Student-related factors affecting academic engagement: A qualitative study exploring the experiences of Iranian undergraduate nursing students.

Background And Aim: Academic engagement is an important indicator of quality of higher education. This study aimed to explain the experiences of undergraduate nursing students in terms of student-related factors affecting academic engagement.

Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2017 at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran.

The effects of sericin on cryopreserved sperm cells and subsequent embryo development in mice.

Background: Sericin, because of its ability to remove free radicals and its antioxidant properties, has been used to successfully cryopreserve various mammalian cell types. However, the effects of sericin on cryopreservation of mouse sperm has not been reported.

Objective: The current study intended to determine the protective role of different concentrations of sericin (0, 0.

Identification of Mucorales in patients with proven invasive mucormycosis by polymerase chain reaction in tissue samples.

Background: Accurate diagnosis of mucormycosis, a life-threatening fungal infection, remains a challenge for physicians.

Objectives: To identify the causative Mucorales in fresh clinical samples and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of patients with proven mucormycosis by molecular method.

Patients/methods: Fresh clinical samples of patients with proven mucormycosis according to the EORTC/MSG criteria admitted between 2015 and 2017 and histopathologically proven FFPE archives collected during 2004-2007 and 2015-2017 from Mazandaran University-affiliated hospitals of northern Iran were included.

Multidisciplinary Management of Complicated Crown-Root Fracture: A Case Report.

The management of traumatic dental injuries as well as crown-root fractures is always challenging in everyday general dental practice. A number of treatment modalities are available for crown-root fractures, depending on the position, extent and severity of the fracture. The aim of this case report was to describe a clinical case of rehabilitation of a complicated crown-root fracture of the maxillary left central incisor, successfully treated by a multidisciplinary approach including orthodontic extrusion.

An investigation into the role of different constituents in damage accumulation in arterial tissue and constitutive model development.

Carotid atherosclerotic plaque rupture is one of the leading causes of stroke. Treatments for atherosclerosis can induce tissue damage during the deployment of an intravascular device or through external tissue clamping during surgery. In this paper, a constituent specific study was performed to investigate the role of the ground matrix and collagen fibres of arterial tissue in response to supra-physiological loads.

The Effect of Dexmedetomidine Prescription on Shivering during Operation in the Spinal Anesthesia Procedures of Selective Orthopedic Surgery of the Lower Limb in Addicted Patients.

Background: Shivering during a surgery is common. Recently, Alpha-D-agonist dexmedetomidine has been used to control and prevent shivering during and after surgery. However, the anti-shivering effects of this drug in people are unknown with substance abuse.

Effect of WIN55-212-2 and Consequences of Extinction Training on Conditioned Fear Memory in PTSD Male Rats.

Introduction: This study investigates the effects of cannabinoid agonist WIN55-212-2 on acquisition and consolidation phases of the fear memory extinction and also on anxiety and motor activity.

Methods: In this study, we used SPS & S model to induce post-traumatic stress disorder. One week after SPS, to establish a conditioned fear memory, rats received an electric foot shock within shock chamber.

Pathologic role of nitrergic neurotransmission in mood disorders.

Mood disorders are chronic, recurrent mental diseases that affect millions of individuals worldwide. Although over the past 40 years the biogenic amine models have provided meaningful links with the clinical phenomena of, and the pharmacological treatments currently employed in, mood disorders, there is still a need to examine the contribution of other systems to the neurobiology and treatment of mood disorders. This article reviews the current literature describing the potential role of nitric oxide (NO) signaling in the pathophysiology and thereby the treatment of mood disorders.

Comparative susceptibilities and immune reactions of wild and cultured populations of Caspian trout Salmo trutta caspius to VHSV.

Caspian trout Salmo trutta caspius is an endangered subspecies of brown trout Salmo trutta which is native to the Caspian Sea. Restocking programmes have been established, but recent introduction of the rhabdovirus viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) into Iranian rainbow trout farms connected to waterbodies supporting wild Caspian trout may represent an additional threat to the declining stock. The susceptibility of wild and cultured populations of this endemic subspecies was demonstrated by performing controlled VHSV infection experiments (both by bath and injection challenges).

Developing a model for hospital inherent safety assessment: Conceptualization and validation.

Background: Paying attention to the safety of hospitals, as the most crucial institute for providing medical and health services wherein a bundle of facilities, equipment, and human resource exist, is of significant importance.

Objective: The present research aims at developing a model for assessing hospitals' safety based on principles of inherent safety design.

Methods: Face validity (30 experts), content validity (20 experts), construct validity (268 examples), convergent validity, and divergent validity have been employed to validate the prepared questionnaire; and the items analysis, the Cronbach's alpha test, ICC test (to measure reliability of the test), composite reliability coefficient have been used to measure primary reliability.

Mechanisms underlying anticonvulsant and proconvulsant actions of norepinephrine.

Norepinephrine (NE) has been shown to exert a potent suppressant effect on seizure development. On the other hand, several lines of evidence have shown that increased NE level is proconvulsant under certain conditions. These data suggest that variations in NE levels could affect modulatory action of noradrenergic system on seizures.

Determination of cut-off point of cross-sectional area of median nerve at the wrist for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome.

The most common entrapment mononeuropathy of the upper extremity is carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). It consists 90% of entrapment neuropathies. The purpose of this study was to compare cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve at the wrist in CTS patients and healthy controls and define the best cut-off point of CSA to differentiate patients and controls in Iranian population.

Patterns of Uveitis at a Tertiary Referral Center in Northeastern Iran.

Purpose: To describe the demographic and clinical patterns of patients with uveitis referred to a tertiary center in northeastern Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study included 235 patients with uveitis who had been referred to the uveitis clinic of Khatam-Al-Anbia eye hospital, affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, from February 2013 to March 2014. Data regarding patient age, sex, anatomical location of the disease, and etiologic and clinical features were analyzed.

The Effect of Functional Stretching Exercises on Neural and Mechanical Properties of the Spastic Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle in Patients with Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Following spasticity, neural and mechanical changes of the paretic muscle often occur, which affect the muscle function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of functional stretching exercises on neural and mechanical properties of the spastic muscle in patients with stroke.

Materials And Methods: This study was a single-blinded, randomized control trial.

Simulation-Based Exploration of Quorum Sensing Triggered Resistance of Biofilms to Antibiotics.

We present a mathematical model of biofilm response to antibiotics, controlled by a quorum sensing system that confers increased resistance. The model is a highly nonlinear system of partial differential equations that we investigate in computer simulations. Our results suggest that an adaptive, quorum sensing-controlled, mechanism to switch between modes of fast growth with little protection and protective modes of slow growth may confer benefits to biofilm populations.

Detection of DNA in Malignant Breast Tissues in Breast Cancer Patients.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy in women throughout the world. Similar to other cancers, a strong relationship between breast cancer and environmental factors such as infectious agents has been reported. is a protozoan parasite which may play a role in cancer induction.

Natural cycle versus artificial cycle in frozen-thawed embryo transfer: A randomized prospective trial.

Objective: To investigate whether there was a difference in pregnancy outcomes between modified natural cycle frozen-thawed embryo transfer (NC-FET) cycles and artificial cycles (AC)-FET in women who all had regular menstrual cycles.

Materials And Methods: One hundred seventy patients who met the inclusion criteria and had at least two cryopreserved embryos were included in a prospective randomized controlled trial. Eighty-five patients were randomized based on Bernoulli distribution into the following two groups: 1) Modified NC-FET using human chorionic gonadotropin for ovulation induction and 2) AC-FET, in which endometrial timing was programmed with estrogen and progesterone.

Cochlear implantation in children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder: A multicenter study on auditory performance and speech production outcomes.

Objectives: To evaluate the auditory performance and speech production outcome in children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD). The effect of age on the outcomes of the surgery at the time of implantation was also evaluated.

Methods: Cochlear implantation was performed in 136 children with bilateral severe-to- profound hearing loss due to ANSD, at four tertiary academic centers.

The impacts of rest breaks and stretching exercises on lower back pain among commercial truck drivers in Iran.

. This study aimed to determine the impacts of rest breaks and stretching exercises on lower back pain (LBP) in commercial truck drivers. .

Upregulation of miR-371-373 cluster, a human embryonic stem cell specific microRNA cluster, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Aims: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common subtype of esophageal cancer in Iran. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that are found to be involved in different processes and can play a role in tumorigenesis and result in cancer. MiR-371, miR-372, and miR-373 are a gene cluster that is located in the region of the human chromosome of 19q13.

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Mucormycosis is a rare but fulminant opportunistic fungal infection, which occurs most often in diabetic and immunocompromised patients. Dental extractions may create a portal of entry for the fungal infection. The mucormycosis may be the original cause of the pain and can be misdiagnosed as dental pain.

The Effect of Pregabalin and Metformin on Subacute and Chronic Radiculopathy.

Background: Radicular pain is one of the most common forms of chronic pain in the world, which has challenges about effective medical therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pregabalin (PGB) and metformin (Met) on subacute and chronic radiculopathy.

Materials And Methods: This double-blind prospective clinical trial was performed on 71 patients with subacute and chronic cervical and lumbosacral radiculopathy.

The effect of mixing on fermentation of primary solids, glycerol, and biodiesel waste.

In this study, the effect of mixing on volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and composition was investigated through running five identical bench-scale reactors that were filled with primary solid and dosed with either pure glycerol or biodiesel waste. Experimental results revealed that there was an inverse correlation between the mixing intensity and the VFA production. The total VFA production in the un-mixed reactor was 9,787 ± 3,601 mg COD/L, whereas in the reactor mixed at 100 rpm this dropped to 3,927 ± 1,175 mg COD/L, while both types of reactor were dosed with pure glycerol at the beginning of each cycle to reach the initial concentration of 1,000 mg/L (1,217 mg COD/L).

Quaternized γ-FeO@cellulose ionomer: An efficient recyclable catalyst for Michael-type addition reaction.

Owe to unique advantages of heterogeneous catalytic reactions, there is increasing interest to use this type of chemical transformations in organic synthesis. Among various heterogeneous catalytic systems, magnetic supported ionic liquids are emerging ones in the chemical synthesis. As a result, this research focuses on developing an efficient magnetically recyclable catalytic system for Michael-type addition reaction based on quaternized γ-FeO@cellulose ionomer.