contexts.
Hermite Functions and Fourier Series
Authors: Celeghini Enrico , Gadella Manuel , del Olmo Mariano A.
Published: May 2021

Using normalized Hermite functions, we construct bases in the space of square integrable functions on the unit circle (L2(C)) and in l2(Z), which are related to each other by means of the Fourier transform and the discrete Fourier transform. These relations are unitary. The construction of orthonormal bases requires the use of the Gramm–Schmidt method. On both spaces, we have provided ladder operators with the same properties as the ladder operators for the one-dimensional quantum oscillator. These operators are linear combinations of some multiplication- and differentiation-like operators that, when applied to periodic functions, preserve periodicity. Finally, we have constructed riggings for both L2(C) and l2(Z), so that all the mentioned operators are continuous.
Metacybernetics: Towards a General Theory of Higher Order Cybernetics
Authors: Yolles Maurice
Published: May 2021

Metacybernetics refers to the higher cybernetic orders that arise in living system agencies. Agencies are complex, and for them to be viable and hence survive, they require both stability and uncertainty reduction. Metacybernetics is defined through a metasystem hierarchy, and is mostly known through 1st and 2nd order cybernetics. In this exploratory paper the purpose is to create a framework that can underpin metacybernetics and explain the relationship between different cybernetic orders. The framework is built on agency theory which has both substructural and superstructural dimensions. Substructure has an interest in stability, is concerned with the generation of higher cybernetic orders, and is serviced by horizontal recursion. Superstructure is concerned with uncertainty reduction by uncovering hidden material or regulatory relationships, and is serviced by vertical recursion. Philosophical aspects to the framework are discussed, making distinction between global rationality through critical realism, and local rationality that relates to different cybernetic orders that correspond to bounding paradigms like positivism and constructivism.
Cleaving Ergot Alkaloids by Hydrazinolysis—A Promising Approach for a Sum Parameter Screening Method
Authors: Kuner Maximilian , Kühn Susanne , Haase Hajo , Meyer Klas , Koch Matthias
Published: May 2021

Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins formed by fungi of the Claviceps genus, which are some of the most common contaminants of food and feed worldwide. These toxins are a structurally heterogeneous group of compounds, sharing an ergoline backbone. Six structures and their corresponding stereoisomers are typically quantified by either HPLC-FLD or HPLC-MS/MS and the values subsequently summed up to determine the total ergot alkaloid content. For the development of a screening method targeting all ergot alkaloids simultaneously, the alkaloids need to be transferred to one homogeneous structure: a lysergic acid derivative. In this study, two promising cleaving methods—acidic esterification and hydrazinolysis—are compared, using dihydroergocristine as a model compound. While the acidic esterification proved to be unsuitable, due to long reaction times and oxidation sensitivity, hydrazinolysis reached a quantitative yield in 40‒60 min. Parallel workup of several samples is possible. An increasing effect on the reaction rate by the addition of ammonium iodide was demonstrated. Application of hydrazinolysis to a major ergot alkaloid mix solution showed that all ergopeptines were cleaved, but ergometrine/-inine was barely affected. Still, hydrazinolysis is a suitable tool for the development of a sum parameter screening method for ergot alkaloids in food and feed.
Quo vadis Cardiac Glycoside Research?
Authors: Bejček Jiří , Jurášek Michal , Spiwok Vojtěch , Rimpelová Silvie
Published: May 2021

Cardiac glycosides (CGs), toxins well-known for numerous human and cattle poisoning, are natural compounds, the biosynthesis of which occurs in various plants and animals as a self-protective mechanism to prevent grazing and predation. Interestingly, some insect species can take advantage of the CG’s toxicity and by absorbing them, they are also protected from predation. The mechanism of action of CG’s toxicity is inhibition of Na+/K+-ATPase (the sodium-potassium pump, NKA), which disrupts the ionic homeostasis leading to elevated Ca2+ concentration resulting in cell death. Thus, NKA serves as a molecular target for CGs (although it is not the only one) and even though CGs are toxic for humans and some animals, they can also be used as remedies for various diseases, such as cardiovascular ones, and possibly cancer. Although the anticancer mechanism of CGs has not been fully elucidated, yet, it is thought to be connected with the second role of NKA being a receptor that can induce several cell signaling cascades and even serve as a growth factor and, thus, inhibit cancer cell proliferation at low nontoxic concentrations. These growth inhibitory effects are often observed only in cancer cells, thereby, offering a possibility for CGs to be repositioned for cancer treatment serving not only as chemotherapeutic agents but also as immunogenic cell death triggers. Therefore, here, we report on CG’s chemical structures, production optimization, and biological activity with possible use in cancer therapy, as well as, discuss their antiviral potential which was discovered quite recently. Special attention has been devoted to digitoxin, digoxin, and ouabain.
Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling as an Alternative Tool for Biomonitoring of Multi-Mycotoxin Exposure in Resource-Limited Areas
Authors: Vidal Arnau , Belova Lidia , Stove Christophe , De Boevre Marthe , De Saeger Sarah
Published: May 2021

Biomonitoring of biological samples arises as an effective tool to evaluate the exposure to mycotoxins in the population. Owing to the wide range of advantages, there is a growing interest in the use of non- and minimally invasive alternative sampling strategies, such as dried blood spot sampling or volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS). A VAMS-based multi-mycotoxin method was developed and validated for 24 different mycotoxins. Method validation was based on the Bioanalytical Method Validation Guideline of the Food and Drug Administration from the United States and for most of the studied mycotoxins, the results of the performance characteristics were in agreement with the criteria of the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The recovery for the different mycotoxins was not haematocrit dependent and remained acceptable after storing the VAMS for 7 and 21 days at refrigeration temperature (4 °C) and room temperature, demonstrating that VAMS could be applied to assess mycotoxin exposure in blood in resource-limited areas, where there may be a delay between sampling and analysis. Finally, a comparison between VAMS and a procedure for liquid whole blood analysis, performed on 20 different blood samples, did not result in missed exposed cases for VAMS. Moreover, both methods detected similar levels of ochratoxin A, ochratoxin alpha, zearalenone and aflatoxin B1. Given all the benefits associated with VAMS and the developed method, VAMS sampling may serve as an alternative to conventional venous sampling to evaluate multiple mycotoxin exposure.
Temporal Trends in HIV-1 Mutations Used for the Surveillance of Transmitted Drug Resistance
Authors: Rhee Soo-Yon , Tzou Philip L. , Shafer Robert W.
Published: May 2021

In 2009, a list of nonpolymorphic HIV-1 drug resistance mutations (DRMs), called surveillance DRMs (SDRMs), was created to monitor transmitted drug resistance (TDR). Since 2009, TDR increased and antiretroviral therapy (ART) practices changed. We examined the changing prevalence of SDRMs and identified candidate SDRMs defined as nonpolymorphic DRMs present on ≥ 1 expert DRM list and in ≥0.1% of ART-experienced persons. Candidate DRMs were further characterized according to their association with antiretrovirals and changing prevalence. Among NRTI-SDRMs, tenofovir-associated mutations increased in prevalence while thymidine analog mutations decreased in prevalence. Among candidate NRTI-SDRMs, there were six tenofovir-associated mutations including three which increased in prevalence (K65N, T69deletion, K70G/N/Q/T). Among candidate NNRTI-SDRMs, six that increased in prevalence were associated with rilpivirine (E138K/Q, V179L, H221Y) or doravirine (F227C/L) resistance. With the notable exceptions of I47A and I50L, most PI-SDRMs decreased in prevalence. Three candidate PI-SDRMs were accessory darunavir-resistance mutations (L10F, T74P, L89V). Adding the candidate SDRMs listed above was estimated to increase NRTI, NNRTI, and PI TDR prevalence by 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.3%, respectively. We describe trends in the prevalence of nonpolymorphic HIV-1 DRMs in ART-experienced persons. These data should be considered in decisions regarding SDRM list updates and TDR monitoring.
Enteroviruses in Respiratory Samples from Paediatric Patients of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Germany
Authors: Baertl Susanne , Pietsch Corinna , Maier Melanie , Hönemann Mario , Bergs Sandra , Liebert Uwe G.
Published: May 2021

Enteroviruses are associated with various diseases accompanied by rare but severe complications. In recent years, outbreaks of enterovirus D68 and enterovirus A71 associated with severe respiratory infections and neurological complications have been reported worldwide. Since information on molecular epidemiology in respiratory samples is still limited, the genetic diversity of enteroviruses was retrospectively analysed over a 4-year period (2013–2016) in respiratory samples from paediatric patients. Partial viral major capsid protein gene (VP1) sequences were determined for genotyping. Enteroviruses were detected in 255 (6.1%) of 4187 specimens. Phylogenetic analyses of 233 (91.4%) strains revealed 25 different genotypes distributed to Enterovirus A (39.1%), Enterovirus B (34.3%), and Enterovirus D (26.6%). The most frequently detected genotypes were enterovirus D68 (26.6%), coxsackievirus A6 (15.9%), and enterovirus A71 (7.3%). Enterovirus D68 detections were associated with lower respiratory tract infections and increased oxygen demand. Meningitis/encephalitis and other neurological symptoms were related to enterovirus A71, while coxsackievirus A6 was associated with upper respiratory diseases. Prematurity turned out as a potential risk factor for increased oxygen demand during enterovirus infections. The detailed analysis of epidemiological and clinical data contributes to the non-polio enterovirus surveillance in Europe and showed high and rapidly changing genetic diversity of circulating enteroviruses, including different enterovirus D68 variants.
Gradient Self-Potential Logging in the Rio Grande to Identify Gaining and Losing Reaches across the Mesilla Valley
Authors: Ikard Scott , Teeple Andrew , Humberson Delbert
Published: May 2021

The Rio Grande/Río Bravo del Norte (hereinafter referred to as the “Rio Grande”) is the primary source of recharge to the Mesilla Basin/Conejos-Médanos aquifer system in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico and Texas. The Mesilla Basin aquifer system is the U.S. part of the Mesilla Basin/Conejos-Médanos aquifer system and is the primary source of water supply to several communities along the United States–Mexico border in and near the Mesilla Valley. Identifying the gaining and losing reaches of the Rio Grande in the Mesilla Valley is therefore critical for managing the quality and quantity of surface and groundwater resources available to stakeholders in the Mesilla Valley and downstream. A gradient self-potential (SP) logging survey was completed in the Rio Grande across the Mesilla Valley between 26 June and 2 July 2020, to identify reaches where surface-water gains and losses were occurring by interpreting an estimate of the streaming-potential component of the electrostatic field in the river, measured during bankfull flow. The survey, completed as part of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program, began at Leasburg Dam in New Mexico near the northern terminus of the Mesilla Valley and ended ~72 kilometers (km) downstream at Canutillo, Texas. Electric potential data indicated a net losing condition for ~32 km between the Leasburg Dam and Mesilla Diversion Dam in New Mexico, with one ~200-m long reach showing an isolated saline-groundwater gaining condition. Downstream from the Mesilla Diversion Dam, electric-potential data indicated a neutral-to-mild gaining condition for 12 km that transitioned to a mild-to-moderate gaining condition between 12 and ~22 km downstream from the dam, before transitioning back to a losing condition along the remaining 18 km of the survey reach. The interpreted gaining and losing reaches are substantiated by potentiometric surface mapping completed in hydrostratigraphic units of the Mesilla Basin aquifer system between 2010 and 2011, and corroborated by surface-water temperature and conductivity logging and relative median streamflow gains and losses, quantified from streamflow measurements made annually at 16 seepage-measurement stations along the survey reach between 1988 and 1998 and between 2004 and 2013. The gaining and losing reaches of the Rio Grande in the Mesilla Valley, interpreted from electric potential data, compare well with relative median streamflow gains and losses along the 72-km long survey reach.
The Use of a Uniform Technique for Harmonization and Generalization in Assessing the Flood Discharge Frequencies of Long Return Period Floods in the Danube River Basin
Authors: Bačová Mitková Veronika , Pekárová Pavla , Halmová Dana , Miklánek Pavol
Published: May 2021

The flow regime conditions of the Danube River are continually changing. These changes are the result of natural processes and anthropogenic activities. The territory of the Danube River Basin is one of the most flood-endangered regions in Europe and assessing the design discharges along the Danube channel is complicated by the different estimation methods that are applied in particular countries. For this reason, it is necessary to harmonize flood design value assessment methods. The long-term maximum annual discharge series of the Danube River and other rivers in the Danube basin were analyzed and used to estimate the flood design values. We used the Log-Pearson type III distribution, which is one of the most widely used theoretical probability distributions to estimate extremes. This distribution can be flexibly applied to extreme values depending on the skew coefficient. We also analyzed the effect of the inclusion and exclusion of the historical extremes in the processed dataset. The results show that the inclusion of historical floods and the regionalization of the Log-Pearson type III distribution skew parameter can change the design discharges.
Predicting Emotional Disturbance based on Self-empowerment Skills and Interpersonal Interactions in Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Firoozi Manijeh , Farahani Hojjatollah , Fathipour Abolfazl , Akbari Hosna
Published: May 2021

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive variables of emotional distress and their relative importance in patients with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of emotional disturbance variables and their relative importance in patients with breast cancer. Material and Methods: The present research method was fundamental in terms of purpose, descriptive and exploratory in nature, so a high sample size was applied. The sample was among the patients with breast cancer who referred to Shohada Hospital in Tajrish, 736 patients ,19 - to 80 years old people with breast cancer who referred to the hospital during the first 8 months of 2019. Whole samples were selected but screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then the psychological scale of self-empowerment skills, interpersonal interaction quality scale, and emotional turmoil Scale were administered to assess participants. Results: The results showed that self-empowerment skills, quality of interpersonal interactions, age and head of household status showed a significant relationship with emotional turmoil. More precisely, it was found that the variables of the quality of interpersonal interactions and self-empowerment skills have the greatest impact on predicting emotional turmoil, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be said that interpersonal relationships, self-empowerment skills and demographic characteristics of patients with breast cancer play an important role in the emotional distress of patients. Therefore, it is suggested that psychologists pay special attention to these concepts in monitoring the mental state and improving the mental health of patients.
Topic Analysis of Published Articles in Medical librarianship and Information Science in Iran Using Text Mining Techniques
Authors: Dastani Meisam , Mousavi chelak Afshin , Ziaei Soraya , Delghandi Faeze
Published: May 2021

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, due to the increasing publication of articles in various scientific fields, analysis of the topics published in specialized journals is interesting for researchers and practioners. For this purpose, this study has identified and analyzed the issues published in the Iranian library and medical librarianship articles. Material and Method: This study uses an exploratory and descriptive approach to analyze the library and information articles published in specialized journals in this field in Iran from 1997 to 2017 using text mining techniques. For this purpose, 982 articles on the library and medical librarianship have been selected from 16 journals. The TF-IDF weighting algorithm was used to identify the most important terms used in the articles and the LDA thematic modeling algorithm was used to determine the published topics. Python programming language has also been used to run text mining algorithms. Results: Results showed that the words of library (12.67), journal (12.47), information (12.23), hospital (9.90) and scientific (9.74) are the most important words based on their TF-IDF weight. The results of thematic modeling of these articles were based on the highest publication rates of scientometrics, information literacy, health information, knowledge management, webometrics, and the quality of the website and hospital information systems, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the topics of scientometrics, information literacy and health information have had the highest publication in the last 5 years. Also, the publication of knowledge management, webometrics and quality of the website and hospital information system has been less published in the last 5 years than in the past.
Explaining the Experience of Health Education and Training Professionals to Evaluate the Methods and Effectiveness of Health Education among Elementary School Students
Authors: azimi mohammad
Published: May 2021

Background and Objectives: Evaluation methods of health education are part of education program for all students. Evaluating health education curricula should show essential knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to explain the experiences of education specialists and health education experts to test health education in elementary school. Material and Methods: Qualitative methods used in this study. It based on an interpretive model and it was also implemented using a phenomenological approach. The method of data collection was semi-structured interviews with 15 health education experts who met the inclusion criteria. Colaizzi method used to analyze the interview data. Results: Findings consist of one main class "Evaluation of Health Education Knowledge and Health Promotion" and thirty subclasses "Written exams, conferences, doing classroom assignments correctly, class participation, practical assessment, classroom questions, evaluation of classroom activities, evaluation outside of the classroom, Peer to peer evaluation, self-evaluation, academic record, recording important events of students’ performance, personal and group testing and etc. Conclusion: Studying the experiences of health education experts and evaluating health education showed that observation of children's behavior change over time is an effective methods of health education assessment in elementary school. Therefore, planning and prioritizing the proper formulation and implementation of health education evaluation curricula should focus on changing children's behavior over time.
Tendencies towards bottled drinking water consumption: Challenges ahead of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste management
Authors: Aslani Hassan , Pashmtab Parisa , Shaghaghi Abdolreza , Mohammadpoorasl Asghar , Taghipour Hassan , Zarei Mahsa
Published: May 2021

Background: The main objective of this study was to investigate the logics behind tendencies towards bottled drinking water usage in spite of availability of treated tap water. The amount of waste bottle is also estimated in Iran and managing principles for resolving the issue presented. Methods: A questionnaire was used to survey the logics behind tendencies toward bottled drinking water consumption among 120 participants. In order to estimate the quantities of the PET wastes produced in the country, data about bottled water production rate as well as volume of the imported and exported drinking bottled water were collected from 1962 to 2015 and applied in the calculations. Results: Findings suggested that about 0.026 to 3.86 billion liters (about 1.04 billion literson average) of bottled water was consumed annually between 2000 and 2015. Furthermore, bottled water consumption increased from 0.41 to 48.9 L/capita-year within the same time period. In the meantime, the plastic bottle waste generation rate rose from 12.84 to 1519.38 g/capita-year. There is no efficient and suitable system for managing and recycling waste bottles in the country. The perceived unreliability of tap water quality was the main reason of bottled water consumption among 74% of the respondents. Conclusion: To reduce bottled water consumption and the associated harmful environmental and health consequences, measures such as informing people, validating public water supply quality, preventive rules enactment, and establishing extended producer responsibility (EPR) are highly recommended.
Effectiveness of Self-care Measures on Knowledge, Self-efficacy and Performance Status among Cancer Patients
Authors: Sivakumar Vijayakrishnan Prathiba , Susila Chandrasekaran
Published: May 2021

Abstract Introduction:There is a growing concern regarding self-care and chemotherapy side effects. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of self-care measures on knowledge, self-efficacy, and performance status among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in Dr. Kamatchi Memorial Hospital, India. Using purposive sampling technique, 200 cancer patients were selected. Patients were interviewed using semi-structured knowledge questionnaires, Modified Stanford Patient Education Research Center Self-efficacy scale, deliberate self-efficacy with rating scale under four subheadings, and ECOG Performance Status Scale with 5–point grading scale i.e., dead to fully active. Results:There was adequate knowledge (95%) on self-care measures after the intervention. The mean score was significant, i.e., 21.33 (2.25), which had difference between post-knowledge score in experimental and control was statistically significant at P < 0.001 level. The majority of patients reported a high self-efficacy level (t = 198.60, P < 0.001). In addition, despite self-efficacy and knowledge the performance status observed at each cycle, i.e., 4 cycles had mean score of t = 32.13, P < 0.001, showed high level of performance status. Conclusion: The study revealed that the self-care measures during each cycle had improved the selfefficacy and performance status to high level, which in turn reduced the side effects of chemotherapy to the certain level.
Understanding the Meaning of Lived Experience "Maternal Near Miss": A Qualitative Study Protocol
Authors: Abdollahpour Sedigheh , Heydari Abbas , Ebrahimipour Hosein , Faridhosseini Farhad , Khadivzadeh Talat
Published: May 2021

Abstract Introduction:Maternal near-miss (MNM) is defined as "a woman who almost died but survived a serious maternal complication during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of completion of pregnancy". Despite the long-term physical and psychological burden of this event on the mother’s life, the meaning of MNM is not clear. In addition, the mother’s role complicates the understanding of this phenomenon. Therefore, this study aimed to understand lived experience of Iranian "near-miss" mothers in the postpartum period. Methods:In this Heideggerian phenomenological study, we used Souza and colleagues’ theoretical framework to understand the meaning of the lived experience of near-miss mothers in-depth. The participants had experienced MNM at least one year ago by World Health Organization (WHO)approach in multicenter, academic, tertiary care hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. Taking into account reflexivity and after obtaining ethical approval, participants were purposively sampled using semi-structured interviews, and data analysis was conducted by Diekelmann and colleagues up to data saturation. Data collection and analysis has been argued by Lincoln and Guba. Discussion:Our findings resulted in updating the existing knowledge about the meaning of MNM and its implication. Given the different needs and challenges of near-miss mothers, it is necessary to design a supportive program of primary care for them. Policymakers and managers should consider the lived experience of these mothers when planning and taking decisions.
Factors Affecting State and Trait Anxiety of Relatives of Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Sidiropoulou Maria , Kavga Anna , Gerogianni Georgia , Kourakos Michael , Vasilopoulos Georgios , Polikandrioti Maria , Friligou Alexandra
Published: May 2021

Abstract Introduction: Hospitalization is a stressful event for both patients and relatives. The aim of the study was to explorefactors affecting state and trait anxiety of relatives of hospitalized patients. Methods:In this cross-sectional study, was enrolled a convenience sample of 222 relatives of hospitalized patients in a public hospital in Athens, Greece. Data were collected by the completion of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) which also included participants’ characteristics. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20, while the statistical significance level was P < 0.05. Results:Of the 222 relatives, 72 were men and 150 women. The average state and trait anxiety score was 45.6 and 42, respectively, within the possible range of scores (20-80) thus indicating moderate levels of anxiety. Moreover, state and trait anxiety was statistically significantly associated with gender, degree of information of patient’s health, whether they had readjusted family responsibilities, whether they had financial worries, whether they experienced uncertainty about future and finally whether they were anxious about their ability to respond to patients care. Conclusion:Factors associated with relatives’ anxiety were gender, information regarding patient’s health, family responsibilities, financial worries, uncertainty and anxiety to respond to patients’ care. These factors need to be evaluated when planning psychological intervention to alleviate this emotional burden.
Non-physiological and Physiological Delivery Method: Comparison of Maternal Attachment Behaviors and Anxiety
Authors: Ebrahimi Elham , Haratipour Hosein , Partash Nasim , Bolbolhaghighi Nahid
Published: May 2021

Abstract Introduction: Attachment is a stable connection or emotional knot between two individuals as one of the parties tries to maintain this connection. Delivery time as a turning point between two stages of attachment is very important. Methods: In a descriptive–analytical study based on specific inclusion criteria, 262 pregnant women were selected in the age range of 15-45 years old and the gestational age of 37 to 42 weeks who were candidates for physiological or non-physiological delivery. After obtaining written consent forms, the demographic information questionnaire was given to the participants. One hour after delivery, the attachment questionnaire was completed by the researcher in the postpartum ward. Also, the Spielberg anxiety inventory was completed up to 1 hour after delivery. Independent sample ttest was used to compare the results between the two groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21. Results: The participants in the physiological delivery group showed more positive attachment behaviors in comparison with the other group. In all three dimensions of attachment (emotional, contiguous, and caring behavior), physiological delivery showed higher scores than the other group. Also in non-physiological delivery group, the participants had experienced higher levels of anxiety and the differences between the groups were not significant. Conclusion: Results of the current study indicated that mothers engaged in physiological delivery had higher scores in mother to child attachment behaviors. It means they are more successful than the non-physiological delivery group in getting attached to their babies.
Serum levels of total sialic acid and lipid profile with the severity of the vessel in patients with non-smoker and diabetic coronary artery disease
Authors: Khaki-Khatibi Fatemeh
Published: May 2021

Background: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a major cause of mortality in most countries. Many risk factors such as high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, age, sex, obesity, smoking, and family history play a role in CAD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of Total Sialic Acid (TSA) and Lipid Profiles (LP) with the Severity of the Vessel in patients with non-smoker and diabetic CAD, so that by measuring these parameters, effective help for diagnosis and prevention for healthy people Prone to CAD, and also control the treatment of patients. Methods: In this study, 200 individual including 160 patient and 40 control group were considered. All patient groups were non-smokers and diabetic. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to the results of angiography: Patients with Normal angiography (n = 40) with one eclipse (n = 40), patients with double stenosis (n = 40) and patients with eclipse Three vessels (n = 40). The control group was chosen from people who had no history of CAD and other diseases. The lipid profile was measured by standard methods and serum total sialic acid was measured by ELISA method. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in age and sex, but there was a significant difference in family history (p<0.05). There was a significant difference in serum glucose level between the patient and the control group (p<0.05), Also hs-CRP serum levels were normal in two patient and control groups. Serum levels of cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL in patient group were significantly higher than that of the control group but HDL serum level was adverse (p <0.05), Also TSA serum level in the patient group was significantly higher than the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Serum Total Sialic Acid level in non-smoker and diabetic CAD patients has a significant increase compared to the control group. It seems that the above biochemical parameters contribute significantly to the development and progression of atherosclerosis and CAD, by which timely measurements of these parameters in healthy individual probably can be helpful in preventing and improving CAD and controlling the treatment of patients.
The effect of titanium carbide used in implants on stemness and senescence of mouse bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Salehi Roya , Valizadeh Roya , Farzandi Akram , Alizadeh Effat
Published: May 2021

Background: The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of Titanium carbide nanoparticles on stemness and senescence markers of mouse bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells. Methods: After isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from mouse’s bone marrow, their surface markers were studied using flowcytometry. MTT assay, cell cycle analysis; colony forming assay, and senescent beta galactosidase staining were performed for cells treated with titanium carbide nanoparticles. Then, the expression of OCT-4 and Nanog genes were studied by qRT-PCR in titanium carbide treated mouse’s bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs). Results: All mBMSCs showed spindle shaped morphology. Their identity was confirmed by flow cytometry of stained cells for CD11b, CD90, CD45, and CD44 markers. The MTT assay results showed that titanium carbide effect is time-dependent and no cytotoxic effects were observed in short treatment times. But toxic effects were observed after 72 or 144 hours of post treatment with doses range from 0.1 to 1 mM (P<0.05). Besides, cell cycle study detected more cell populations in G0/G1 and less percentage in S phase. The colony forming assay in treated cells exhibited smaller size of colonies. The beta galactosidase staining of treated cells demonstrated more positive cells (more aged cells). Finally, qRT-PCR showed significant down regulation of OCT-4 and Nanog (p<0.05). Conclusion: Titanium carbide as an implant material could affect the viability, stemness and senescence of mBMSCs in negative manner.
Short and long-term mortality in severe sepsis/septic Shock in a setting with low antibiotic resistance centers
Authors: Saleh Parviz , Khodaie Zeinolabedin , Mohtadi Negar
Published: May 2021

Background: Sepsis, which is a common inflammatory response to severe infection, is one of the major causes of mortality in hospitalized patients. Sepsis, severe sepsis or sepsis syndrome, and eventually septic shock, may be seen in the development of infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term and long-term mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in centers with low antibiotic resistance. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, blood culture samples and peripheral blood samples were taken from all patients for para-clinical tests. The severity of severe sepsis and septic shock was assessed by the APACHE II and SOFA clinical criteria. Sepsis risk factors and primary causes of sepsis were recorded. Results: From 100 patients, 55% had severe sepsis and 45% had septic shock. SOFA24h and SOFA96h scores were significantly higher in patients with septic shock. The most common primary cause of sepsis was related to abdominal infections with a frequency of 42%. The frequency of confirmed positive blood culture was 53%. The most commonly isolated pathogen was E.coli with a frequency of 66%. Short-term mortality was 29% and long-term mortality was 28.2%. Conclusion: The main risk factors affecting the mortality of patients were age-related septic shock, cardiovascular disease; hypertension, immunosuppression, and SOFA score.
Effect of short-term beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation on serum cortisol and testosterone levels in male wrestlers following an exhaustive exercise
Authors: Tavangar Davoud , Sadegi Abbas , Pourrazi Hassan
Published: May 2021

Background: The use of HMB supplement is prevalence among athletes to reduce proteolysis and increase muscle mass. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation on serum cortisol and testosterone levels in wrestling men following an exhaustive exercise. Methods: Sixteen male wrestlers were randomly divided into two groups including: HMB supplementation (40 mg/kg body weight; n=8) and placebo (n=8). Both groups, after two weeks of supplementation, performed an exhaustive exercise. Blood was obtained before supplementation (Base), before exhaustive exercise, immediately after exhaustive exercise, one hour and 24 hours’ after exhaustive exercise. Circulating concentrations of cortisol and testosterone were assayed. Results: The results of this study indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups at serum cortisol levels of resting state (before exhaustive exercise) and after exhaustive exercise (immediately, one hour and 24 hours later) (p<0.05). However, there was significant difference between the HMB and placebo groups at serum testosterone levels and testosterone/cortisol of resting state (before exhaustive exercise) and after exhaustive exercise (p<0.05). Conclusion: In general, short-term beta-hydroxy beta-methyl butyrate (HMB) supplementation does not affect the serum cortisol in male wrestlers before and after an exhausting exercise. However, HMB supplementation can lead to a significant increase in serum testosterone and T/C before and after an exhausting exercise.
High intensity interval training increases the expression of hippocampus BDNF gene and decreases the serum tnf-α in Diabetic Rat
Authors: Abbasi Shaghayegh , Khaledi Neda , Askari Hossein
Published: May 2021

Background: Diabetics have many disabilities, including neuronal damege hippocampus, and BDNF is an effective factor in this field. This factor has the most impact on the hippocampus, also TNF-α is an inflammatory factor that increases in diabetes, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 6 weeks of High Intensity interval training on the gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus of male Wistar rats. Methods: For this study, 48 male Wistar rats (4 weeks old) with 150± 10 g weight were categorized in 4 groups of: diabetic rats (n= 12), exercise diabetic (n= 12), control (n= 12) and exercise control (n= 12). For induction of diabetes, peritoneal injection of STZ solution (50 mg/kg) was used. After a week of familiarization with the environment and practice, high Intensity interval training protocol consisted of 3 days of training per week for 6 weeks with 50% to 110% of maximum oxygen consumption was performed. 24 hours after the completion of the exercise, the functional test was taken and the animals were autopsy 48 hours after the functional test. Finally, BDNF gene expression was evaluated using Real Time PCR technique. Results: Regarding the results, it was found that the high Intensity interval training intensified the expression of the BDNF gene and decreased the expression of the TNF-α protein. also The weight gain of the hippocampus has been observed along with increased expression of BDNF gene in the diabetic high Intensity interval training group. Conclusion: Exercise can help prevent hippocampus tissue loss, and also prevent memory damage that caused by diabetes. Also, high Intensity interval training are effective in maintaining the physical fitness of diabetics, therefore high Intensity interval training are recommended for improvement in the physical condition and life of diabetics.
The noise reduction of medical radiography images using fractional moments
Authors: Gholizadeh Mahdieh , Gholizadeh Mohammad Hossein , Ghayoumi Zadeh Hossein , Danaeian Mostafa
Published: May 2021

Background: This paper presents a method to improve medical radiography images based on the use of statistical signal moments. Methods: In this paper, the image with noise is considered as a statistical signal, and the noise reduction is performed by using fractional moments. The fractional moment’s method, on the one hand, has a speed similar to the moment method, and, on the other hand, has not the limitations of the moment method, which sometimes achieves inaccurate results. The proposed method is ultimately examined on radiographic images (CT). Results: The information obtained from the fractional moments of the received signal is a criterion to estimate the noise parameters and the gray scales of the main image. One of the limitations of the proposed method is that the image should be sent several times, because in statistical discussions, we cannot make a decision with only one sample. The error of the proposed noise reduction method in terms of the number of times the original image was sent, is about 0.009, 0.0009, 0.0002, and 0.0001, for n = 3, n = 6, n = 9 and n = 14, respectively. Conclusion: The simulation results show that the proposed method is more effective than the most conventional noise reduction methods, both in the low signal to noise ratio and in terms of image quality, and is more powerful than the most notable noise removal methods in restoring the subtleties and image details.
The survey of clinical manifestations of infants with cow’s milk allergy according to the COMISS questionnaire
Authors: Sadeghi Shabestari Mahnaz , Siahsangi Parisa , Rafeey Mandana , Hosseinpour Sarmadi Maryam , Habibi Parinaz
Published: May 2021

Background: Cow’s milk is one of the first foods added to infants’ diet and cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is the most common food allergy in the first year of life. The aim of this study was to survey the frequency of infants with cow’s milk allergy using COMISS questionnaire. Methods: In a cross-sectional, descriptive study, 100 infants were selected by a convenient method. Demographic information and clinical manifestations were completed based on COMISS Questionnaire for all infants. Data were analyzed using chi-square and independent t-test. Results: The finding of this study shows that from 100 infants (51 males, 49 females), with a mean age of 3.5 ± 1.4, 61% of them were breastfed, 30% were fed both cow’s milk and breast milk, and 9% were fed only cow’s milk. The probability of cow’s milk allergy using the COMISS Questionnaire was positive in 8% of infants. According to the criteria of this Questionnaire, 65% of infants acquired a score of 0-5, 27% scored 6-11, and 8% scored 12 and above A significant association was found between cow’s milk allergy and infant’s diet (p <0.001). A significant association was also found between growth index (weight p=0.05, height p=0.02, and head circumstance p=0.03) and CMA. Conclusion: It seems that using non-invasive methods such as COMISS Questionnaire can be helpful for the diagnosis of CMA and also breastfeeding might be reducing the allergy to cow’s milk.
Effect of six-week high intensity interval training under simulated microgravity on tissue level of degenerated myelin basic protein (dgen-MBP) in a rat model
Authors: Marali Fateme , Kazemi Ali , Farhani Farid
Published: May 2021

Background: Astronauts and those in microgravity (MG) conditions are faced with neuromuscular challenges. On the other hand, high intensity interval training (HIIT) have been introduced as an effective factor in strengthening the nervous system. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of six weeks of high intensity interval training under simulated microgravity condition on brain degenerating myelin basic protein (dgen-MBP) level in healthy male rats. Metohds: This experimental study was conducted on 30 male rats with an average weight of 189.2 ± 5.7 grams. They were randomly divided into 5 groups: Base line (n=6), MG control (n=6), HIIT control (n=6), HIIT (n=6) and MG & HIIT (n=6). The training groups performed the HIIT on a treadmill, with 30 seconds running time of 29 m/min and a 1 minute rest time of 13 m/s to until the fatigue. Rats were killed 48 hours after the last training session and an ELISA kit was used to evaluate the data related to dgen-MBP. Results: The results of one-way ANOVA showed a significant difference between the groups in the functional test variables and dgen-MBP (P≤0.05). In the meantime, the MG & HIIT group showed the highest amount of dgen-MBP compared to the control group. Conclusion: It seems that people who are in a microgravity situation, by applying HIIT training for at least 6 weeks, can increase their dgen-MBP levels, improve their health and nerves, and increase the time to fatigue.