Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms, are among the serious mental health challenges that Health Care Workers (HCWs) faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. As these symptoms reduce the mental ...well-being and effectiveness of HCWs which are followed by poor health outcomes for patients, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the prevalence of OCD symptoms among HCWs worldwide.
PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Emerald, and ERIC databases were searched using related keywords till the end of October 2021. Observational studies about the prevalence of OCD symptoms among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic were screened and evaluated. In order to assess the quality of studies, the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) checklist was used. The effect measure was the prevalence rate with a 95% confidence interval (CI).
A total of 7864 individuals from 11 studies were included. The range of OCD symptoms prevalence across these studies was from 0.07 to 0.47. Due to the high heterogeneity between the studies (I
= 98.6%, P < 0.01), the random effects model was used. The pooled prevalence was 0.29 (95% CI: 0.22-0.38) based on logit transformed CI.
The pooled prevalence of OCD symptoms was 29% among the HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This prevalence was higher than the general population according to the pre-pandemic literature, but lower than the recent reports amid the pandemic. Psychosocial interventions are suggested to be designed and implemented in such conditions.
A BSTRACT Aim: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a common disease that imposes a substantial burden on the healthcare system and patients. Lifestyle modification such as sleep hygiene plays a ...crucial role in glycemic control. Sleep disorders impact many aspects of health. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between sleep quality and glycemic control in T2DM. Method: This cross-sectional study was performed on 163 T2DM patients, attending Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Hamadan, Iran from March 2020 to 2021. Besides recording the demographic data and HbA1c level of participants, they were asked the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire for evaluating sleep quality. We employed SPSS ver. 21 for data analysis and considered 0.05 as a significant level Results: Among all participants, 62 (38%) were female and 30.7% were illiterate. The mean age was 56.67 ± 12.90 years, and HbA1c was 9.03 ± 1.92 mg/dL. Among sleep metrics, mean waking time was 8.74 ± 1.74 hours, and average sleep time was 12.90 ± 4.90 hours. Overall, 58.2% of the participants had poor glycemic control and 44.8% were suffering from poor sleep quality. We found that patients with poor glycemic control exhibited significantly higher levels of sleep disturbances compared to those with good glycemic control ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: Sleep quality is associated with glycemic control in patients with T2DM. Sleep disorders are common among diabetic patients. Thus, healthcare providers need to consider sleep quality improvement in their holistic approach to diabetes management.
Thrombotic events are commonly reported in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Limited data exist to guide the intensity of antithrombotic prophylaxis.
To evaluate the effects of intermediate-dose ...vs standard-dose prophylactic anticoagulation among patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
Multicenter randomized trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design performed in 10 academic centers in Iran comparing intermediate-dose vs standard-dose prophylactic anticoagulation (first hypothesis) and statin therapy vs matching placebo (second hypothesis; not reported in this article) among adult patients admitted to the ICU with COVID-19. Patients were recruited between July 29, 2020, and November 19, 2020. The final follow-up date for the 30-day primary outcome was December 19, 2020.
Intermediate-dose (enoxaparin, 1 mg/kg daily) (n = 276) vs standard prophylactic anticoagulation (enoxaparin, 40 mg daily) (n = 286), with modification according to body weight and creatinine clearance. The assigned treatments were planned to be continued until completion of 30-day follow-up.
The primary efficacy outcome was a composite of venous or arterial thrombosis, treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or mortality within 30 days, assessed in randomized patients who met the eligibility criteria and received at least 1 dose of the assigned treatment. Prespecified safety outcomes included major bleeding according to the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (type 3 or 5 definition), powered for noninferiority (a noninferiority margin of 1.8 based on odds ratio), and severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count <20 ×103/µL). All outcomes were blindly adjudicated.
Among 600 randomized patients, 562 (93.7%) were included in the primary analysis (median interquartile range age, 62 50-71 years; 237 42.2% women). The primary efficacy outcome occurred in 126 patients (45.7%) in the intermediate-dose group and 126 patients (44.1%) in the standard-dose prophylaxis group (absolute risk difference, 1.5% 95% CI, -6.6% to 9.8%; odds ratio, 1.06 95% CI, 0.76-1.48; P = .70). Major bleeding occurred in 7 patients (2.5%) in the intermediate-dose group and 4 patients (1.4%) in the standard-dose prophylaxis group (risk difference, 1.1% 1-sided 97.5% CI, -∞ to 3.4%; odds ratio, 1.83 1-sided 97.5% CI, 0.00-5.93), not meeting the noninferiority criteria (P for noninferiority >.99). Severe thrombocytopenia occurred only in patients assigned to the intermediate-dose group (6 vs 0 patients; risk difference, 2.2% 95% CI, 0.4%-3.8%; P = .01).
Among patients admitted to the ICU with COVID-19, intermediate-dose prophylactic anticoagulation, compared with standard-dose prophylactic anticoagulation, did not result in a significant difference in the primary outcome of a composite of adjudicated venous or arterial thrombosis, treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or mortality within 30 days. These results do not support the routine empirical use of intermediate-dose prophylactic anticoagulation in unselected patients admitted to the ICU with COVID-19.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04486508.
European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner is one of the polyphagous insects which causes damage to more than 200 plant species. This study evaluated the applicability of using sterile insect ...technique (SIT) and F1 sterility (when male parents were irradiated by sub-sterilizing doses). Accordingly, the effect of gamma radiation at doses 100–350 Gy was determined on the biological and reproductive parameters.
•Doses higher than 350 Gy were suggested as proper sterility doses in the ECB.•The progeny of irradiated male parents proved to be more sterile than the parents.•The ECB larval and pupal period were prolonged with growing doses.
Schematic of MPA-Chip.
Display omitted
•Fabrication of micropillar array-based microfluidic chips with different geometries.•Conducting numerical simulations to compare velocity and pressure ...profiles.•Evaluating capture efficiency, purity and viability using various cancer cells.•Providing high capture efficiency (>85 %), purity and viability for CTCs isolation.•Clinical validation by counting CTCs in samples from patients with different breast cancer states.
The information derived from the number and characteristics of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), is crucial to ensure appropriate cancer treatment monitoring. Currently, diverse microfluidic platforms have been developed for isolating CTCs from blood, but it remains a challenge to develop a low-cost, practical, and efficient strategy.
This study aimed to isolate CTCs from the blood of cancer patients via introducing a new and efficient micropillar array-based microfluidic chip (MPA-Chip), as well as providing prognostic information and monitoring the treatment efficacy in cancer patients.
We fabricated a microfluidic chip (MPA-Chip) containing arrays of micropillars with different geometries (lozenge, rectangle, circle, and triangle). We conducted numerical simulations to compare velocity and pressure profiles inside the micropillar arrays. Also, we experimentally evaluated the capture efficiency and purity of the geometries using breast and prostate cancer cell lines as well as a blood sample. Moreover, the device’s performance was validated on 12 patients with breast cancer (BC) in different states.
The lozenge geometry was selected as the most effective and optimized micropillar design for CTCs isolation, providing high capture efficiency (>85 %), purity (>90 %), and viability (97 %). Furthermore, the lozenge MPA-chip was successfully validated by the detection of CTCs from 12 breast cancer (BC) patients, with non-metastatic (median number of 6 CTCs) and metastatic (median number of 25 CTCs) diseases, showing different prognoses. Also, increasing the chemotherapy period resulted in a decrease in the number of captured CTCs from 23 to 7 for the metastatic patient. The MPA-Chip size was only 0.25 cm2 and the throughput of a single chip was 0.5 ml/h, which can be increased by multiple MPA-Chips in parallel.
The lozenge MPA-Chip presented a novel micropillar geometry for on-chip CTC isolation, detection, and staining, and in the future, the possibilities can be extended to the culture of the CTCs.
Self-medication is described as the use of drugs without a physician's prescription to treat self-recognized illness or symptoms, and an important health issue among the elderly. Despite the wide ...range of different definitions, recognizing all forms of self-medication among older adults, particularly, in developing countries, help healthcare professionals and providers to reduce harmful effects of self-medication. The purpose of this study is to describe the practice of self-medication and its related factors among elderly people in Iran based on the experiences of people who are involved in this phenomenon.
This qualitative study was conducted using content analysis. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants and continued until saturation. The participants were the elderly, their care-givers, physicians, and pharmacists. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, and analysis was done using an inductive approach. The theory of planned behavior was used as a framework to explain the role of the emerged factors in the occurrence of self-medication behavior.
Based on the expressed experiences of the participants, factors related to the practice of self- medication among the elderly in Iran fit in these 5 categories: "patient's attitudes towards disease, treatment, and physicians", "living with disease", "unfriendly environments", "enabling health system", and "influential others".
Based on the results of this study, self-medication of the elderly in Iran has commonalities with many countries in regard to over-the-counter medications and complementary and alternative medicine; however, self-medication is also seen with drugs that require a prescription but can easily be obtained from pharmacies. Contributing factors, apart from the elderly themselves, include their families, caregivers, and social circle, the physical environment where they live, and the health system from which they receive services.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of fluoride mouthwash on the surface micro-hardness of two types of CAD/CAM ceramics after exposure to acidic solutions.
40 samples (5 × 5 ...× 3 mm
) were prepared from two different ceramics: Vitabloc Mark II CAD, and IPS e.max CAD. The samples were randomly divided into 5 groups in each ceramic (n = 8) immersed in different solutions: G
: saliva: G
: gastric acid, G
: acetic acid, G
: sodium fluoride + gastric acid, G
: sodium fluoride + acetic acid. The microhardness of samples was measured before and after immersion in different solutions by Vickers microhardness tester. By subtracting the microhardness values after and before immersion, the microhardness changes of the samples were obtained. Data were analyzed by Two-way analysis of variance, one-way analysis of variance, and Tukey test (α = 0.05).
Immersion in different solutions reduced the microhardness. Microhardness loss was significantly affected in G
and G
groups in both types of ceramics (P < 0.05). For Vitabloc Mark II groups, the microhardness loss was significantly higher in G
and G
compared to IPS e.max CAD P < 0.001).
Fluoride mouthwash in conjunction with acidic solutions may adversely affect microhardness of Vitabloc Mark II CAD, and IPS e.max CAD that may consequently compromise the clinical service. Vitabloc Mark II CAD was significantly more affected than IPS e.max CAD.
Amaranth is one of the gluten-free pseudocereals and is suitable for celiac disease. This research aimed to investigate the effect of amaranth flour in concentrations of 0 (C), 10 (A10), 15 (A15), ...and 20% (A20) on the rheological, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics of functional pasta during 3 months. The prepared pasta was analyzed for its quality characteristics such as chemical composition, cooking loss, texture, color, and amylose leach out and was subjected to farinograph and extensograph tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the addition of amaranth flour weakens the rheological characteristics of pasta dough. Amaranth flour had a significant effect on the physicochemical properties of pasta (p<0.05). The lowest moisture content, fat, protein, and fiber were observed in the control sample, and the highest amounts were observed in the A20 sample. The moisture content decreased during storage. The control and A20 samples recorded the lowest and highest cooking loss, respectively. The addition of amaranth decreased the hardness, lightness (L), and yellowness (b∗) and increased the redness (a∗) of pasta. The amylose leach out in the cooking water of all amaranth pasta ranged from 2.03 g to 3.38 g/100 g which was lower than that of the control (4.95 g/100 g). The structure of control pasta is an interwoven network of gluten with many holes and swollen starch granules. A more uniform structure with fewer holes and a looser gluten network was observed in the microstructure of amaranth pasta. A10 treatment obtained the highest score of sensory evaluation. In conclusion, the amaranth flour has a good potential to be used in functional foods and gluten-free pasta. A20 was favorable in terms of physicochemical characteristics, and A10 was the best in terms of sensory characteristics.
A computational model for GPCR-ligand interaction prediction Karimi, Shiva; Ahmadi, Maryam; Goudarzi, Farjam ...
Berichte aus der medizinischen Informatik und Bioinformatik/Journal of integrative bioinformatics,
12/2020, Volume:
18, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play an essential role in critical human activities, and they are considered targets for a wide range of drugs. Accordingly, based on these crucial roles, GPCRs ...are mainly considered and focused on pharmaceutical research. Hence, there are a lot of investigations on GPCRs. Experimental laboratory research is very costly in terms of time and expenses, and accordingly, there is a marked tendency to use computational methods as an alternative method. In this study, a prediction model based on machine learning (ML) approaches was developed to predict GPCRs and ligand interactions. Decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), multilayer perceptron (MLP), support vector machine (SVM), and Naive Bayes (NB) were the algorithms that were investigated in this study. After several optimization steps, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) for DT, RF, MLP, SVM, and NB algorithm were 95.2, 98.1, 96.3, 95.5, and 97.3, respectively. Accordingly final model was made base on the RF algorithm. The current computational study compared with others focused on specific and important types of proteins (GPCR) interaction and employed/examined different types of sequence-based features to obtain more accurate results. Drug science researchers could widely use the developed prediction model in this study. The developed predictor was applied over 16,132 GPCR-ligand pairs and about 6778 potential interactions predicted.
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