Evaluation of FTO rs9939609 and MC4R rs17782313 polymorphisms as prognostic biomarkers of obesity: a population-based cross-sectional study

Objectives: Obesity is a significant risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Obesity usually results from a combination of causes and contributing factors, including genetics and lifestyle choices. Many studies have shown an association of single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] in the fat mass and obesity-associated [FTO] and the melanocortin-4 receptor [MC4R] genes with body mass index [BMI]. Therefore, recognizing the main genes and their relevant genetic variants will aid prediction of obesity risk. The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency of rs9939609 and rs17782313 polymorphisms in FTO and MC4R genes in an Iranian population

Methods: We enrolled 130 obese patients and 83 healthy weight controls and calculated their BMI. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the frequency of rs9939609 and rs17782313 polymorphisms in FTO and MC4R genes was determined using the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction [ARMS-PCR]

Results: Significant associations were found between FTO rs9939609 and BMI. Where homozygous risk allele carriers [A-A] have significant higher odds ratio [OR] of being obese than individuals with normal BMI [OR = 6.927, p < 0.005, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.48–13.78]. No significant correlation between MC4R rs17782313 and obesity were observed when compared to healthy weight individuals. Although subjects with C-C genotype had higher odds of obesity [OR = 1.889, p = 0.077, 95% CI: 0.92–3.84]

Conclusions: This study shows a relationship between FTO polymorphism and increased BMI, therefore, SNP in the FTO gene influence changes in BMI and can be considered a prognostic marker of obesity risk

Analysis of Resistance to Macrolide–Lincosamide–Streptogramin B Among mecA-Positive Staphylococcus Aureus Isolates

OBJECTIVES: Genetic determinants conferring resistance to macrolide, lincosamide, and streptogramin B (MLSB) via ribosomal modification such as, erm, msrA/B and ereA/B genes are distributed in bacteria. The main goals of this work were to evaluate the dissemination of MLSB resistance phenotypes and genotypes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates collected from clinical samples. METHODS: A total of 106 MRSA isolates were studied. Isolates were recovered from 3 hospitals in Tehran between May 2016 to July 2017. The prevalence of MLSB-resistant strains were determined by D-test, and then M-PCR was performed to identify genes encoding resistance to macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramins in the tested isolates. RESULTS: The frequency of constitutive resistance MLSB, inducible resistance MLSB and MSB resistance were 56.2%, 22.9%, and 16.6%, respectively. Of 11 isolates with the inducible resistance MLSB phenotype, ermC, ermB, ermA and ereA were positive in 81.8%, 63.6%, 54.5% and 18.2% of these isolates, respectively. In isolates with the constitutive resistance MLSB phenotype, the prevalence of ermA, ermB, ermC, msrA, msrB, ereA and ereB were 25.9%, 18.5%, 44.4%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 11.1% and 0.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Clindamycin is commonly administered in severe MRSA infections depending upon the antimicrobial susceptibility findings. This study showed that the D-test should be used as an obligatory method in routine disk diffusion assay to detect inducible clindamycin resistance in MRSA so that effective antibiotic treatment can be provided.

Designing a financial resource allocation model using goal programming approach

Background: Prioritization and resource allocation are the most important processes in managing and developing each organization. Given the high turnover and cost of hospitals in health system, this study aimed to provide a model for

financial resource allocation with the Goal Programming [GP] in Afzalipour teaching medical center in Kerman

Methods: This mixed method and case-study study was conducted in Afzalipour teaching medical center located in Kerman, south-eastern of Iran. Participating key informants and operation research experts, twelve focus group discussions [FGDs] were developed to extract a goal programming model. Then, the hospital accounting data were collected from 2010- 2013 according to the extracted model.The WinQSB software was used for running the model

Results: The findings of this study showed that the share of personnel costs of this hospital was 72% which 28% was devoted to fee-for-service [FFS] and contractual services, current and other costs were 6%, 2%, and 12%, respectively. However, the findings of goal programming model showed that the optimum and satisfactory amount of personnel costs must be 66%, 14% of which were allocated to the FFS cost. The share of contractual services, current and other costs must be 15%, 2%, and 17%, respectively

Conclusion: The results showed that resource allocation in the hospital follow merely the accounting perspective rather than optimum and satisfactory ones. It is suggested in order to achieve the optimum values, the board of trustees should be institutionalized in practice; moreover, the outsourcing services should be addressed more. Therefore, personal costs which include a large part of costs can be reduced

A method for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome based on KNN data mining algorithm: a case study in Shohada-ye Kargar hospital in Yazd, Iran

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in an individual. The presence of various signs and symptoms makes the diagnosis of this disease difficult. Data mining can provide clinical data analysis of patients for medical decision-makings. The purpose of this study was to provide a model for increasing the predictive accuracy of metabolic syndrome

Method: In this applied-descriptive study, the medical records of 1499 patients with metabolic syndrome with 15 characteristics were investigated. Patients' information is collected from the standard database of Yazd Shohada-ye kargar Hospital. Each patient was followed for at least one year. In this paper, GBC algorithm was used to optimize the results of KNN data mining algorithm to predict and diagnose metabolic syndrome, and a new model was presented

Results: Based on the objective function to predict the increase of blood lipids in the proposed method, gray wolf algorithms, particle swarm and genetics were used to improve the performance of the KNN algorithm. The analyses show that the proposed model with the precision accuracy of 0.921 has a greater accuracy compared tofuzzy methods, backup vector machine, tree decomposition and neural network

Conclusion: Search in medical databases for the purpose of obtaining knowledge and information to predict, diagnose, and decision making are some applications of data mining in medicine. Hereditary algorithms can be used to optimize data mining techniques. The prediction and proper diagnosis of metabolic syndrome by using artificial intelligence and machine learning increases the chance of successful treatment

[Barriers and motivators factors effecting influenza vaccination uptake among healthcare workers]

Background: The use of influenza vaccine in healthcare staff was suggested, but the studies have shown that frequency of vaccination is low in healthcare staff. In this study, the application of the vaccination have been studied in healthcare staff of the "Besaat" Hospital

Materials and methods: In this descriptive study, 154 healthcare staff were studied at "Besaat" Hospital. The data were collected by 2 questionnaires and then the correlation coefficient of Pearson was evaluated

Results: Distrust available vaccines, fear of side effects, lack of enough information in vaccination-time and lack of enough time for receiving the vaccine were the most important preventive causes in application of the vaccine

Conclusion: This study showed that vaccine with valid brand, distribution of vaccine in proper time and season, presentation of free vaccine to personnel and their family, management of vaccine in all shifts, holding educational seminars and active information system are effective encouraging items in application of vaccine

Reduction of radiation risk to interventional cardiologists and patients during angiography and Coronary angioplasty

Radiation risk allied to invasive cardiology is relatively high, and protecting both patients and cardiologists is necessary. The aim of this review is to discuss how to better protect patients and cardiologists against radiation exposure. We performed a global search on PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus databases via keywords of "interventional cardiologist", "patient", "radiation", and "exposure" and then performed an overview of the main strategies for risk reduction among interventional cardiologists and exposed patients. The 1st line for protection is awareness of both radiation risk factors and exposure doses and how to manage and minimize exposure levels. In conclusion, radiation-attenuating techniques can effectively reduce occupational/treatment radiation exposure to both operators and patients in cardiology interventions

A Novel PCR Assay for Detecting Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis

OBJECTIVES: Brucellosis is a major zoonotic disease that poses a significant public health threat worldwide. The classical bacteriological detection process used to identify Brucella spp. is difficult and time-consuming. This study aimed to develop a novel molecular assay for detecting brucellosis. METHODS: All complete sequences of chromosome 1 with 2.1-Mbp lengths were compared among all available Brucella sequences. A unique repeat sequence (URS) locus on chromosome 1 could differentiate Brucella abortus from Brucella melitensis. A primer set was designed to flank the unique locus. A total of 136 lymph nodes and blood samples were evaluated and classified by the URS-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in 2013–2014. RESULTS: Biochemical tests and bacteriophage typing as the golden standard indicated that all Brucella spp. isolates were B. melitensis biovar 1 and B. abortus biovar 3. The PCR results were the same as the bacteriological method for detecting Brucella spp. The sensitivity and specificity of the URS-PCR method make it suitable for detecting B. abortus and B. melitensis. CONCLUSION: Quick detection of B. abortus and B. melitensis can provide the most effective strategies for control of these bacteria. The advantage of this method over other presented methods is that both B. abortus and B. melitensis are detectable in a single test tube. Furthermore, this method covered 100% of all B. melitensis and B. abortus biotypes. The development of this URS-PCR method is the first step toward the development of a novel kit for the molecular identification of B. abortus and B. melitensis.

Prevalence of vitamin d deficiency and its related factors among university students in Shiraz, Iran

Vitamin D deficiency is a public health concern even in sunny areas, so we decided to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its related factors among university students in Shiraz. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 254 [128 male and 126 female] university students. Demographic questionnaires and a questionnaire on exposure to sun light and sun protection were completed by the participants. Serum 25OH-vitamin D was measured using a radioimmunoassay kit. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences [SPSS] software # 16. A P value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Mean +/- standard deviation [SD] of serum 25OH-vitamin D was 49.29 +/- 12.87 [nmol/l] and 27.46 +/- 10.37 [nmol/l] among male and female students, respectively. 51.2% of female students were vitamin D insufficient and 44% of them had vitamin D deficiency. Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and marginal status among male students were 49.5 and 48%, respectively. Serum vitamin D of female students was significantly less than the males [P < 0.001]. Serum vitamin D was negatively correlated to sun protection score [P < 0.001, r = 0.50], but there was no correlation between serum vitamin D and sun exposure. Vitamin D deficiency especially among female students is alarmingly prevalent. Increasing use of sunscreen lotion and clothing style could be the main factors inhibiting endogenous vitamin D synthesis which results in its deficiency

[Evaluating the antibacterial, hemolytic and cytotoxic activities of the Iranian Rana ridibunda skin extract as a new source of antimicrobial compound]

Amphibian skins possess various antibacterial compounds that are effective against some microbial pathogens and are mostly released in response to environmental stress. In fact, the skin of Rana ridibunda, a large green frog, is a rich source of antimicrobial compounds that can be developed for therapeutic use. In the present study, the skin extract of Iranian Rana ridibunda was evaluated for its antimicrobial, hemolytic and cytototoxic activities. The frog specimens were collected from Minoodasht located in Golesten province in Iran, during 2009. Subsequently, their skins were removed and the intended compounds were extracted. The crude extract was partially purified by gel filtration chromatography. The antimicrobial effects of skin extract were assessed against various microorganisms such as Escherchia coli, methicillin-resistant and-sensitive Staphyloccus aureus, vancomycin-resistant and-susceptible Enteroccus fecalis, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Candida albicans. In addition, its minimum inhibition concentration, cytotoxic and hemolytic activities were determined. The crude extract of Rana ridibunda skin had valuable antimicrobial effects against methicillin-resistant and-susceptible S. aureus in comparison with E.coli and vancomycin-resistant and-susceptible E. fecalis. Besides, no antimicrobial activities were seen against P. aeroginosa or C. albicans. Moreover, the hemolytic and cytotoxic activities of the skin extract were minimal. The antimicrobial activity of Iranian Rana ridibunda was comparable to those isolated from other Rana species. In conclusion, the skin extract of Rana ridibunda had the potential for a new therapeutic agent against the emerging drug-resistant bacteria, particularly methicillin-resistant and-sensitive S. aureus