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 Background: Tahini (sesame paste) is a kind of food obtained from sesame seeds. To our knowledge, this is the first study to measure total antioxidant activity and total phenolic compounds in tahini brands available in Iranian market.
Methods: In this study, 111 tahini samples were collected and purchased from the Iranian Market, including 37 commercial brands (three samples for per brand). The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) method was used to measure total antioxidant activity in each sample. Total phenol contents were measured by the Folin–Ciocalteau method in tahini brands.
Results: Current study showed Mino-dates brand (119.93 µmol/ml ±0.159), Trang-Chocolate brand (56.30 µmol/ml ±0.056), Barsam-coffee (45.13µmol/ml±0.094), and Chocolate-barsam brand (53.23 µmol/ml ±0.112), respectively, have more total antioxidant activity than other brands (p< 0.001). Moreover, Mino-dates brand (2057.33 µmol/ml ±0.094), barsam-coffee (805.51 µmol/ml ±0.041), Chocolate-barsam brand (807.42 µmol/ml ±0.095), and Trang-Chocolate brand (685.75 µmol/ml ±0.086), respectively, have more total phenolic compounds than other brands (p< 0.001).
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, Tahini brands with higher polyphenol contents antioxidant capacity also had higher antioxidant capacity. It can be concluded that Tahini in the Iranian market is one of the most valuable foods in terms of antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents.
  

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Background and Objectives: Asthma is one of the most common respiratory diseases. Inhaled particles that may trigger allergic reactions and air routes are important factors contributing to asthma. This study aimed to determine the abundance of allergens in children with asthma in Gorgan, Iran.
Methods: In this retrospective study, we randomly collected records of all asthmatic patients over five years of age referred to asthma and allergy clinic in Gorgan, Iran. Furthermore, data related to skin prick test were recorded.
Results: The severity of asthma differed significantly between males and females. There was a direct relationship between age and reaction to one allergen. In addition, 18 of 25 (72 %) patients with severe asthma were allergic to more than two allergens. Moreover, the most common allergen was mite (56%).
Conclusion: Mites are the most common allergen among children with asthma in the study area.

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Background and objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health problem. Laboratory professionals are at a higher risk of contracting the disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted to examine lab professionals' perceptions and satisfaction with organizational processes during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out on 53 medical laboratory professionals working at laboratories in Tripoli (Libya) between November 2020 and January 2021. Data were collected via face-to-face questionnaire. Responses to questions were scored based on a five-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 2= disagree, 3=neutral, 4=agree and 5=strongly agree). Data were presented as frequency and percentages using the Microsoft Excel 2016.
Results: Most participants were female (81.2%) and with less than five years of work experience (39.6%). The majority of respondents (79.3%) had a bachelor’s degree. Most healthcare workers (75.5%) were unaware whether the lab would provide medical care if they were tested positive for COVID-19, while 13.2% of them perceived that they will get free medical care. Owing to social distancing, 20 subjects (37.7%) felt that their social activities have been altered during break time.  Only 3.7% of the participants believed that their motivation level decreased due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Conclusion: The outcomes of this study provide laboratorians’ perspective in the COVID-19 crisis as well as specific lessons for future unpredicted crises.

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Background and objectives: The hoteling quality promotion is part of the health system development plan, based on which the physical appearance of laboratories of public hospitals are improved and renovated. The present study aimed to evaluate the policy-making gap in the hoteling quality promotion of the health system development plan in providing laboratory services in public hospitals in the Golestan Province, Iran.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was performed on 384 medical staff and physicians working in laboratories of public hospitals affiliated with the Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Golestan Province, Iran. Data were collected using a 35-item researcher-made questionnaire that was distributed and collected over a period of six months. We examined the extent of the gap between the current and expected status based on the two components: the alignment of key stakeholders with health system development policies and stakeholders' opposition to health system development policies, as well as the extent of the gap
Results: The hoteling quality promotion was about -0.05 in providing laboratory services in public hospitals of the Golestan Province, indicating a low gap between the current and favorable status in the fifth axis of the health system development plan in terms of supervision.
Conclusion: The implementation of the hoteling quality promotion plan in providing laboratory services in public hospitals of the province is not consistent with the expected goals of the fifth axis of the health system development plan. Therefore, there is a need to examine and eliminate effective factors contributing to this gap.

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Background and objectives: Developing scaffolds is important for tissue engineering and repairing damaged tissues. The present study aimed to investigate effects of pre-incubation of an electrospun silk fibroin scaffold in complete and serum-free media on proliferation and survival of cells seeded on the scaffold.
Methods: After removing sericin from the silk cocoon and preparing the fibroin solution (3% w/v), the electrospun silk fibroin scaffold was fabricated and its morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The scaffolds were pre-incubated in complete and serum-free Dulbecco's Modified Eagle media for one hour (short-term) and 10 days (long-term), and the hydrophilicity of scaffolds was evaluated by measuring the water contact angle. Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were seeded onto the scaffolds, and cell survival and genomic DNA concentration were evaluated after 21 days.
Results: The short-time pre-incubation of electrospun silk fibroin scaffolds in the complete medium increased the proliferation of seeded cells because of serum protein adsorption. In addition, long-term pre-incubation of the scaffolds in the complete and serum-free media increased cell proliferation due to the increased hydrophilicity of the scaffold (p<0.05). However, only long-term pre-incubation of the scaffolds in the complete medium had a significant effect on cell survival.
Conclusion: The results demonstrated that long-term pre-incubation of the scaffolds in the complete medium have more profound positive effects on cell survival and proliferation compared to short-term pre-incubation.

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Background and objectives: Lead (Pb) is among the most toxic pollutants that affect health of both humans and animals. Finding a way to prevent Pb accumulation in animals’ bodies seems necessary. Bacterial cellulose nanofiber (BCNF) can remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions. This study investigates effects of oral consumption of BCNF, as a chelator, on Pb concentration in the kidney and liver tissues of rats.
Methods: Sixteen Wistar rats (aged 6-8 weeks) were divided into four groups: 1. control, 2. fed with Pb, 3. fed with Pb (50 μg/g) and BCNF (16 μg/g) simultaneously, and 4. fed with Pb and BCNF with 4 hours interval. The rats were euthanized, and the kidney and liver tissues were separated. After acidic digestion of the tissue samples, Pb concentration was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry.
Results: The mean concentration of Pb in the kidney and liver tissues of rats fed with Pb and BCNF were significantly lower than that of rats fed only with Pb. In addition, the mean Pb concentration in rats of group 3 was lower than that of group 4.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed the favorable effects of BCNF on prevention of Pb accumulation in the kidney and liver tissues of rats. Moreover, removal of Pb may be related to binding of BCNF with Pb in the gut or blood. More studies are necessary to determine the exact mechanisms through which BCNF can reduce Pb accumulation.
 

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Background and objectives: Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used in the treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infections. One of the side effects of this antibiotic is nephrotoxicity. In this study, the protective effect of Melissa officinalis L. extract on diabetes- and gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity was studied.
Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. The first group received distilled water, and the second group received M. officinalis L. extract (100 mg/kg) for 28 days. The third group received streptozocin (60 mg/kg) for 18 days, and then received gentamicin (80 mg/kg) on day 20 for 8 consecutive days. The fourth group received streptozocin, gentamicin, and M. officinalis L. extract for 28 days. Serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, glucose, and amylases were measured. The right kidney was maintained in 10% formalin for hematoxylin and eosin staining, and oxidative stress markers in the left kidney were assessed.
Results: In the third group, serum BUN, creatinine, glucose, amylase, and malondialdehyde (MDA) increased, while glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities decreased significantly compared to the other groups (P<0.05). The extract of M. officinalis L. significantly inhibited the enhancement of serum creatinine, BUN, glucose, amylase, and MDA (P<0.05). Histological examinations showed that diabetes and gentamicin could lead to kidney damage by inducing necrosis and inflammation. Finally, the extract of M. officinalis L. could significantly reduce the adverse effects of both gentamicin and diabetes (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The extract of M. officinalis L. improves biochemical parameters and histological lesions in diabetic rats treated with gentamicin.

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Background and objectives: Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 8 weeks of swimming exercise and omega-3 supplementation on the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) genes and serum levels of reproductive hormones in the endometrial tissue of a rat model of endometriosis.
Methods: In this experimental study, 30 adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of healthy-control, patient-control, patient+exercise, patient+omega-3, and patient+omega-3+exercise groups. After the induction of endometriosis, the rats were subjected to 8 weeks of swimming exercise, 5 days a week as well as 2 ml/kg/body weight of omega-3. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test at the significance level of 0.05.
Results: The expression of COX-2 and PGE2 as well as serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol levels were significantly higher in the patient group compared with the healthy-control group (p≤0.0001). Exercise and omega-3 supplementation either separately or combined could significantly reduce the expression of both genes and serum levels of LH, FSH, and estradiol (p<0.05). This effect was more profound in the patient+exercise+omega-3 group.
Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that regulating the expression of COX-2 and PGE2 genes as well as serum levels of reproductive hormones through swimming exercise and omega-3 supplementation can improve endometriosis.

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Background and objectives: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are isolated from domestic and animal products as well as man-made systems such as medical devices, drinking water systems, water tanks, and shower streams.  This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of NTM in clinical samples in Iran during 2000-2022.
Methods: Published studies addressing the prevalence of NTM in clinical samples in Iran were reviewed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews protocol.  Original articles in Persian and English published between January 2000 and 2022 in databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Iranian databases were included. The prevalence of NTM at 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated by comprehensive meta-analysis.
Results: Overall, 26 studies were included in the review. The combined prevalence of NTM in positive mycobacterial cultures was 4.5% (95% Cl: 3.1-6.5). Mycobacterium simiae [35.8% (95% CI 16.4-44.4)], Mycobacterium intracellulare [19% (95% CI 8.7-28.3)], and Mycobacterium kansasii [13.4% (95% CI 7.3-24.3)] were the most common slowly growing species, while Mycobacterium fortuitum [24.6% (95% CI 12.9-46.7)], Mycobacterium terrae [18.5 % (95% CI 11.5-29.2)], and Mycobacterium gastri [15.9% (95% CI6.0-41.2)] were the most prevalent rapidly growing mycobacteria.

Conclusion:  In summary, our findings indicate a relatively high combined prevalence of NTM in clinical samples in Iran.  Some of these species such as M. simiae can have clinical and radiologic manifestations similar to those of TB and are resistant to anti-TB drugs. Therefore, standardizing the use of molecular methods for the detection of NTM seems necessary. 

 

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Background: Discovering new cytotoxic compounds has received significant attention due to the rise in drug resistance and the adverse effects associated with chemotherapy drugs. In this study, the cytoplasmic extract of Lactobacillus casei was used to produce iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂o₃ NPs), and the cytotoxic effects of NPs were investigated on MCF-7 and human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells.
Methods: The cytoplasmic extract of L. casei was mixed with 10³M iron sulfate solution and incubated for 3 weeks at 37 °C and 5% CO₂. The coprecipitation method was used to synthesize chemical Fe₂o₃ NPs. The synthesis of NPs was studied by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and the cytotoxic effects were evaluated with dilutions (10, 100, and 1000 µg/mL) on MCF-7 and HEK cells.
Results: X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy presented the mean of NPs synthesized by the green method to be about 15 nm and their shape to be spherical, as well as the average of chemically synthesized NPs to be about 20 nm with cubic structure. Chemical and green synthesized NPs only at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL were able to significantly reduce the survival rate of normal HEK-293 cells; chemically synthesized NPs decreased MCF-7 cell survival only at 1000 µg/mL and green synthesis at 100 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL.
Conclusion: Generating Fe₂o₃ NPs is biologically safe using the green synthesis method and the cytoplasmic extract of L. casei, which may be a suitable candidate for the treatment of cancer cells.

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Introduction: Bronchopulmonary lophomoniasis is an infrequent occurrence. In this study, we document a singular instance of pulmonary lophomoniasis exhibiting unconventional manifestations in Golestan province, Iran.
Case presentation: The case under examination pertains to a 47-year-old male inmate who has been encountering respiratory issues for a duration of four months, culminating in a diagnosis of lophomoniasis. Both blood and sputum cultures yielded negative results. Similarly, bronchoalveolar lavage tests for bacterial and fungal pathogens returned negative findings. However, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) results (microscopic) showed mild positive lophomoniasis targeting Lophomonas blattarum and Serum IgE=387 was relatively higher than normal limits.
Conclusion: The patient received treatment with metronidazole, leading to the resolution of all clinical complications within a span of four weeks.