Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness and Its Relation to Innovative Anthropometric Indices in Persian Adults.

Background: BMI has been evaluated as an old criterion to evaluate obesity in individuals, but it does not assess abdominal obesity and lean mass. We aimed to evaluate the possible relationship of new anthropometric indices (namely, a body shape index (ABSI), the body roundness index (BRI), the visceral adiposity index (VAI), the visceral fat area (VFA), and waist-hip ratio (WHR)), with one of the known critical factors of atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness.

Methods: Overall 5921 individuals were enrolled and were divided into four groups according to BMI.

Body mass index, lipid profile, and hypertension contribute to prolonged QRS complex.

Background And Aims: QRS prolongation is one of the most common findings in patients with underlying cardiac diseases. Recent studies have shown that QRS prolongation can be accompanied by obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, which are known risk factors for cardiovascular events. This study aimed to evaluate how obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia could affect QRS duration.

Association between Clinical Characteristics and Laboratory Findings with Outcome of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Report from Northeast Iran.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first discovered in December 2019 in China and has rapidly spread worldwide. Clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and their association with the outcome of patients with COVID-19 can be decisive in management and early diagnosis. Data were obtained retrospectively from medical records of 397 hospitalized COVID-19 patients between February and May 2020 in Imam Reza Hospital, northeast Iran.

NADPH oxidase modifies patterns of MHC class II-restricted epitopic repertoires through redox control of antigen processing.

The chemistries within phagosomes of APCs mediate microbial destruction as well as generate peptides for presentation on MHC class II. The antimicrobial effector NADPH oxidase (NOX2), which generates superoxide within maturing phagosomes, has also been shown to regulate activities of cysteine cathepsins through modulation of the lumenal redox potential. Using real-time analyses of lumenal microenvironmental parameters, in conjunction with hydrolysis pattern assessment of phagocytosed proteins, we demonstrated that NOX2 activity not only affects levels of phagosomal proteolysis as previously shown, but also the pattern of proteolytic digestion.

Molecular insights into clathrate hydrate nucleation at an ice-solution interface.

Clathrate hydrates are specific cage-like structures formed by water molecules around a guest molecule. Despite the many studies that have been performed on clathrate hydrates, the actual molecular mechanism of both their homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation has yet to be fully clarified. Here, by means of molecular simulations, we demonstrate how the interface of hexagonal ice can facilitate the heterogeneous nucleation of methane clathrate hydrate from an aqueous methane solution.

On understanding stacking fault formation in ice.

Despite dedicated efforts aimed at revealing possible molecular structures of the ice defects associated with stacking faults in ice (I), these molecular arrangements have remained a puzzle. Here we demonstrate how the reorganization of water molecules on different faces of ice (I) can facilitate formation of stacking faults within a crystal. We show that a pair of point defects can manifest a particular combination of coupled five- and eight-membered rings (5-8 rings).

Fibril formation of lysozyme upon interaction with sodium dodecyl sulfate at pH 9.2.

Fibril formation seems to be a general property of all proteins. Its occurrence in hen or human lysozyme depends on certain conditions, namely acidic pHs or the presence of some additives. This paper studies the interaction of lysozyme with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at pH 9.

Chemometric studies of lysozyme upon interaction with sodium dodecyl sulfate and beta-cyclodextrin.

The interaction of hen egg-white lysozyme with sodium n-dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as an anionic surfactant was investigated by UV-vis spectrophotometry at different pHs at 25 degrees C using HCl/glycine and NaOH/glycine for acidic and basic pH ranges, respectively. Analysis of the spectral data using chemometric method gave the evidence for the existence of intermediate components during the cited interaction. Results also indicated a connection between turbidity of the protein solution upon interaction with SDS and distribution of our newly found intermediates.

Copper content of grape and wine from Italian farms.

The copper content of grape and wine from 16 wine-farms in Italy was studied during the harvest of 2003. The influence of the number of copper applications, the period between the last application and harvest, and the total amount of copper applied was examined. Of the total number of samples analysed, 13% of grape samples and 18% of wine samples exceeded the maximum residue level (MRL).

Effects of metsulfuron methyl and cypermethrin exposure on freshwater model ecosystems.

The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term (2 weeks) effects of the herbicide metsulfuron methyl alone and in combination with the insecticide cypermethrin in freshwater enclosures (80 l). We used a factorial design with four levels of herbicide (0, 1, 5, 20 microg/l) and two levels of insecticide (0 and 0.05 microg/l).