Relationship between using cell phone and the risk of accident with motor vehicles: An analytical cross-sectional study

Purpose: Traffic accidents are one of the major health problems in the world, being the first cause of burden of illness and the second leading cause of death in Iran. The Sistan-Baluchestan province is one of the most accidental provinces of Iran with the highest rate of accidents-caused deaths. This study was conducted to determine the risk factors associated with traffic accidents in Zahedan through 2013 to 2016. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 223 drivers from Zahedan who were traumatized by traffic accident and sent to Zahedan hospitals. The data were obtained through interviews taken by the trained interviewers via refereeing to the medical records and collected in the researcher-made checklist. Census was obtained from the study subjects. For data analysis, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Chi-square and logistic regression were used with the Stata software version 11.0. Results: In this study, 223 male subjects with the mean age of (32.54 ± 12.95) years, 39.8% single and 60.2% married, entered for investigation. Most accidents (38.8%) occurred between 12:00 to 17:59. While driving, 47.1% of the study subjects were using cell phones, 89.1% had manual use of mobile phones, 21.9% had a habit of sending short message service (SMS) and 23.4% had sent SMS within 10 min before the accident. The one way analysis of variance showed that the mean age of individuals with marital status, driving experience, education and accident with motorcycle were significantly different (p < 0.05). Also, the multivariate logistic regression test indicated a significant relationship of smoking, ethnicity, insurance and SMS typing while driving with motorcycle accident (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, SMS and smoking while driving had the highest risk among the variables studied in the motorcycle accidents. Therefore, effective education attempting to enhance people''s awareness about the consequences of using cell phone and smoking during driving to reduce traffic accidents seems necessary.     

RAR‐related orphan receptor A: One gene with multiple functions related to migraine

AimsRAR‐related orphan receptor (RORA) involves in regulation of several biological processes including inflammation and circadian rhythm that probably are involved in migraine pathophysiology. In the current study, the association between RORA rs11639084 and rs4774388 variants and susceptibility to migraine were investigated in a sample of Iranian migraine patients for the first time.MethodsIn a case‐control study including 400 participants, 200 migraineurs and 200 healthy controls, genotyping of RORA rs4774388 and rs11639084 polymorphisms was performed using tetra‐primer amplification refractory mutation system–polymerase chain reaction (TP‐ARMS‐PCR).ResultsThe distribution of rs4774388 C/T and T/T genotypes differed significantly between the studied groups. Moreover, an association was observed between rs4774388 and migraine under the recessive mode of inheritance (P = 0.002; OR = 1.89.; CI = 1.25‐2.87). The distribution of rs11639084 alleles and genotypes was not significantly different between migraineurs and healthy controls.ConclusionCurrent results suggest RORA, as a molecular link, may explain inflammation and circadian rhythm dysfunction in migraine. Further studies in different ethnicities are required to confirm the function of RORA in migraine development.     

Novel 5-flucytosine-resistant clade of Candida dubliniensis from Saudi Arabia and Egypt identified by Cd25 fingerprinting

DNA fingerprinting of Candida dubliniensis isolates using the species-specific probe Cd25 previously showed that this species consists of two distinct groups, termed Cd25 group I and Cd25 group II. The present study investigated the population structure of 30 C. dubliniensis oral isolates from Saudi Arabia and Egypt using Cd25 fingerprinting and rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer region-based genotyping. Cd25 fingerprinting analysis of these isolates revealed two distinct populations, the first of which consisted of 10 closely related genotype 1 isolates (average similarity coefficient [S(AB)] value, 0.86). The second population of 20 isolates was much more heterogeneous (average S(AB) value, 0.35) and consisted of two distinct subpopulations, one of which consisted of genotype 3 isolates (n = 13) and the other of genotype 4 isolates (n = 7). A mixed dendrogram generated from the fingerprint data from the 30 Saudi Arabian and Egyptian isolates, 5 Israeli isolates, and 51 previously characterized international isolates (32 of Cd25 group I and 19 of Cd25 group II) revealed the presence of three distinct main clades. The first corresponded to the previously described Cd25 group I and contained all the Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, and Israeli genotype 1 isolates mixed with international isolates. The second clade corresponded to the previously described Cd25 group II and contained three Israeli isolates, one genotype 2 isolate, one genotype 3 isolate, and a genotype 4 variant isolate, which were mixed with international isolates. The third clade has not been described before and consisted solely of the 20 Saudi Arabian and Egyptian genotype 3 and 4 isolates identified in this study and a previously described genotype 4 Israeli isolate. All 20 Cd25 group III isolates exhibited high-level resistance to 5-flucytosine (MIC > or = 128 microg/ml), whereas all Cd25 group I and Cd25 group II isolates tested (10 Saudi Arabian and Egyptian, 16 Israeli, and 24 international) were susceptible to 5-flucytosine (MIC < or = 0.125 microg/ml). The results of this study show for the first time the presence of a novel 5-flucytosine-resistant clade of C. dubliniensis (Cd25 group III) that is predominant among isolates from Saudi Arabia and Egypt and absent from a previously characterized international collection of 98 isolates from 15 countries.     

Comparison of NK activity in mouse spleen and peripheral blood lymphocytes

Natural killer (NK) cells originating in mouse peripheral blood were studied with regard to their lytic activity against YAC-1 target cells and to their expression of asialo-GM1 marker on their surface. In Balb/c, CBA/LAK and A/J mice, PBL were found to be approximately twice as effective as splenocytes. Splenic and peripheral NK cells were shown by flow cytometry to have similar lytic potential per cell; the difference in NK activity found in the spleen and in PBL was solely due to the differences in the size of the NK cell population found in the two sites. Strain distribution of NK activity in PBL followed the same pattern observed in splenocytes. The difference in NK activity between CBA and Balb/c mice was shown to be due to the fact that the lytic potential per NK cell was approximately twice as high in the former.     

Mitochondrial DNA and Y-Chromosome Variation in the Caucasus

We have analyzed mtDNA HVI sequences and Y chromosome haplogroups based on 11 binary markers in 371 individuals, from 11 populations in the Caucasus and the neighbouring countries of Turkey and Iran. Y chromosome haplogroup diversity in the Caucasus was almost as high as in Central Asia and the Near East, and significantly higher than in Europe. More than 27% of the variance in Y‐haplogroups can be attributed to differences between populations, whereas mtDNA showed much lower heterogeneity between populations (less then 5%), suggesting a strong influence of patrilocal social structure. Several groups from the highland region of the Caucasus exhibited low diversity and high differentiation for either or both genetic systems, reflecting enhanced genetic drift in these small, isolated populations. Overall, the Caucasus groups showed greater similarity with West Asian than with European groups for both genetic systems, although this similarity was much more pronounced for the Y chromosome than for mtDNA, suggesting that male‐mediated migrations from West Asia have influenced the genetic structure of Caucasus populations.     

Effects of Different Doses of Caffeinated Coffee on Muscular Endurance,Cognitive Performance,and Cardiac Autonomic Modulation in Caffeine Naive Female Athletes

Caffeine is widely consumed among elite athletes for its well-known ergogenic properties, and its ability to increase exercise performance. However, studies to date have predominantly focused on the anhydrous form of caffeine in male participants. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of caffeinated coffee ingestion on lower-upper body muscular endurance, cognitive performance, and heart rate variability (HRV) in female athletes. A total of 17 participants (mean ± standard deviation (SD): age = 23 ± 2 years, body mass = 64 ± 4 kg, height = 168 ± 3 cm) in a randomized cross-over design completed three testing sessions, following the ingestion of 3 mg/kg/bm of caffeine (3COF), 6 mg/kg/bm of caffeine (6COF) provided from coffee or decaffeinated coffee (PLA) in 600 mL of hot water. The testing results included: (1) repetition number for muscular endurance performance; (2): reaction time and response accuracy for cognitive performance; (3): HRV parameters, such as standard deviation of normal-to-normal (NN) intervals (SDNN), standard deviation of successive differences (SDSD), root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), total power (TP), the ratio of low- and high-frequency powers (LF/HF), high-frequency power (HF), normalized HF (HFnu), low-frequency power (LF), and normalized LF (LFnu). A one-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed that 3COF (p = 0.024) and 6COF (p = 0.036) improved lower body muscular endurance in the first set as well as cognitive performance (p = 0.025, p = 0.035 in the post-test, respectively) compared to PLA. However, no differences were detected between trials for upper body muscular endurance (p = 0.07). Lastly, all HRV parameters did not change between trials (p > 0.05). In conclusion, ingesting caffeinated coffee improved lower body muscular endurance and cognitive performance, while not adversely affecting cardiac autonomic function.     

Differentiation and proliferation of spermatogonial stem cells using a three-dimensional decellularized testicular scaffold: a new method to study the testicular microenvironment in vitro

International Urology and Nephrology - Successful in vitro transplantation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) demands effective culture systems for SSCs proliferation and differentiation. Natural...     

The effect of vitamin E on sperm motility and viability in asthenoteratozoospermic men: In vitro study

Induction of oxidative stress during the sperm preparation process for assisted reproductive techniques (ART) in men can weaken sperm parameters. Vitamin E (VE) is considered a factor in boosting male fertility. This experimental study (in vitro) aimed to assess the impact of VE supplementation on sperm quality and lipid peroxidation during sperm sampling at different times. For this mention, semen samples were collected from 50 asthenoteratozoospermic men. Samples were divided into control and test groups for 2, 4 and 6 hr that the test group was incubated with VE (2 mM). In two groups, total motility, progressive motility and viability based on the WHO 2010 criteria were assessed. Moreover, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were evaluated in each group. In the control group, total and progressive motility and sperm viability were decreased significantly after 2 hr; however, MDA levels were increased significantly after 6 hr. Also, in the test group, sperm parameters were increased significantly after 2 hr, and MDA levels were decreased significantly after 6 hr compared to the control group. In outcome, in vitro VE supplementation may protect spermatozoa from the adverse effect of oxidative stress during sperm preparation via preservation antioxidant processes in normal condition.