Publications by authors named "Tavasoli A"

Objective: Neurocognitive (NC) impairment in people with HIV (PWH) is associated with erythrocyte indices, which may serve as indicators of iron metabolism, inflammation, and related factors. Erythropoiesis requires iron, regulated by a multifaceted system of peptide hormones, including hepcidin. This study postulated that hepcidin might modify the relationship between erythrocyte indices and NC performance in PWH.

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This case report documents a rare presentation of eyebrow bleeding occurring during migraine episodes in a 10-year-old girl, highlighting atypical signs associated with the disorder. Despite her normal neurological examinations and imaging studies, the patient experienced recurrent, severe headaches accompanied by localized bleeding and red spots on the forehead. This unusual symptomatology suggests potential underlying neurovascular and neuroinflammatory mechanisms, necessitating heightened awareness among healthcare providers.

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  • Leukodystrophies are serious inherited neurological disorders with high mortality rates and limited treatment options, highlighting a gap in data on mortality causes.
  • A study on 165 Iranian pediatric patients found that 38.8% had died, with a mean age at death of 5.2 years and a mortality rate increasing over time.
  • The main causes of death were identified as cardiopulmonary issues (47%), seizures (11%), and sepsis (9%), indicating the need for targeted interventions to address these specific causes in future care.
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  • The study focused on diagnosing Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) in children referred to a pediatric emergency unit between 2011 and 2016.
  • The most common diagnoses were Guillain-Barré Syndrome (80 cases), acute viral myositis (20 cases), Transverse Myelitis Syndrome (6 cases), and Vaccine-Associated Paralytic Poliomyelitis (6 cases), with all patients testing negative for poliovirus.
  • A unique case of a 2.5-month-old patient presented with symptoms compatible with viral meningitis, highlighting the importance of considering a range of diagnoses when evaluating AFP in children.
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  • * The review discusses several emerging treatment methods, including Acetyl-DL-leucine, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Gene Therapy, Dexamethasone, and a novel approach using Red Blood Cells to carry dexamethasone (EryDex).
  • * Among these treatments, EryDex and N-Acetyl-DL-Leucine show the most promise, although most therapies are still in the early research stages.
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  • Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy type 25 (DEE25) is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the SLC13A5 gene, leading to issues like energy production disruption and developmental delays in the brain.
  • Symptoms typically include refractory seizures in early life, global developmental delays, microcephaly, and dental issues linked to amelogenesis imperfecta.
  • Recent findings in two affected siblings revealed significant brain changes on MRI, such as hypomyelination and white matter loss, highlighting the disorder's clinical variability even among siblings with the same genetic mutations.
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Background: Drug-resistant epilepsy is defined as failure of seizure control in spite of using 2 or 3 proper antiepileptic drugs in appropriate time. Mineral elements play important roles in neuronal function; it is believed that mineral deficiency may lead to complications through seizure management. In the present study, serum levels of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and 25-hydroxy vitamin D (Vit D) in drug-resistant-epilepsy (DRE) patients were evaluated and compared with the controlled patients.

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Myasthenia gravis (MG) is the most frequent transmission disease in the neuromuscular junction. Juvenile myasthenia gravis (JMG) is an autoimmune antibody-mediated disease of postsynaptic endplate defined as MG presentation in patients before the age of 18 years old. While many clinical features of JMG are identical to the adults, there are some significant differences between them regarding presentation, clinical course, antibody level, and thymus histopathology.

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  • - Cytochrome C oxidase (COX) deficiency is a rare inherited metabolic disorder that affects the enzyme responsible for a critical step in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, potentially impacting various body tissues.
  • - A case study presented a 3-year-old girl who experienced muscle weakness and developmental decline, leading to the identification of a genetic mutation causing COX10 deficiency.
  • - Diagnosing mitochondrial disorders like COX deficiency can be challenging, but treatment mainly involves supportive care and supplements, highlighting the need for genetic mutation identification to improve treatment options.
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Background: NOTCH3 variants are known to be linked to cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). However, some null NOTCH3 variants with homozygous inheritance cause neurological symptoms distinct from CADASIL. The aim of this study was to expand the clinical spectrum of this distinct condition and provide further evidence of its autosomal recessive inheritance.

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Background And Purpose: While classic brain MR imaging features of Alexander disease have been well-documented, lesional patterns can overlap with other leukodystrophies, especially in the early stages of the disease or in milder phenotypes. We aimed to assess the utility of a new neuroimaging sign to help increase the diagnostic specificity of Alexander disease.

Materials And Methods: A peculiar bilateral symmetric hyperintense signal on T2-weighted images affecting the medulla oblongata was identified in an index patient with type I Alexander disease.

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Background: Pediatric migraine prophylaxis is indicated when headaches are frequent and/or disabling. We aimed to conduct a study to compare the efficacy of cinnarizine and amitriptyline in pediatric migraine prophylaxis.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind trial, patients aged 4-17 years with migraine who were eligible for prophylaxis enrolled.

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Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEEs) (OMIM#618,328) is characterized by seizures, hypotonia, and brain abnormalities, often arising from mutations in genes crucial for brain function. Among these genes, GLS stands out due to its vital role in the central nervous system (CNS), with homozygous variants potentially causing DEE type 71. Using Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) on a patient exhibiting symptoms of epileptic encephalopathy, we identified a novel homozygous variant, NM_014905.

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  • A study on early-onset progressive cerebellar ataxia in Iran was conducted at the Children's Medical Center from 2019 to 2022, focusing on genetic factors and patient data.
  • Researchers examined 162 patients, identifying pathogenic genetic variants in 42 genes across 97 families, achieving a genetic diagnostic rate of nearly 60%.
  • The findings highlight Iran's diverse genetic causes of hereditary ataxia, emphasizing the need for preventive strategies and a national guideline to enhance diagnosis and patient care.
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Background: Leishmania is an intracellular flagellate protozoan parasite that causes a wide range of clinical diseases in humans. The basis of immunological resistance against leishmaniasis depends on Thl reactions and is within the time period of cytokine function.

Methods: In this study, human anti-IL17 antibody and IFNγ-producing promastigote were produced to be used in leishmanization.

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Although solar fuels photocatalysis offers the promise of converting carbon dioxide directly with sunlight as commercially scalable solutions have remained elusive over the past few decades, despite significant advancements in photocatalysis band-gap engineering and atomic site activity. The primary challenge lies not in the discovery of new catalyst materials, which are abundant, but in overcoming the bottlenecks related to material-photoreactor synergy. These factors include achieving photogeneration and charge-carrier recombination at reactive sites, utilizing high mass transfer efficiency supports, maximizing solar collection, and achieving uniform light distribution within a reactor.

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Melittin (MLT), a peptide containing 26 amino acids, is a key constituent of bee venom. It comprises ∼40%-60% of the venom's dry weight and is the main pricing index for bee venom, being the causative factor of pain. The unique properties of MLT extracted from bee venom have made it a very valuable active ingredient in the pharmaceutical industry as this cationic and amphipathic peptide has propitious effects on human health in diverse biological processes.

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Background: Human mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (hMSCs) are known for their pronounced therapeutic potential; however, they are still applied in limited clinical cases for several reasons. ROS-mediated oxidative stress is among the chief causes of post-transplantation apoptosis and death of hMSCs. It has been reported that a strategy to protect hMSCs against ROS is to pretreat them with antioxidants.

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  • The study investigates mitochondrial leukodystrophies (MLs) in a cohort of 41 pediatric patients, revealing a strong link between mitochondrial respiratory chain impairments and genetic mutations.
  • Whole exome sequencing was utilized to identify mutations, resulting in the discovery of 39 homozygous variants and five novel variants potentially contributing to the disease's development.
  • Common symptoms included neurological regression, and differences in MRI findings were noted between patients affected by oxidative phosphorylation issues and those with mtDNA maintenance problems.
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Objectives: Breath holding spells (BHS) are a type of syncope in children that is commonly seen in the first years of life. Although these attacks do not cause serious damage to the child's brain, in severe or repeated cases, they expose the brain to hypoxia and cause a lot of stress in parents. In these cases, the clinician should consider therapy.

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Background: NARS2 encodes mitochondrial Asparaginyl-tRNA Synthetase 2, which catalyzes the aminoacylation of tRNA-Asn in the mitochondria. To date, 24 variants have been reported in NARS2 gene in 35 patients. The phenotypic variability of NARS2-associated disorder is broad, ranging from neurodevelopmental disorders to hearing loss.

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Introduction: Homozygous and compound heterozygous variants in , the gene encoding connexin-47 protein, cause Pelizaeus-Merzbacher-like disease type 1 or hypomyelinating leukodystrophy 2 (HLD2), a severe infantile-onset hypomyelinating leukodystrophy, and rarely some milder phenotypes like hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) type 44 (SPG44) and subclinical leukodystrophy. Herein, we report an Iranian -related family with intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity and review the literatures.

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing was performed for an Iranian proband, who was initially diagnosed as HSP case.

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Today, the importance of decreasing and converting CO gases from the atmosphere into value-added chemicals by catalytic hydrogenation reactions has become one crucial challenge. In the current work, to facilitate the hydrogenation of CO, several mesoporous alumina catalysts with high efficiency and stability were synthesized using the MIL-68(Al) platform, a nanoporous MOF with a high surface area as a precatalyst, encapsulating nickel or nickel-iron nanoparticles (NPs). After removing the organic linker of MIL-68(Al) by calcination in air, two types of catalysts, promoted and unpromoted, were obtained with various loads of nickel and iron.

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Background: HIV infection causes neuroinflammation and immune activation (NIIA) and systemic inflammation and immune activation (SIIA), which in turn drive neurodegeneration (ND). Cross-sectionally, higher levels of NIIA biomarkers correlate with increased biomarkers of ND. A more convincing confirmation would be a longitudinal demonstration.

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