The Prioritization of Lean Techniques in Emergency Departments Using VIKOR and SAW Approaches.

Background: Considering various researches were carried out to implement Lean techniques in healthcare centers, this study has tried to investigate how lean principles could be prioritized in the Emergency Department (ED) by comparing physicians and nurses viewpoints.

Methodology: In the first stage, relevant Lean techniques and several criteria to evaluate the ED performance were selected by reviewing the literature. Then, weight factors for each criterion were calculated using the Entropy method, and Lean techniques were compared and ranked via a questionnaire by which the physicians' and nurses' opinions were obtained separately.

Toll-Like Receptor 4 as an Immune Receptor Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To review the main Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and the roles played by toll-like receptor (TLR)4 in determination of Mtb infection outcome.

Methods: Several scientific databases, including Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar, were used for searching appropriate research articles from the literature for information on our topic.

Results: TLR4 plays positive roles in induction of immune responses against Mtb and participates in eradication of the infection.

Comparison of serum levels of IL-6, IL-8, TGF-β and TNF-α in coronary artery diseases, stable angina and participants with normal coronary artery.

Cytokines, which typically regulate the immune responses, play a role in cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery diseases (CAD) and ischemic heart diseases (IHD). The aims of this study were to evaluate serum levels of IL-6, IL-8, TGF-β and TNF-α in patients with or without CAD, as well as stable angina, and to assess the effects of drug administration on the serum levels of these cytokines. Serum levels of the cytokines were analyzed in the three groups: patients with acute coronary syndrome, stable angina and participants with normal coronary arteries as controls.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Glycemic Status and Zinc Level in Patients with Beta-Thalassemia Major.

Endocrinopathies and diabetes mellitus are prevalent in patients with beta-thalassemia major Recently some studies demonstrate a link between low levels of serum zinc level and higher prevalence of diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the glucose tolerance in patients suffered from beta-thalassemia major and determine the association of Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) parameters with zinc status among these patients. In this cross sectional study, clinical data of patients who were suffered from thalassemia major, aged≥10 years were collected.

Inflammasomes and type 2 diabetes: An updated systematic review.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder that is accompanied by chronic inflammation. The main mechanisms and molecular signaling of the induction of inflammation in T2D are still unknown. It seems that intracellular sensors that participate in recognition of endogenous damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) play key roles in the induction/stimulation of chronic inflammation in T2D.