bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic Diversity of Helicobacter pylori Isolates from Patients with Gastric Diseases in Isfahan
Authors: Vazirzadeh Jina , Karbasizadeh Vajihe , Falahi Jamal , Moghim Sharareh , Narimani Tahmineh , Rafiei Rahmatollah 
Published: October 2023

Background:

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a spiral-shaped bacterium colonizing the human stomach, is generally acquired in childhood. This pathogen is highly diverse and can be used as genetic markers for predict the history of human migrations. This study aimed to determine the genetic diversity of H. pylori isolates from patients with dyspepsia by the multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and update data on the prevalence of H. pylori among Iranian dyspeptic patients.

Materials and Methods:
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 165 gastric biopsy specimens were obtained from patients with dyspepsia referred to Dr. Shariati Hospital of Isfahan, Iran, from April to July 2018. The status of H. pylori infection was determined by FISH in paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens. MLST of seven housekeeping genes was performed for 20 H. pylori isolates. The phylogenetic tree was plotted using CLC v8 and iTol software.

Results:
The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was 53.3%. In the results of the analysis of MLST, a total of 14 new STs were recorded. The results of the global analysis showed that all the isolates, with a wide diversity, have a genetic affinity with members of the European population, such as Italy and Russia, and are in the hpEurope haplotype.

Conclusion:
Given the high prevalence of H. pylori infection in this region, early and accurate identification of patients seems necessary. Sequence analysis and determination of the origin of the phylogeny of strains can be effective in clinical management and monitoring of risk factors for chronic and recurrence of infection.
Frequency of Human Platelet Antigens −1 to −5 and −15 in Turkmen Blood Donors
Authors: Nozarimirarkolaei Maedeh , Dadashi Maryam , Ghasemi Ali , Samiee Shahram , Shaeigan Mojgan , Zadsar Maryam 
Published: October 2023

Background:
Due to the presence of platelet antigen polymorphisms, human platelet membrane glycoproteins can be identified as an alloantigen or autoantigen. The aim of this study was to determine the frequencies of human platelet antigens (HPAs)-1 to-5 and-15 in Turkmen blood donors and establish a panel of accredited HPAs negative donors as well as an HPA-typed platelet donor registry.

Materials and Methods:
HPA-1 to-5 and-15 typing was performed by the polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primer techniques on 80 unrelated Turkmen donors who were referred to Aq-Qala Blood Transfusion Center in Golestan Province from September 2018 to October 2019.

Results:
The frequencies of HPA phenotypes were determined as follows: HPA-1aa: 92.5%, HPA-1ab: 7.5%, HPA-2aa: 77.5%, HPA-2ab: 20.0%, HPA-2bb: 2.5%, HPA-3aa: 75.3%, HPA-3ab: 50%, HPA-3bb: 11.2%, HPA-4aa: 100%, HPA-5aa: 78.5%, HPA-5ab: 21.5%, HPA-15aa: 41.2%, HPA-15ab: 56.2% and HPA-15bb: 17.5%.

Conclusion:
Determining the genotype of HPAs that play an important role in platelet refractory can improve the management of alloimmunization due to the incompatibility of HPAs between the recipients and donors. Therefore, the registration process for national platelet donors can help patients accelerate and improve the quality of transfused platelets.
Involvement of Basolateral Amygdala Dopamine D1 Receptors in the Acquisition and Expression of Morphine-Induced Place Preference in Rats
Authors: Rezaei Zahra , Alaei Hojjatallah , Reisi Parham 
Published: October 2023

Background:
In the present study, the effects of intra-basolateral amygdala (BLA) blockade of dopamine D1 receptor on morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) were investigated in male Wistar rats.

Materials and Methods:
A 5-day CPP paradigm was used. Morphine was injected subsequently at effective (5 mg/kg) and ineffective (0.5 mg/kg) doses. SCH 23390 (0.5– μg/rat), as a selective D1 receptor antagonist, was microinjected bilaterally into the BLA.

Results:
Effective dose of morphine induced a significant CPP, and increased the locomotor activity during the testing phase. The results showed that morphine-induced CPP was significantly suppressed by D1 receptors antagonist in BLA in the acquisition phase and caused an aversion even at high doses. The antagonist also significantly prevented CPP expression. Morphine increased the motor activity, but the D1 receptors blockade, significantly reduced it.

Conclusions:
The findings of this study suggest a possible role for BLA dopamine D1 receptors in reward responses in morphine dependency.
Evaluation of Herbal Hair Lotion Loaded with Rosemary for Possible Hair Growth in C57BL/6 mice
Authors: Begum Asia , Sandhya S , Kumar Anoop N , Ali Syed S. 
Published: October 2023

Background:

Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) is a common household plant with needle-like leaves and white flowers that belongs to the family Lamiaceae and has various medicinal properties including ailments of hair and scalp, cardiovascular, nervous disorders, etc., In the current work, we have focused on formulation and evaluation of 1% hair lotion incorporated with methanolic extract of R. officinalis.

Materials and Methods:
The aerial parts of the plant were extracted with methanol and then the nature of phytochemicals were identified by chemical tests. It showed the presence of proteins, amino acids, fats and oils, steroids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, volatile oil, and vitamins. The extract was formulated to a suitable hair lotion and then evaluated for its various quality control parameters. Finally, the lotion was evaluated for hair growth promoting activity on C57BL/6 mice, using water as control and 2% minoxidil hair lotion as standard.

Results:
It was observed that the formulated 1% herbal hair lotion passed all the evaluation parameters and showed a significant hair growth promoting activity than the standard drug-treated animals.

Conclusion:
Although several researches have been carried out on the rosemary, an investigation on formulation of hair lotion adding the extract of the aerial part of the plant is for the first time. Since our formulation exhibited an excellent activity, it can be well thought out to be an alternative to the commercially available hair growth promoters with a lot of unwanted effects.
Determination of the Effectiveness of Epinephrine Spray on the Papillae in Preventing Pancreatitis after Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
Authors: Karami Mohammad , Salemi Bahman , Ardestani Mohammad Shafigh 
Published: October 2023

Background:
As the most common complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is acute pancreatitis, researchers have paid due attention to minimize this complication using various drugs, one of which is epinephrine. Therefore, the present study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of epinephrine spray on the papilla in preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP).

Materials and Methods:
The present double-blind clinical trial was performed on 164 patients undergoing ERCP. Patients in both groups received 50 mg rectal suppository as usual before ERCP. Then, during ERCP, epinephrine or normal saline was sprayed topically on the major papillae. After the intervention, patients were evaluated in terms of the incidence of PEP.

Results:
The results of the present study revealed that the incidence of PEP in the epinephrine and control groups was 2.4% and 4.9%, respectively (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the incidence of bleeding after ERCP, number of accidental pancreatic duct cannulation, the increase in vision during common bile duct cannulations, the need for precut sphincterotomy, and the number of hospitalization days (P > 0.05). In addition, the chance of developing PEP was lower and higher in patients with higher ages (odds ratio [OR]: 0.86; P = 0.030) and biliary sludge (OR: 4.97; P = 0.042), respectively.

Conclusion:
As compared with indomethacin alone (control group), it seems that the administration of epinephrine can be effective in reducing the incidence of PEP, although this relationship was not recognized to be significant in this study and only the age and the presence of sludge had a negative and positive relationship with the incidence of PEP, respectively.
Environmental Contamination of Different Areas of Isfahan Province of Iran with Toxocara spp. Eggs using Molecular Methods
Authors: Pourshahbazi Gholamreza , Khanahmad Hossein , Khadivi Reza , Pestehchian Nader , Yousefi Hossein A. , Abdizadeh Rahman , Mobarakeh Somayeh Mousavi , Boldaji Fatemeh Hoseini , Darani Hossein Yousofi 
Published: October 2023

Background:
Toxocariasis is a parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati. Infective stage of this parasite for human develops on soil. So, in this work contamination of the soil of public environments in five geographical areas of Isfahan province of Iran has been investigated.

Materials and Methods:
In this descriptive study, 355 soil samples were collected from parks, children's playgrounds, student dormitories, and university environments, and examined by Flotation method. The samples were then inspected using microscopic and molecular methods.

Results:
From the 355 examined soil samples in 77 (21.69%), and 87 (24.50%) cases Toxocara eggs were detected by microscopic and molecular methods, respectively. In the molecular method, 31 (8.70%) cases of T. cati and 44 (12.39%) cases of T. canis were identified.

Conclusion:
Toxocara eggs were identified in all areas of Isfahan province, although contamination rate was higher in Fereydun Shahr and Semirum counties.
Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease Based on Machine Learning Algorithms Support Vector Machine, Artificial Neural Network, and Random Forest
Authors: Saeedbakhsh Saeed , Sattari Mohammad , Mohammadi Maryam , Najafian Jamshid , Mohammadi Farzaneh 
Published: October 2023

Background:
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is known as the most common cardiovascular disease. The development of CAD is influenced by several risk factors. Diagnostic and therapeutic methods of this disease have many and costly side effects. Therefore, researchers are looking for cost-effective and accurate methods to diagnose this disease. Machine learning algorithms can help specialists diagnose the disease early. The aim of this study is to detect CAD using machine learning algorithms.

Materials and Methods:
In this study, three data mining algorithms support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network (ANN), and random forest were used to predict CAD using the Isfahan Cohort Study dataset of Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center. 19 features with 11495 records from this dataset were used for this research.

Results:
All three algorithms achieved relatively close results. However, the SVM had the highest accuracy compared to the other techniques. The accuracy was calculated as 89.73% for SVM. The ANN algorithm also obtained the high area under the curve, sensitivity and accuracy and provided acceptable performance. Age, sex, Sleep satisfaction, history of stroke, history of palpitations, and history of heart disease were most correlated with target class. Eleven rules were also extracted from this dataset with high confidence and support.

Conclusion:
In this study, it was shown that machine learning algorithms can be used with high accuracy to detect CAD. Thus, it allows physicians to perform timely preventive treatment in patients with CAD.
Application of the Intracranial Arterial Pulsatility Index for Determination of Prognosis after Lacunar Infarct
Authors: Saadatnia Mohammad , Zandifar Alireza , Alizadeh Maryam , Kim Jorge Du Ub , Shafaat Omid , Tierradentro-García Luis Octavio , Manouchehri Navid , Khorvash Fariborz 
Published: October 2023

Background:
We aimed to investigate the usefulness of intracranial arterial pulsatility index to assess the prognosis of lacunar infarcts.

Materials and Methods:
Forty-nine patients with confirmed acute lacunar infarct were enrolled in the study. A transcranial color-coded sonography was performed to assess the pulsatility index of bilateral middle cerebral, posterior cerebral, vertebral, and proximal internal carotid arteries. Patients' clinical status was assessed using a modified Rankin scale. Spearman correlation was used for reporting the relation between quantitative data. Statistical significance was defined as a two-tail p-value of less than 0.05.

Results:
The mean age ± standard deviation was 64.1 ± 9.07 years old, and 57.1% of the patients were male. Upon discharge, only 8.2% of the patients were ranked as 0 on the modified Rankin scale; however, after a 6-month follow-up period, this number increased to 49%. There were no significant differences between the left and right pulsatility index measurements in any of the assessed arteries. Patients with vertebral artery pulsatility indexes >1 on their primary assessment had significantly worse outcomes during the first, third, and sixth months follow-up (all r > 0.3, p-values < 0.01). Pulsatility indexes from other arteries did not predict the prognosis.

Conclusion:
Sonography-assisted assessment of the vertebral artery blood flow during the early stage of lacunar infarct provides a reliable reference for prognosis estimation.
Relation of Social Support Status and Social Health in People with Drug Abuse
Authors: Nourafkan Afsaneh , Amini Zahra 
Published: October 2023

Background:
The aim of this study was to investigate the status of social support in people with drug abuse and its relationship with social health in patients referring to addiction treatment centers in Isfahan.

Materials and Methods:
This cross-sectional study was performed in Isfahan addiction treatment centers in 2019–2020. The study population was the total number of people with drug abuse in Isfahan addiction treatment centers that 300 people with substance abuse and 300 people as control group were included. Social support and social health questionnaires were distributed among the participants. The Keez Social Health Questionnaire, designed in the United States in 2004, is about daily life and the social environment and measures social health. Another questionnaire was the social support of Sherbon and Stewart (MOS). This scale was a self-report tool that measured the amount of social support received by the subject.

Results:
The results showed a positive, direct, and significant relationship between the dimensions of social support and social health in the group of patients with drug abuse (P < 0.05). Comparison of social support and its dimensions in the two control and affected groups showed that the scores in the healthy group were significantly higher than the affected group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:
According to the results of this study, the level of social support and social health in people with substance abuse is less than other people in society, and to improve the social health of people with substance abuse, more social support should be provided.
Clinicopathological Appraisal of Cutaneous Cysts: A 2-Year Retrospective Observational Study
Authors: Khullar Geeti , Chandra Mithilesh 
Published: October 2023

Background:
Cysts, primarily epidermal and trichilemmal, are commonly seen in clinical practice. Rupture, infection, inflammation, and rarely malignant transformation may complicate the cysts. This study aims to analyze the clinicohistological features of cutaneous cysts.

Materials and Methods:
A retrospective review of patients with the diagnosis of cyst confirmed on histopathology over the past two years (2020–2021) was performed. Clinical details comprised of age, gender, site of involvement, size, duration, and associated symptoms. Histological examination included cyst wall lining, type of keratinization, complications like rupture, inflammation, foreign body giant cell reaction, calcification, and malignant change.

Results:
A total of 324 cases with mean age of 37.9 years and equal gender distribution were identified. Most frequent diagnosis was epidermal cyst in 89.8%, followed by trichilemmal cyst in 8.9% of cases. Rare types included follicular hybrid cyst, verrucous cyst, vellus hair cyst, and steatocystoma. Most common complication was cyst rupture in 54.3% of epidermal cysts. Proliferating epidermal and proliferating trichilemmal cysts were noted in one and two cases, respectively. Two cases revealed malignancy arising in the wall of epidermal cyst.

Limitations:
The retrospective study design and non-availability of follow-up data, especially for proliferating cysts and cysts with malignant transformation were the main limitations of this study.

Conclusion:
Histopathologic examination of excised cutaneous cysts is paramount in reaching accurate diagnosis of the type of cyst and associated secondary changes to enable appropriate management.
A Clinico-Mycological and Histopathological Study of Recurrent Dermatophytosis
Authors: Y Urmila , Gopal K. V. T. , Turpati Narayana Rao , Karri Sudhir Babu , Raju P. V. K. 
Published: October 2023

Background:
A few recent studies have shown fungal elements within the hair follicle epithelium, which may act as a reservoir and responsible for recurrent dermatophytosis.

Objectives:
To assess the clinical patterns, mycological profile, and histopathology of recurrent dermatophytosis and to determine the prevalence of fungal hyphae in the hair follicle epithelium and other appendages.

Materials and Methods:
One hundred and fifty clinically diagnosed cases of recurrent dermatophytic infection were included. Skin samples were taken for direct microscopy, fungal culture, and histopathological analysis. Haematoxylin and eosin and special staining with periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and Gomori's methenamine silver (GMS) were performed to detect the fungal hyphae in the skin and hair follicle epithelium.

Results:
The most common clinical pattern observed was tinea corporis et cruris in 64 patients (42.66%). On direct microscopy and fungal culture, positive results were obtained in 116 cases (77.33%) and 78 (52%) cases, respectively. Presence of fungal hyphae in the stratum corneum, hair follicle, and acrosyringium was seen in 107 patients (71.33%), 47 patients (31.33%), and five patients (3.33%), respectively. Out of the 52 cases with hair follicle and eccrine gland involvement, history of fixed drug combinations (FDC) cream use was present in 42 cases (80.76%) and absent in ten cases (19.24%) (P = 0.000062).

Limitations:
Skin samples were taken only from a single skin lesion. Higher incidence of follicular invasion may have been detected if multiple biopsy samples were taken.

Conclusion:
Hair follicle/eccrine sweat gland involvement was observed in nearly one-third of the patients, which may act as a reservoir and may be responsible for recurrence and chronicity. Histopathology should be considered as an important adjuvant tool in recurrent dermatophytosis to establish the extent of the infection, which guides the further management.
How do parents of wheezing children report their symptoms? A single centre cross-sectional observational study
Authors: Paranjpe Mugdha Deepak , Sane Sudhir Vinod 
Published: October 2023

Background:
Reported wheeze is of major relevance in the diagnosis and management of asthma and epidemiological studies on asthma prevalence. Our aim was to investigate the understanding of this term by parents and how they reported it to clinicians.

Methods:
A single-centre cross-sectional observational study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital. Parents of wheezing children self-completed a written questionnaire, which was analysed to understand parental understanding of the term wheeze and the main symptoms noticed by them. Their responses were compared to the operational definition used in the ISAAC study.

Results:
Questionnaires from 101 parents were analysed, out of which 50 children had an audible wheeze and 51 had an auscultatory wheeze. In our study, when asked about the main thing they noticed, 90 parents (89%) used non-auditory cues to identify wheeze, with the main presenting complaint being cough (n = 43, 42.6%), and only 4 (4%) reported wheezing. Even among the audible wheezers, only 7 (14%) used an auditory cue (alone or with some other cue) to describe their child's symptoms. Forty-seven parents knew the term wheeze, of which 19 parents (18.8%, N = 101) localised it to the chest, matching the epidemiological definition used in the ISAAC study.

Conclusion:
The word wheeze was not commonly used to describe a child's symptoms in our setting, even when the child was actively wheezing. Parents often use colloquial equivalents, nonspecific terms and other clinical cues such as coughing while reporting their child's symptoms. The parental concept of “wheezing” is different from epidemiological definitions.
Asset Class Selection and Financial Performance of Registered Umbrella Retirement Benefits Schemes in Kenya
Authors: Kibata Joan Wanjiku , Njeru Agnes Wanjiru 
Published: October 2023

Purpose: The financial performance of pension funds has deteriorated over time, threatening their main purpose of shielding retirees from old age poverty. Asset class selection is an essential component of pension management as it outlines the various investments undertaken to give a return, manage risks and maintain the liquidity of the retirement schemes. Uninformed or inappropriate selection of assets may lead to decreased performance of the pension schemes and a consequential decrease in the fund value of the pension savings. This study aimed to ascertain how asset class choice affects the financial performance of Kenyan registered Umbrella Retirement Benefits Schemes (URBS). The main goals of this study were to determine how allocating equity, fixed income, and alternative investments impacts the financial performance of registered URBS in Kenya. Three main research questions were employed in the study.
Methodology: This research targeted thirty-two (32) registered Umbrella Retirement Benefits Schemes as of December 2022. The sampling technique in this study was a complete census because the data was available; the researcher sought to reduce errors and give an overall view of the asset allocation and how the Kenyan Umbrella Schemes performed over the five years. The study utilised secondary data which was obtained from the RBA’s website and offices for the five-year period between 2018 and 2022. A quantitative approach using descriptive and inferential analysis was employed. A multiple linear regression model was fitted on the data using SPSS version 27 and STATA version 14.2 for panel data analysis. Tables, charts, and graphs were also used to display the data.
Findings: According to the multiple linear regression model's findings, alternative investments highly influenced the financial performance of the URBS, followed by fixed income and equity investments. Real estate contributed the highest returns in alternative investments, followed by offshore investments. For fixed income, treasury bonds and bills contributed the most considerable returns, followed by cash, bank deposits, and corporate and commercial bonds. For the equity investments, quoted equity contributed the most returns, followed by the unquoted equity. It was noted that the allocation of private equity by umbrella schemes was almost non-existent as it only began in 2022. Panel data analysis showed that all the weighted returns of the three asset classes are significant predictors of total weighted return. Weighted returns of offshore investment and property had the most significant associations with total weighted returns among all semi-variables.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The results support increased weighting of alternative investments, particularly offshore investments, followed by fixed-income investments.