Stability analysis and numerical evaluations of a COVID-19 model with vaccination

A novel (nonlinear) mathematical model for the transmission of Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) with eight compartments and considering the impact of vaccination is examined in this manuscript. The qualitative behavior of the system such as the boundedness of solutions, the basic reproduction number, and the stability of the equilibrium points is investigated in detail. Some domestic real data collected from the Kerman University of Medical Science (KUMC) is used to estimate the parameters of the proposed model. We predict the dynamical behavior of the system through numerical simulations based on a combined spectral matrix collocation methodology. In this respect, we first linearize the nonlinear system of equations by the method of quasilinearization (QLM). Hence, the shifted version of Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind (SCPSK) is utilized along with the domain-splitting strategy to acquire the solutions of the system over a long time interval. The uniform convergence and upper bound estimation of the SCPSK bases are proved in a rigorous manner. Moreover, the technique of residual error functions is used to testify the accuracy of the QLM-SCPSK method. The presented numerical results justify the robustness and good accuracy of the QLM-SCPSK technique. The achieved numerical orders of convergence indicate that the QLM-SCSK algorithm has exponential rate of convergence. Using the linearization technique in one hand and the domain-splitting strategy on the other hand, enable us to predict the behaviour of similar disease problems with high accuracy and maximum efficiency on an arbitrary domain of interest.

Effect of high-dose Spirulina supplementation on hospitalized adults with COVID-19: a randomized controlled trial

Objective

Spirulina (arthrospira platensis) is a cyanobacterium proven to have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant effects. However, the effect of high-dose Spirulina supplementation on hospitalized adults with COVID-19 is currently unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of high-dose Spirulina platensis for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Study Design

We conducted a randomized, controlled, open-label trial involving 189 patients with COVID-19 who were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to an experimental group that received 15.2g of Spirulina supplement plus standard treatment (44 non-intensive care unit (non-ICU) and 47 ICU), or to a control group that received standard treatment alone (46 non-ICU and 52 ICU). The study was conducted over six days. Immune mediators were monitored on days 1, 3, 5, and 7. The primary outcome of this study was mortality or hospital discharge within seven days, while the overall discharge or mortality was considered the secondary outcome.

Results

Within seven days, there were no deaths in the Spirulina group, while 15 deaths (15.3%) occurred in the control group. Moreover, within seven days, there was a greater number of patients discharged in the Spirulina group (97.7%) in non-ICU compared to the control group (39.1%) (HR, 6.52; 95% CI, 3.50 to 12.17). Overall mortality was higher in the control group (8.7% non-ICU, 28.8% ICU) compared to the Spirulina group (non-ICU HR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.97; ICU, HR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.48). In non-ICU, patients who received Spirulina showed a significant reduction in the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, and IP-10 as intervention time increased. Furthermore, in ICU, patients who received Spirulina showed a significant decrease in the levels of MIP-1α and IL-6. IFN-γ levels were significantly higher in the intervention group in both ICU and non-ICU subgroups as intervention time increased. No side effects related to Spirulina supplements were observed during the trial.

Conclusion

High-dose Spirulina supplements coupled with the standard treatment of COVID-19 may improve recovery and remarkably reduce mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Clinical Trial Registration

https://irct.ir/trial/54375, Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials number (IRCT20210216050373N1).

Discovering conserved epitopes of Monkeypox: Novel immunoinformatic and machine learning approaches

The Monkeypox virus, an Orthopoxvirus with zoonotic origins, has been responsible for a growing number of human infections reminiscent of smallpox since May 2022, as reported by the World Health Organization. As of now, there are no established medical treatments for managing Monkeypox infections. In this study, we used machine learning to select conserved epitopes. Proteins were determined using Reverse Vaccinology and Gene Ontology subcellular localization, and their epitopes were predicted. NextClade was used to calculate the number of mutations in each amino acid position using 2433 Monkeypox sequences. The Unsupervised Nearest Neighbor machine learning algorithm and ideal matrix [0 0] were used to calculate the conservancy score of epitopes. Six proteins were determined for epitope prediction. Finally, 47 MHC-I epitopes, 5 MHC-II epitopes, and 10 Linear B cell epitopes were discovered. Our method can select epitopes for vaccine design to prevent viruses with accelerated evolution and high mutation rate.

Computational analysis of a class of singular nonlinear fractional multi-order heat conduction model of the human head

The subject of the article is devoted to the development of a matrix collocation technique based upon the combination of the fractional-order shifted Vieta-Lucas functions (FSVLFs) and the quasilinearization method (QLM) for the numerical evaluation of the fractional multi-order heat conduction model related to the human head with singularity and nonlinearity. The fractional operators are adopted in accordance with the Liouville-Caputo derivative. The quasilinearization method (QLM) is first utilized in order to defeat the inherent nonlinearity of the problem, which is converted to a family of linearized subequations. Afterward, we use the FSVLFs along with a set of collocation nodes as the zeros of these functions to reach a linear algebraic system of equations at each iteration. In the weighted [Formula: see text] norm, the convergence analysis of the FSVLFs series solution is established. We especially assert that the expansion series form of FSVLFs is convergent in the infinity norm with order [Formula: see text], where K represents the number of FSVLFs used in approximating the unknown solution. Diverse computational experiments by running the presented combined QLM-FSVLFs are conducted using various fractional orders and nonlinearity parameters. The outcomes indicate that the QLM-FSVLFs produces efficient approximate solutions to the underlying model with high-order accuracy, especially near the singular point. Furthermore, the methodology of residual error functions is employed to measure the accuracy of the proposed hybrid algorithm. Comparisons with existing numerical models show the superiority of QLM-FSVLFs, which also is straightforward in implementation.

Sex differences in the determination of prescribed load in ballistic bench press

Introduction: The objectives of the present study were twofold: first, to identify the specific relative load at which the concentric motion transforms into a purely propulsive action among women, and second, to compare the load-velocity relationships between men and women during the bench press throw. Methods: Fourteen men and fourteen women participated in a test where they progressively increased the load until reaching their one-repetition maximum (1RM) in the bench press exercise. Linear regression models were employed to elucidate the relationships between load and velocity, as well as load and the propulsive phase (% of total concentric time). Additionally, ANCOVA was utilized to compare the linear regression models between men and women. Results: The results revealed strong and linear associations between load and mean propulsive velocity (MPV) for both men and women, as well as between load and the propulsive phase. Notably, there were significant differences in MPV and the propulsive phase concerning load between men and women. Women transitioned into a fully propulsive concentric phase at approximately 80% of their 1RM, while men achieved this entirely propulsive phase at around 85% of their 1RM. Furthermore, women exhibited reduced velocities when handling lighter relative loads compared to men. Conversely, women demonstrated higher velocities when dealing with loads exceeding 85% of their 1RM in contrast to their male counterparts. Discussion: These findings hold notable implications for prescribing bench press throw loads for women, which should differ from those recommended for men. Further studies are necessary to validate the efficacy of the proposed load recommendations.

Simulating accurate and effective solutions of some nonlinear nonlocal two-point BVPs: Clique and QLM-clique matrix methods

This research work deals with two spectral matrix collocation algorithms based on (novel) clique functions to solve two classes of nonlinear nonlocal elliptic two-points boundary value problems (BVPs) arising in diverse physical models. The nonlinearity together with nonlocality makes the models so difficult to solve numerically. In both matrix methods by expanding the unknown solutions in terms of clique polynomials the nonlocality in the models is handled. In the first and direct technique, the clique coefficients are determined in an accurate way through solving an algebraic system of nonlinear equations. To get rid of the nonlinearity of the models and in order to gain efficacy, the quasilinearization method (QLM) is utilized in the second approach. In the latter algorithm named QLM-clique procedure, the first directly clique collocation method is applied to a family of linearized equations in an iterative manner. In particular, we show that the series expansion of clique polynomials is convergent exponentially in a weighted L 2 norm. Numerous numerical simulations validate the performance of two matrix collocation schemes and demonstrate the accuracy as well as the gain in computational efficiency in terms of elapsed CPU time. The proposed matrix algorithms for computation are easy to implement and straightforward, and provide more accuracy compared to other available computational values in the literature.

Lower limb muscle activation pattern in male soccer players with lumbar hyperlordosis

OBJECTIVE

the aim of the current study was to compare the lower limb muscle activation pattern in soccer players with and without lumbar hyperlordosis during single-leg squat performance.

METHODS

thirty male collegiate soccer players (15 with and 15 without lumbar hyperlordosis) performed the SLS task. Surface EMG was used to record the activation of eleven lower limb muscles. The activation of these muscles reduces to 100 points during the SLS cycle, where 50% demonstrates the maximum knee flexion, and 0% and 99% demonstrate the maximum knee extension.

RESULTS

soccer players with lumbar hyperlordosis had higher muscle activation than those with normal lumbar lordosis in gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, and medial gastrocnemius. By contrast, they had lower gluteus medius, vastus medialis oblique, rectus femoris, soleus, and medial gastrocnemius (only in the final ascent phase of the SLS) muscle activity than the normal group during the SLS.

CONCLUSION

this alteration may negatively affect targeted muscle performance during the SLS. Subsequent study is required to specify whether such an alteration in the lower limb muscle could be accompanied by injury in soccer players and change in their athletic performance.

The effect of time-of-day and sleep deprivation on postural control: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Postural control (PC) can be affected by circadian rhythm and sleep deprivation, whereby it has been reported the result of PC measurement in clinical and experimental situations can be influenced by both factors. It has been suggested sleepiness can result in deficiency in PC, which in turn can lead to occupational accidents and subsequent injuries. This is while no study critically reviews or summarizes findings surrounding this topic in the literature.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Is there any significant effect of sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm on PC variables among healthy individuals?

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase were used to detect relevant studies. Only studies that examined the effect of time of day and/or sleep loss on PC among healthy individuals were included in this systematic review.

RESULTS

Forty-nine studies were included based on the inclusion criteria. Both circadian rhythm and sleep loss had a significant effect on PC, whereas there are inconsistent findings for optimal postural control regarding time of day. In terms of sleep deprivation, all investigations indicated that sleep loss deteriorates PC.

SIGNIFICANCE

The current systematic review represents a significant effect of circadian rhythm and sleep deprivation on PC, whereby it is suggested that clinicians and researchers consider these factors when measuring PC since it may affect the result of research and clinical test. Moreover, PC may be worsened through sleeplessness; however, some studies revealed there is no linear relationship between time of wakefulness and deteriorating PC due to the influence of circadian rhythm. Hence, while PC, as an objective tool, can help to detect those who are sleep deprived, which in turn can lead to prevent possible musculoskeletal injuries, further studies are needed to reveal more understanding about the effect of sleep loss and circadian rhythm on PC.

Effects of Mediterranean Diet Combined with CrossFit Training on Trained Adults’ Performance and Body Composition

CrossFit is a high-intensity training discipline increasingly practiced in recent years. Specific nutritional approaches are usually recommended to maximize performance and improve body composition in high-intensity training regimens; notwithstanding, to date there are no targeted nutritional recommendations for CrossFit athletes. The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a diet approach with a well-designed proportion of macronutrients, using only available/seasonal food of the Mediterranean area, whose health benefits are well demonstrated. No studies have evaluated this dietary strategy among CrossFit athletes and practitioners; for this reason, we tested the effects of 8 weeks of MD on CrossFit athletes’ performance and body composition. Participants were assigned to two groups: a diet group (DG) in which participants performed CrossFit training plus MD, and a control group (CG) in which participants partook in the CrossFit training, continuing their habitual diet. Participants were tested before and after the 8 weeks of intervention. At the end of the study, no significant difference was noted in participants’ body composition, whereas improvements in anaerobic power, explosive strength of the lower limbs, and CrossFit-specific performance were observed only in the DG. Our results suggest that adopting a MD in CrossFit athletes/practitioners could be a useful strategy to improve specific strength, endurance, and anaerobic capacity while maintaining overall body composition.

Motor Learning in Response to Different Experimental Pain Models Among Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review

Learning new movement patterns is a normal part of daily life, but of critical importance in both sport and rehabilitation. A major question is how different sensory signals are integrated together to give rise to motor adaptation and learning. More specifically, there is growing evidence that pain can give rise to alterations in the learning process. Despite a number of studies investigating the role of pain on the learning process, there is still no systematic review to summarize and critically assess investigations regarding this topic in the literature. Here in this systematic review, we summarize and critically evaluate studies that examined the influence of experimental pain on motor learning. Seventeen studies that exclusively assessed the effect of experimental pain models on motor learning among healthy human individuals were included for this systematic review, carried out based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. The results of the review revealed there is no consensus regarding the effect of pain on the skill learning acquisition and retention. However, several studies demonstrated that participants who experienced pain continued to express a changed motor strategy to perform a motor task even 1 week after training under the pain condition. The results highlight a need for further studies in this area of research, and specifically to investigate whether pain has different effects on motor learning depending on the type of motor task.

COVID and nutrition: A machine learning perspective

A self-report questionnaire survey was conducted online to collect big data from over 16000 Iranian families (who were the residents of 1000 urban and rural areas of Iran). The resulting data storage contained over 1 M records of data and over 1G records of automatically inferred information. Based on this data storage, a series of machine learning experiments was conducted to investigate the relationship between nutrition and the risk of contracting COVID-19. With highly accurate scores, the findings strongly suggest that foods and water sources containing certain natural bioactive and phytochemical agents may help to reduce the risk of apparent COVID-19 infection.

Some natural hypomethylating agents in food, water and environment are against distribution and risks of COVID-19 pandemic: Results of a big-data research

OBJECTIVE

This study analyzes the effects of lifestyle, nutrition, and diets on the status and risks of apparent (symptomatic) COVID-19 infection in Iranian families.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A relatively extensive questionnaire survey was conducted on more than 20,000 Iranian families (residing in more than 1000 different urban and rural areas in the Islamic Republic of Iran) to collect the big data of COVID-19 and develop a lifestyle dataset. The collected big data included the records of lifestyle effects (e.g. nutrition, water consumption resources, physical exercise, smoking, age, gender, health and disease factors, etc.) on the status of COVID-19 infection in families (i.e. residents of homes). Therefore, an online self-reported questionnaire was used in this retrospective observational study to analyze the effects of lifestyle factors on the COVID-19 risks. The data collection process spanned from May 10, 2020 to March 19, 2021 by selecting 132 samples from more than 40 different social network communities.

RESULTS

The research results revealed that food and water sources, which contain some natural hypomethylating agents, mitigated the risks of apparent (symptomatic) COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, the computations on billions of permutations of nutrition conditions and dietary regime items, based on the data collected from people's diets and infection status, showed that there were many dietary conditions alleviating the risks of apparent (symptomatic) COVID-19 infection by 90%. However, some other diets tripled the infection risk.

CONCLUSION

Some natural hypomethylating agents in food, water, and environmental resources are against the spread and risks of COVID-19.

A novel matrix technique for multi-order pantograph differential equations of fractional order

The main purpose of this article is to investigate a novel set of (orthogonal) basis functions for treating a class of multi-order fractional pantograph differential equations (MOFPDEs) computationally. These polynomials, denoted by S n ( x ) and called special polynomials , were first discovered in a study of a certain family of isotropic turbulence fields. They are expressible in terms of the generalized Laguerre polynomials and are related to the Bessel and Srivastava–Singhal polynomials. Unlike the Laguerre polynomials, all coefficients of the special polynomials are positive. We further introduce the fractional order of the special polynomials and use them along with some suitable collocation points in a special matrix technique to treat fractional-order MOFPDEs. Moreover, the convergence analysis of these polynomials is established. Through five example applications, the utility and efficiency of the present matrix approach are demonstrated and comparisons with some existing numerical schemes have been performed in this class.

Solving fully dynamic bin packing problem for virtual machine allocation in the cloud environment by the futuristic greedy algorithm

Many scientists apply fully dynamic bin packing problem solving for resource allocation of virtual machines in cloud environments. The goal of problem-solving is to reduce the number of allocated hosts (bins) and virtual machines (items) migration rates for reducing energy consumption. This study demonstrates a greedy futuristic algorithm (proposed algorithm) for fully dynamic bin packaging with an average asymptotic approximation ratio of 1.231, better than other existing algorithms. The proposed algorithm identifies inappropriate local selections using special futuristic conditions to prevent them as much as possible. Eventually, suitable choices determine and discard the improper ones. The proposed algorithm illustrates an asymptotic approximation ratio of (t/ (t-1)) OPT, where the value of t depends on the distribution of the arrived and departed items. Also, OPT is the number of bins by an optimal solution. Finally, in experiments of datasets using a maximum utilization of 80% of each bin, the average migration rate is 0.338. Using the proposed method for allocating resources in the cloud environment can allocate hosts to a virtual machine using almost optimal use. This allocation can reduce the cost of maintaining and purchasing hosts. Also, this method can reduce the migration rate of virtual machines. As a result, decreasing migration improves the energy consumption cost in the cloud environment.

Communities Detection for Advertising by Futuristic Greedy Method with Clustering Approach

Community detection in social networks is one of the advertising methods in electronic marketing. One of the approaches to find communities in large social networks is to use greedy methods, because these methods perform very fast. Greedy methods are generally designed based on local decisions; thus, inappropriate local decisions may result in an improper global solution. The use of a greedy improved index with a futuristic approach can, to some extent, prevent inappropriate local choices. Our proposed method determines the influential nodes in the social network based on the followers and following and new futuristic greedy index. It classifies the nodes based on the influential nodes by the density-based clustering algorithm with a new distance function. The proposed method can improve clustering precision to detect communities by the futuristic greedy approach. We implemented the proposed algorithm with the map-reduce technique in the Hadoop structure. Experimental results in datasets show that the average of the rand index of clusters was accomplished by 99.32% in the proposed method. In addition, these results illustrate that there is a reduction in execution time by the proposed algorithm.

Conservation needs to evolve to survive in the post-pandemic world

The conservation of biodiversity-and the vital ecosystem services it generates-is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, yet the field faces drastic funding cuts as society realigns its priorities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we argue that diverting attention from conservation would, however, increase the risk of further global health crises because the emergence of novel infectious diseases is partially driven by global environmental change. As the discrepancy between conservation needs and society's willingness to pay for them grows, conservation will have to evolve to stay relevant in the age global change-induced human infectious disease.

Photokeratitis induced by ultraviolet radiation in travelers: A major health problem

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is one of the several environmental hazards that may cause inflammatory reactions in ocular tissues, especially the cornea. One of the important factors that affect how much ultraviolet radiation (UVR) humans are exposed to is travel. Hence, traveling is considered to include a more acute UVR effect, and ophthalmologists frequently evaluate and manage the ocular manifestations of UV irradiation, including UV-induced keratitis. The purpose of this paper is to provide an evidence-based analysis of the clinical effect of UVR in ocular tissues. An extensive review of English literature was performed to gather all available articles from the National Library of Medicine PubMed database of the National Institute of Health, the Ovid MEDLINE database, Scopus, and ScienceDirect that had studied the effect of UVR on the eye and its complications, between January 1970 and June 2014. The results show that UVR at 300 nm causes apoptosis in all three layers of the cornea and induces keratitis. Apoptosis in all layers of the cornea occurs 5 h after exposure. The effect of UVR intensity on the eye can be linked to numerous factors, including solar elevation, time of day, season, hemisphere, clouds and haze, atmospheric scattering, atmospheric ozone, latitude, altitude, longitudinal changes, climate, ground reflection, and geographic directions. The most important factor affecting UVR reaching the earth's surface is solar elevation. Currently, people do not have great concern over eye protection. The methods of protection against UVR include avoiding direct sunlight exposure, using UVR-blocking eyewear (sunglasses or contact lenses), and wearing hats. Hence, by identifying UVR intensity factors, eye protection factors, and public education, especially in travelers, methods for safe traveling can be identified.

Lightning performance analysis of a rooftop grid-connected solar photovoltaic without external lightning protection system

The Sustainable Energy Development Authority of Malaysia (SEDA) regularly receives complaints about damaged components and distribution boards of PV systems due to lightning strikes. Permanent and momentary interruptions of distribution circuits may also occur from the disturbance. In this paper, a solar PV Rooftop system (3.91 kWp) provided by SEDA was modelled in the PSCAD/EMTDC. The Heidler function was used as a lightning current waveform model to analyse the transient current and voltage at two different points susceptible to the influence of lightning events such as different lightning current wave shape, standard lightning current and non-standard lightning current. This study examines the effect on the system components when lightning directly strikes at two different points of the installation. The two points lie between the inverter and the solar PV array and between inverter and grid. Exceptionally high current and voltage due to the direct lightning strike on a certain point of a PV Rooftop system was also studied. The result of this case study is observed with and without the inclusion of surge protective devices (SPDs). The parameters used were 31 kA of peak current, 10 metres cable length and lightning impulse current wave shape of 8/20μs. The high current and voltage at P1 striking point were 31 kA and 2397 kV, respectively. As for the AC part, the current and voltage values were found to be 5.97 kA and 5392 kV, respectively.Therefore, SPDs with suitable rating provided by SEDA were deployed. Results showed that high transient current voltage is expected to clamp sharply at the values of 1.915 kV and 0 A at the P1 striking point. As for the AC part, the current and voltage values were found to be 0 kA and 0.751 V, respectively. Varying lightning impulse current wave shapes at striking point P2 showed that the highest voltage was obtained at waveshape 10/350 μs at 11277 kV followed by wave shapes of 2/70 μs, 8/20 μs and 0.7/6 μs. The high value of transient voltage was clamped at a lower level of 2.029 kV. Different lightning amplitudes were also applied, ranging from 2–200 kA selected based on the CIGRE distribution. It showed that the current and voltage at P1 and P2 were directly proportional. Therefore, the SPD will be designed at an acceptable rating and proper position of SPD installation at solar PV Rooftop will be proposed. The results obtained in this study can then be utilised to appropriately assign a SPD to protect the PV systems that are connected to the grid. Installing SPDs without considering the needs of lightning protection zones would expose the expensive equipment to potential damage even though the proper energy coordination of SPDs is in place. As such, the simulation results provide a basis for controlling the impacts of direct lightning strikes on electrical equipment and power grids and thus justify SPD coordination to ensure the reliability of the system.

Experimental study on inlet turbulent flow under ultrasonic vibration: Pressure drop and heat transfer enhancement

This experimental study examines the impact of ultrasonic vibration on pressure drop and heat transfer enhancement of inlet turbulent flows. A stainless steel tube connected to an ultrasonic transducer and immersed in a constant temperature two-phase fluid was considered as the test section. Regarding the designed configuration, the ultrasonic transducer utilized had an acoustic frequency of 28 kHz and two different power levels of 75 W and 100 W. The experiments were conducted for different ultrasonic power levels, inlet temperatures, and flow rates. The accuracy of measurements was successfully validated via the existing empirical correlations. The results indicate that the effect of ultrasonic vibration on pressure drop and heat transfer enhancement diminishes with the growth of both Reynolds number and inlet temperature. Based on previously reported results on inlet flows with a laminar flow regime, the effect of ultrasonic vibration is very trivial in current turbulent inlet flows (up to 7.28% for heat convection enhancement). The results of the present study will be beneficial for future investigations on designing vibrating heat exchangers.

Small molecule PGC-1α1 protein stabilizers induce adipocyte Ucp1 expression and uncoupled mitochondrial respiration

Objective

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α1 (PGC-1α1) regulates genes involved in energy metabolism. Increasing adipose tissue energy expenditure through PGC-1α1 activation is potentially beneficial for systemic metabolism. Pharmacological PGC-1α1 activators could be valuable tools in the fight against obesity and metabolic disease. Finding such compounds has been challenging partly because PGC-1α1 is a transcriptional coactivator with no known ligand-binding properties. While, PGC-1α1 activation is regulated by several mechanisms, protein stabilization is a crucial limiting step due to its short half-life under unstimulated conditions.

Methods

We designed a cell-based high-throughput screening system to identify PGC-1α1 protein stabilizers. Positive hits were tested for their ability to induce endogenous PGC-1α1 protein accumulation and activate target gene expression in brown adipocytes. Select compounds were analyzed for their effects on global gene expression and cellular respiration in adipocytes.

Results

Among 7,040 compounds screened, we highlight four small molecules with high activity as measured by: PGC-1α1 protein accumulation, target gene expression, and uncoupled mitochondrial respiration in brown adipocytes.

Conclusions

We identify compounds that induce PGC-1α1 protein accumulation and show that this increases uncoupled respiration in brown adipocytes. This screening platform establishes the foundation for a new class of therapeutics with potential use in obesity and associated disorders.

•

A high-throughput platform to identify PGC-1α1 activators.

•

PGC-1α1 protein stabilizers work as activators in brown adipocytes.

•

Small molecule PGC-1α1 activators induce Ucp1 expression and cellular respiration.

A Type-2 Fuzzy Image Processing Expert System for Diagnosing Brain Tumors

The focus of this paper is diagnosing and differentiating Astrocytomas in MRI scans by developing an interval Type-2 fuzzy automated tumor detection system. This system consists of three modules: working memory, knowledge base, and inference engine. An image processing method with three steps of preprocessing, segmentation and feature extraction, and approximate reasoning is used in inference engine module to enhance the quality of MRI scans, segment them into desired regions, extract the required features, and finally diagnose and differentiate Astrocytomas. However, brain tumors have different characteristics in different planes, so considering one plane of patient's MRI scan may cause inaccurate results. Therefore, in the developed system, several consecutive planes are processed. The performance of this system is evaluated using 95 MRI scans and the results show good improvement in diagnosing and differentiating Astrocytomas.

Antibiotic-coated pins for prevention of pin-tract infection: a rabbit study

PURPOSE. To evaluate the efficacy of antibiotic-coated pins for prevention of pin tract infection in a rabbit model. METHODS. 10 rabbits were divided into 2 groups. A unilateral external fixator was applied to the tibia with 4 self-taping 1.8-mm pins. In the test group, pins were coated with hydroxyapatite and antibiotic. In the control group, pins were not coated. All pins were then placed in Staphylococcus aureus- containing media. At postoperative day 5, all 40 pin sites were subcutaneously inoculated with S aureus. The sites were clinically examined for signs of pin tract infection. Nine days later, a piece of soft tissue around the pin site was harvested for microbiologic examination. RESULTS. In the test group, all except one pin sites appeared clean and without clinical infection, and the culture media remained clear. In the control group, all pin sites showed evidence of clinical infection and yielded positive cultures, and the culture media became dark indicating growth of S aureus. CONCLUSION. Antibiotic-coated pins were effective in preventing pin tract infection.

Robust weighted graph transformation matching for rigid and nonrigid image registration

This paper presents an automatic point matching algorithm for establishing accurate match correspondences in two or more images. The proposed algorithm utilizes a group of feature points to explore their geometrical relationship in a graph arrangement. The algorithm starts with a set of matches (including outliers) between the two images. A set of nondirectional graphs is then generated for each feature and its K nearest matches (chosen from the initial set). Using the angular distances between edges that connect a feature point to its K nearest neighbors in the graph, the algorithm finds a graph in the second image that is similar to the first graph. In the case of a graph including outliers, the algorithm removes such outliers (one by one, according to their strength) from the graph and re-evaluates the angles until the two graphs are matched or discarded. This is a simple intuitive and robust algorithm that is inspired by a previous work. Experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of this algorithm under various conditions, such as rigid and nonrigid transformations, ambiguity due to partial occlusions or match correspondence multiplicity, scale, and larger view variation.

Specific PCR Assay for Rapid and Direct Detection of Neisseria meningitidis in Cerebrospinal Fluid Specimens

BACKGROUND

Neisseria meninigitidis is one of the most frequently encountered microorganisms associated with central nervous system infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate a PCR-based assay for specific and rapid detection of N. meninigitidis in CSF specimens.

METHODS

Since April 2002 to July 2006, 130 CSF specimens were collected from patients suspected of having bacterial meningitis. Bacterial isolation and identification was carried out according to the standard bacteriological methods. The PCR was used to amplify a 101bp fragment of capsular transport gene A (ctrA) of N. meningitidis.

RESULTS

PCR yielded an amplified product with the expected size of 101 base pair fragment. Sensitivity test proved 500 ng of N. meningitidis DNA as the final detection limit and specificity test revealed no cross-reaction for a wide range of respiratory pathogenic organisms.

CONCLUSION

The PCR assay was more sensitive than the bacterial culturing. It might be possible to apply this procedure for rapid diagnosis of meningococci in clinical samples.

A survey of traditional Iranian food products for contamination with toxigenic Clostridium botulinum

This study aimed to determine the rate of Clostridium botulinum contamination in some traditional Iranian food products (cheese, kashk and salted fish) and evaluate the efficacy of the mouse bioassay method in detection of C. botulinum toxins in these foods. A total of 131 samples (57 cheese, 11 kashk and 63 salted fish) were collected and examined to determine the rate of contamination by C. botulinum. Standard monovalent anti-toxins were used to determine the types of toxin. C. botulinum bacteria were detected in 4.58% of the examined samples (1.52% of cheese and 3.06% of salted fish samples). While no contamination was detected in the kashk samples, C. botulinum types A and E were found to be dominant in cheese and salted fish samples, respectively. These results indicate-some traditional Iranian foods may be contaminated with different types of C. botulinum, and the consumption of these products, either raw or cooked, may contribute to food-borne intoxications.

The study of prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of tracheal bacterial strains isolated from pediatric patients

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial strains isolated from tracheal specimens obtained from pediatric patients admitted to a major children hospital in Tehran, in 2007. Tracheal specimens were cultured on the appropriate bacteriological media. Bacterial isolates were identified by standard biochemical and serological tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Pseudomonas spp. was identified as the most prevalent bacterial isolate (32%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (27.6%). Thirty strains (16%) were identified as Klebsiella spp., 18 (9.6%) as Enterobacter spp. and the rest belonged to coagolase negative Staphylococci, Streptococcus viridans, Acinetobacter spp., Escherichia coli and Neisseria spp. All Pseudomonas spp. were resistant to ampicllin, kanamycin and ceftizoxime. Staphylococcus and Klebsiella spp. showed high degree of resistance to 40% of examined antibiotics.

Spinal tuberculosis: a major public health hazard in Isfahan

The purpose of this study is to review of spinal tuberculosis in three hospitals in Isfahan of Iran. We carried out a cross sectional study of 630 patients with tuberculosis and identified 100 patients with spinal involvement in the three hospitals. Tuberculosis was diagnosed based on one of a compatible clinical picture. A radiographic study of the spine with suspicious signs and skin tested were performed for each patient. Demographic data, sign, symptoms and site of spinal involvement were recorded. In all patients, a chest X ray and sputum smear and culture was performed for rouling out of pulmonary tuberculosis. Out of the 100 patients with spinal tuberculosis, 58% were male and 42% were female. Main symptoms were spinal deformity, local tenderness and neurologic deficits. Fever and constitutional symptoms were in 80% of cases. Only 68% had a positive tuberculin skin test. Three percent involvement were the upper thoracic spine, 23% the lower thoracic spine, 69% also the lower thoracic, T12 and upper lumbar spines, (thoracolumbar) and 5% the cervical spine. 40 cases underwent bone biopsy that 25% had a positive smear, whereas 62.5% had a positive culture. Histologic findings suggestive of tuberculosis involvement of the bone were found in 37 of the 40 biopsies. The most common age for spinal involvement were 20-40 years (p < 0.05). Spinal tuberculosis may be missed in patients with no evidence of pulmonary. No pathognomonic imaging signs allow tuberculosis to be readily distinguished from other conditions. In this here, we discuss about clinical and histopathological findings in patients with spinal tuberculosis.

Isolation of clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa harboring different plasmids

Aim of this study was to investigate the presence of plasmids among the strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from clinically diagnosed cases in Tehran in 2006. A total of 38 strains of P. aeruginosa were isolated. With the exception of one isolate, all P. aeruginosa strains harbored at least one plasmid band. The electrophoretic analysis of plasmid DNAs showed different number of plasmid bands among the strains tested. The DNA band of 1.4 kbp was evident in 84.2% of the strains. Approximately 71 and 21% of the isolates harbored concomitantly two and three plasmids, respectively. Isolation of strains with diverse types of plasmids suggests the different cluster of P. aeruginosa might be disseminated during the current study period.

Latex gloves allergy in dental workers, Iran

Dermal-respiratory reactions to latex glove is a common problem and sometimes life threatening. Some of the health related past histories such as hand dermatitis, atopy and food allergy increase the probability of these reaction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate reactions to latex gloves amongst dental workers in military dental health centers. In this cross-sectional descriptive survey, dental workers with minimum three months length of employment and most often use of latex gloves were asked to fill standard questionnaire regarding latex related clinical manifestation and personal medical history and predisposing factors. Those with clinical problems did Skin Prick Test (SPT). In this study 330 personnel were assessed. The mean age and length of employment was 31.6 and 8 years, respectively. The most occupation was dentistry. A total of 232 subjects (70.3%) reported latex gloves-allergic symptoms. 72 (21.8%) of persons have history of atopy and food allergy was seen in 114 (34.5%). 63 (19.1%) of subjects reported history of hand dermatitis. All of these had positive regression with allergic responses. Among 73 (34%) symptom positives, 28 (38%) had positive result of SPT. In this survey, the prevalence of allergic reactions is higher than similar studies, which may be due to type of gloves, lack of preemployment assessments and other factors. Because of relationship between allergic reactions to latex gloves and some medical histories, it seems to be necessary for preemployment evaluation and periodic health surveillance of dental workers.

An outbreak of gastroenteritis of unknown origin in Tehran, July 2003

Aim of this study was to determine the causative agent and source of a large gastroenteritis outbreak occurred in a national financial center (CBIRI) in July 2003. A patient definition was defined staff were interviewed in the clinic of the Bank and their information were collected by means of a standardized questionnaire. A total of 110 fecal specimens were collected within 48 h of symptom onset from 100 patients with symptoms of gastroenteritis and 10 restaurant staff. The specimens were processed within 12 h to detect ova and parasites by direct microscopy and common bacteria by standard methods. The outbreak started on 22 July 2003 lasted 4 days. From a total of 1300 staff. 535 persons experienced a severe gastrointestinal illness. None but one of tested fecal samples were positive for bacterial enteric pathogens. S. paratyphi B was isolated from the positive case. Definitive association between illness and isolated S. paratyphi B remained to be determined since it was isolated only from one case. There is a need, however, for increased awareness among both professionals and the public to implement appropriate prevention measures and monitoring of food and water.