Assessment of chromite ore wastes for methylene blue adsorption: Isotherm, kinetic, thermodynamic studies, ANN, and statistical physics modeling.

This research investigates the adsorption potential of chrysotile and lizardite, two minerals derived from chromite ore wastes, for the uptake of Methylene Blue (MB) dye from waste streams. The characterization of these minerals involves XRD, XRF, FTIR, and SEM. Results confirm the dominance of polymorphic magnesium silicate minerals, specifically chrysotile and lizardite, in the samples. The FTIR spectra reveal characteristic vibration bands confirming the presence of these minerals. The SEM analysis depicts irregular surfaces with broken and bent edges, suggesting favorable morphologies for adsorption. N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms indicate mesoporous structures with Type IV pores in both adsorbents. The Central Composite Design approach is employed to optimize MB adsorption conditions, revealing the significance of contact time, adsorbent mass, and initial MB concentration. The proposed models exhibit high significance, with F-values and low p-values indicating the importance of the studied factors. Experimental validation confirms the accuracy of the models, and the optimum conditions for MB adsorption are determined. The influence of solution acidity on MB uptake is investigated, showing a significant enhancement at higher pH values. Isothermal studies indicate Langmuir and Freundlich models as suitable descriptions for MB adsorption onto chrysotile and lizardite. The maximum adsorption capacities of MB for chrysotile and lizardite were found to be 352.97 and 254.85, respectively. Kinetic studies reveal that the pseudo-first-order model best describes the adsorption process. Thermodynamic analysis suggests an exothermic and spontaneous process. Statistical physics models further elucidate the monolayer nature of adsorption. Additionally, an artificial neural network is developed, exhibiting high predictive capability during training and testing stages. The reusability of chrysotile and lizardite is demonstrated through multiple regeneration cycles, maintaining substantial adsorption potential. Therefore, this research provides comprehensive insights into the adsorption characteristics of chrysotile and lizardite, emphasizing their potential as effiective and reusable sorbents for MB uptake from wastewater.

Healthcare priority-setting criteria and social values in Iran: an investigation of local evidence.

INTRODUCTION: Integrating social values into health technology assessment processes is an important component of proper healthcare priority setting. This study aims to identify social values related to healthcare priority setting in Iran. METHOD: A scoping review was conducted on original studies that investigating social values in the healthcare system in Iran. The databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and EBSCO were searched with no restrictions on time and language. The reported criteria were clustered using Sham's framework of social value analysis in health policy. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies published between 2008 and 2022 met the inclusion criteria. Fourteen of the included studies followed a quantitative approach with different methods to identify criteria, and the remaining seven studies used a qualitative approach. A total of fifty-five criteria were extracted and clustered into necessity, quality, sustainability, and process categories. Only six studies found criteria that were related to processes. Only three studies used public opinions as a source of value identification and eleven studies investigated the weight of criteria. None of the included studies explored the interdependency of the criteria. CONCLUSION: Evidence suggests that several criteria other than cost per health unit also need to be considered in healthcare priority setting. Previous studies have paid little attention to the social values that underlie priority setting and policy-making processes. To reach consensus on social values related to healthcare priority setting, future researches need to involve broader stakeholders' perspectives as a valuable source of social values in a fair process.

Synthesis and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of novel isopropylquinazolinones.

To find new anti-browning and whitening agents in this study, new series of isopropylquinazolinone derivatives were designed and synthesized. All derivatives were evaluated as possible tyrosinase inhibitors and compound 9q bearing 4-fluorobenzyl moieties at the R position exhibited the best potencies with an IC50 value of 34.67 ± 3.68 µM. The kinetic evaluations of 9q as the most potent derivatives recorded mix-type inhibition. Compounds 9o and 9q also exhibited potent antioxidant capacity with IC50 values of 38.81 and 40.73 µM, respectively confirming their antioxidant potential. Molecular docking studies of 9q as the most potent derivative were exacuated and it was shown that quinazolinone and acetamide moieties of compound 9q participated in interaction with critical His residues of the binding site. The obtained results demonstrated that the 9q can be considered a suitable pharmacophore to develop potent tyrosinase inhibitors.

Global perspectives on trends in health higher education.

Today, changes in political and economic conditions, epidemiological and sociological developments, and the advancement of science and technology have necessitated the health and medical education systems to change. Therefore, we conducted a study entitled "Global perspectives on trends in higher education in healthcare," to improve the quality of healthcare so that it can be used as a model for predicting future events related to medical education. This futures study applied the social, technological, economical, ecological, political, values (STEEPV) model to identify and analyze the trends that affect medical education at different levels. To collect and analyze the data, a scoping review of the articles published from the year 2000 was conducted on the World Health Organization (WHO), Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Direct, Google Scholar, EBSCO, and Cochrane databases. The review process was performed in five stages: 1- Determining the research question, 2- Identifying relevant studies, 3- Selecting the studies, 4- Charting the data, and 5- Analyzing data. The preferred reporting item for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement was used in the selection and screening of articles. A total of 213 articles were included in the study for qualitative synthesis. A total of 154 trends were identified using the STEEPV model at seven levels of health behaviors and patients, diseases and health problems, healthcare system, medical education system, medical education institutions, medical curricula, and teaching and learning. Considering the results of this study, it is possible to formulate proper and efficient future scenarios for the higher health education system. Also, it will be helpful for medical education policymaking.

The Future Effects of COVID-19 on the Health System: Applying the Futures Wheel Method.

Background: Although the evidence emphasizes that COVID-9 incurs considerable primary effects on public economics and health, it is not so clear what the future effects of this pandemic might be. This study aims to identify the primary and future effects of COVID-19 on the health system. Methods: Futures Wheel (FW) method was used to find the primary and future effects of COVID-19 on eight important dimensions of the health system, including the six building blocks. To gather relevant information, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge, and other sources were searched to find potential studies reporting the potential effects of COVID-19 on the health system. Following that, an expert panel with nine participants to depict the findings was held. Results: Fifty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. The participants reached a consensus on nineteen main primary effects of COVID-19 that could impose 26 main future effects with specific risk opportunities on different dimensions of the health system. Workforce, stewardship and health policy, and infrastructure and hospital capacity dimensions were the most affected by COVID-19 in both the primary and future timeframe. Most of the signals of COVID-19-related opportunities could stem from health technologies and research systems, and service delivery dimensions. Conclusion: COVID-19 comes with considerable risks, especially for the health system governance and workforce dimensions. There are some opportunities to improve the resilience of the health system by using digital health platforms, promoting health literacy of the population, and also adopting inclusive health policy-making processes.

Lessons for preparedness and reasons for concern from the early COVID-19 epidemic in Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Many countries with an early outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 struggled to gauge the size and start date of the epidemic mainly due to limited testing capacities and a large proportion of undetected asymptomatic and mild infections. Iran was among the first countries with a major outbreak outside China. METHODS: We constructed a globally representative sample of 802 genomes, including 46 samples from patients inside or with a travel history to Iran. We then performed a phylogenetic analysis to identify clades related to samples from Iran and estimated the start of the epidemic and early doubling times in cases. We leveraged air travel data from 36 exported cases of COVID-19 to estimate the point-prevalence and the basic reproductive number across the country. We also analysed the province-level all-cause mortality data during winter and spring 2020 to estimate under-reporting of COVID-19-related deaths. Finally, we use this information in an SEIR model to reconstruct the early outbreak dynamics and assess the effectiveness of intervention measures in Iran. RESULTS: By identifying the most basal clade that contained genomes from Iran, our phylogenetic analysis showed that the age of the root is placed on 2019-12-21 (95 % HPD: 2019-09-07 - 2020-02-14). This date coincides with our estimated epidemic start date on 2019-12-25 (95 %CI: 2019-12-11 - 2020-02-24) based air travel data from exported cases with an early doubling time of 4.0 (95 %CI: 1.4-6.7) days in cases. Our analysis of all-cause mortality showed 21.9 (95 % CI: 16.7-27.2) thousand excess deaths by the end of summer. Our model forecasted the second epidemic peak and suggested that by 2020-08-31 a total of 15.0 (95 %CI: 4.9-25.0) million individuals recovered from the disease across the country. CONCLUSION: These findings have profound implications for assessing the stage of the epidemic in Iran despite significant levels of under-reporting. Moreover, the results shed light on the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmissions in Iran and central Asia. They also suggest that in the absence of border screening, there is a high risk of introduction from travellers from areas with active outbreaks. Finally, they show both that well-informed epidemic models are able to forecast episodes of resurgence following a relaxation of interventions, and that NPIs are key to controlling ongoing epidemics.

Factors Affecting COVID-19 Transmission and Modelling of Close Contact Tracing Strategies.

BACKGROUND: Close contact tracing is an essential measure that countries are applying to combat the epidemic of COVID-19. The purpose of contact tracing is to rapidly identify potentially infected individuals and prevent further spread of the disease. In this study, based on the factors affecting the COVID-19 transmission, a scoring protocol is provided for close contact tracing. METHODS: First, the factors affecting the COVID-19 transmission in close contacts were identified by a rapid review of the literature. Data were gathered by searching the Embase, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. Then, by formulating and scoring the identified factors with two sessions of the expert panel, close contact transmission risk score determined, and a protocol for contacts tracing was designed. RESULTS: Close contact transmission risk depends on the contact environment characteristics, the infectivity (virus shedding) of the sentinel case, and contact characteristics. Based on these factors, the close contact transmission risk score and contact tracing protocol were prepared. CONCLUSION: The close contact transmission risk scores will provide the ability to contact classifications and developing specific tracing strategies for them. Given that there are not any specific treatments for COVID-19 and lack of universal vaccination, applying nonpharmaceutical measures such as contact tracing along with physical distancing is very crucial. Therefore, we recommended this model to the evaluation of exposure risk and contact tracing.

Stakeholder analysis of Iran's health insurance system.

INTRODUCTION: This study was designed and implemented with the purpose of identify and analyze the stakeholders in Iran's Health Insurance System (HInS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a mixed method study. The study setting was in the field and consists of all organizations in the HInS. The study steps designed according to the Kammi Schmeer stakeholder analysis model. The information was collected through semi-structured and structured interviews with 16 stakeholder representatives. The data collection tool was checklist and matrixes that determined the characteristics of the stakeholders. Analysis of data was done by Maxqda10 and Mactor software. RESULTS: A total of 34 stakeholders were identified that were involved in nine main activities of HInS. Major stakeholders have governmental nature. The Government, the Planning and Budget Organization, the Ministry of Health, the Welfare Ministry, the Higher Health Insurance Council, and the Medical Council were stakeholders who have high financial, decision-making, and political power simultaneously. The Parliament and the Health Commission, the Government, the Planning and Budget Organization, and the Ministry of Health were stakeholders that had the most influence on other stakeholders. Most of stakeholders have same position to the objectives of the HInS. The insurer organizations had opposed position with the objective of integrity of the funds. CONCLUSIONS: Stakeholders of Iran's HInS are multiple and involved in various activities that sometimes they are overlapping and parallel. Regarding the same position of the majority of stakeholders to the objectives, reforms are possible, provided that influential stakeholders participate in policies making.

Key success factors of health research centers: A mixed method study.

BACKGROUND: In order to achieve success in future goals and activities, health research centers are required to identify their key success factors. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to extract and rank the factors affecting the success of research centers at one of the medical universities in Iran. METHODS: This study is a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative) study, which was conducted between May to October in 2016. The study setting was 22 health research centers. In qualitative phase, we extracted the factors affecting the success in research centers through purposeful interviews with 10 experts of centers, and classified them into themes and sub-themes. In the quantitative phase, we prepared a questionnaire and scored and ranked the factors recognized by 54 of the study samples by Friedman test. RESULTS: Nine themes and 42 sub-themes were identified. Themes included: strategic orientation, management, human capital, support, projects, infrastructure, communications and collaboration, paradigm and innovation and they were rated respectively as components of success in research centers. Among the 42 identified factors, 10 factors were ranked respectively as the key factors of success, and included: science and technology road map, strategic plan, evaluation indexes, committed human resources, scientific evaluation of members and centers, innovation in research and implementation, financial support, capable researchers, equipment infrastructure and teamwork. CONCLUSION: According to the results, the strategic orientation was the most important component in the success of research centers. Therefore, managers and authorities of research centers should pay more attention to strategic areas in future planning, including the science and technology road map and strategic plan.