Successful gene therapy relies on carriers to transfer genetic materials with high efficiency and low toxicity in a targeted manner. To enhance targeted cell binding and uptake, we developed and synthesized a new gene delivery vector based on graphene oxide (GO) modified by branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) and folic acid (FA). The GO-PEI-FA nanocarriers exhibit lower toxicity compared to unmodified PEI, as well as having the potential to efficiently condense and protect pDNA. Interestingly, increasing the polymer content in the polyplex formulation improved plasmid transfer ability. Substituting graphene oxide for PEI at an N/P ratio of 10 in the HepG2 and THP1 cell lines improved hIL-12 expression by up to approximately eightfold compared to simple PEI, which is twice as high as GO-PEI-FA in Hek293 at the same N/P ratio. Therefore, the GO-PEI-FA described in this study may serve as a targeting nanocarrier for the delivery of the hIL-12 plasmid into cells overexpressing folic acid receptors, such as those found in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT This study focused on using Stipagrostis plumosa for phytoremediation to eliminate total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and heavy metals (HMs) like cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) from oil-contaminated soil. Conducted over six months at a field-scale without artificial pollutants, soil samples were analyzed using gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry (GC‒MS) for TPHs and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‒OES) for HMs. Results after six months revealed that plots with plants had significantly higher average removal percentages for TPHs (61.45%), Cd (39.4%), Cr (46.1%), Pb (41.5%), and Ni (44.2%) compared to the control group (p <0.05). Increased microbial respiration and bacteria populations in planted plots indicated enhanced soil microbial growth. Kinetic rate models aligned well with the first-order kinetic rate model for all pollutants (R2 >0.9). Overall, the study demonstrates that S. plumosa can effectively reduce TPHs and HMs in oil-contaminated soil, making it a promising option for pollutant absorption.

Having a parent with cancer is one of the risk factors for adolescents, which makes them face many psychological problems. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of Happiness Educational Program of Fordyce on the sense of coherence and psychological well-being of adolescents who have a parent with cancer. In this randomized clinical trial study, 92 adolescents whose diagnosed parents have referred to the oncology ward of Shahid Rajaei Hospital in Yasuj, from June to September 2021, were selected through the convenience sampling method; however, they were randomly assigned to one of the two groups of the intervention or control. The number of sessions in the intervention group was 6, each consisting of 60 minutes and performed one day a week for 6 weeks. In addition to the demographic information form, the Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Questionnaire-13 and the Ryff's scale of Psychological Well-being-18 were used before and immediately after the intervention. Data were analyzed through SPSS software, version 21, using statistical tests of Chi-square, t-test, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney, and Wilcoxon. After the intervention, statistically significant differences were observed in the median scores of the sense of coherence (P<0.001) and psychological well-being (P<0.001) between the two groups of intervention and control. Although the Happiness Educational Program of Fordyce could improve the sense of coherence and psychological well-being of adolescents who have a parent with cancer, more investigations are recommended to be conducted.Trial Registration Number: IRCT20210331050795N1.

PurposeThis study conducted in Dena County is a population-based cohort study as part of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN). The specific objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of region-specific modifiable risk factors and their associations with the incidence of major non-communicable diseases (NCDs).ParticipantsThis PERSIAN Dena Cohort Study (PDCS) was conducted on 1561 men and 2069 women aged 35–70 years from October 2016 in Dena County, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Southwest Iran. The overall participation rate was 82.7%.Findings to dateOut of 3630 participants, the mean age was 50.16 years, 2069 (56.9%) were women and 2092 (57.6%) were rural residents. Females exhibited higher prevalence rates of diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver, psychiatric disorders, thyroiditis, kidney stones, gallstones, rheumatic disease, chronic lung disease, depression and osteoporosis compared with males (p<0.05). Furthermore, the urban population showed elevated rates of diabetes, thyroiditis, kidney stones and epilepsy, whereas psychiatric disorders and lupus were more prevalent in rural areas (p<0.05). According to laboratory findings, 418 (13.0%), 1536 (48.1%) and 626 (19.3%) of the participants had fasting blood sugar >126 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein >100 mg/dL and haematuria, respectively; most of them were female and urban people (p<0.05).Future plansPDCS will be planned to re-evaluate NCD-related incidence, all-cause and cause-specific mortality every 5 years, along with annual follow-up for 15 years. Some examples of additional planned studies are evaluation of genetic, environmental risk, spirometry and ECG tests.

Abstract Background: Caring of mentally retarded children at home is a challenging event and negatively affects family mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of Teach back method and Short Message Service on stress of mothers of educable mentally retard children. Methods: In this field trial study, 105 mothers with educable mentally retarded children were selected through the convenience sampling method. The participants were assigned to the two intervention and control groups based on block randomization. The teach-back method intervention was developed for at least 8 sessions, and then the faculty members of the research team were asked to approve the content and materials of the intervention. Mothers in SMS group received four text messages each day, totally 180 messages within 1.5 months. The Abidin Short Form Parenting Stress Index were filled out by mothers the groups of interventions and control at baseline and one month after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS21, by descriptive and inferential test, considering the 95% confidence interval. Results: shows that one month after the completion of education through teach-back and SMS, the level of stress decreased with a steep slope in the intervention 1, intervention 2 groups, while it had an upward trend in the control group which received no intervention one month after the completion of intervention.The level of stress in the intervention 1 group (88.6) and in intervention 2 group (86.09)were significantly more than the control group (135.23) (p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: since a targeted nurse-client relationship is one of the main issues of nursing care, nurses can benefit from these educational methods to educate clients.

Background:: Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 is a type of acute respiratory syndrome caused by a virus from the family of coronaviruses that has affected all the countries of the world in a short period. Objective:: The purpose of this review is to identify and report medicinal plants effective against covid-19. In this study, the keywords containing medicinal plants and "corona disease" i.e. covid-19, MERS, SARS-CoV-2, and medicinal plants or natural antioxidants were used. Methodology:: Search databases including ISI, Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Mag Iran, and SID were used. Relevant articles were selected and unrelated articles were excluded. Results:: Based on the obtained results, medicinal plants such as Isatis indigotica Fortune, Bupleurum spp., Curcuma longa L., Cibotium barometz (L.), Rheum palmatum L., Rheum palmatum L., Sprag, Scutettaria baicalensis Georg, Alnus japonica (Thunb.) Steud, Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Steud. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, Tribulus terrestris L, Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent., Stephania tetrandra S. Moore and related species, Sambucus formosana Nakai, Strobilanthes cusia, Lycoris radiata, E. purpurea, Lobelia inflata, Eupatorium perfoliatum, and Achyranthes aspera are the most important medicinal plants that are used in the treatment of Covid-19. Conclusion:: Due to having secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity, medicinal plants have a favorable effect in improving corona symptoms in patients with covid-19.

Considering the main component of cardiovascular disease and due to the high prevalence of hypertension, controlling blood pressure is required in individuals with various health conditions. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) which studied the effects of pomegranate consumption on blood pressure have shown inconsistent findings. As a result, we intended to assess the effects of pomegranate consumption on systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure in adults. Systematic literature searches up to January 2024 were carried out using electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, to identify eligible RCTs assessing the effects of pomegranate on blood pressure as an outcome. All the individuals who took part in our research were adults who consumed pomegranate in different forms as part of the study intervention. Heterogeneity tests of the selected trials were performed using the I2 statistic. Random effects models were assessed based on the heterogeneity tests, and pooled data were determined as the weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Of 2315 records, 22 eligible RCTs were included in the current study. Our meta-analysis of the pooled findings showed that pomegranate consumption significantly reduced SBP (WMD: -7.87 mmHg; 95% CI: -10.34 to -5.39; p < 0.001) and DBP (WMD: -3.23 mmHg; 95% CI: -5.37 to -1.09; p = 0.003). Individuals with baseline SBP > 130 mmHg had a significantly greater reduction in SBP compared to individuals with baseline SBP < 130 mmHg. Also, there was a high level of heterogeneity among studies (SBP: I2 = 90.0% and DBP: I2 = 91.8%). Overall, the results demonstrated that pomegranate consumption lowered SBP and DBP in adults. Although our results suggest that pomegranate juice may be effective in reducing blood pressure in the pooled data, further high-quality studies are needed to demonstrate the clinical efficacy of pomegranate consumption.

Rubella and measles are two highly contagious viral childhood diseases. However, the high possibility of brutal effects of both microorganisms during pregnancy has kept them emerging as a major public health issue. The current study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of rubella and measles among 15-25-year-old females in southwest Iran. This descriptive study was performed in Jahrom, southern west Iran during 2012. Serum samples from female individuals with an age of 15-25 years visiting main laboratories in our study location were collected and evaluated by a commercial ELISA kit for anti-rubella and measles IgG antibodies. Among the 179 participants, regarding anti-rubella antibodies, 171 (95.0%) were positive, 3 (1.7%) were negative, and 6 (3.3%) were borderline. Regarding anti-measles antibodies, 166 (92.2%) of the subjects were positive, 1 (5.6%) was negative, and 13 (17.2%) were borderline. By assuming a positive value for the borderline cases, the ultimate findings demonstrated that 98.3% and 99.4% of the participants were immune against rubella and measles, respectively. There was no statistically significant association between measles and rubella immunity with age or the use of immunosuppressor medication. Implementation of vaccine program has obtained significant immunity level in inhabitants, particularly women of childbearing age who play a more important role in herd immunity. Therefore, maintaining the national immune screening against rubella and measles is needed to take into consideration to maintain the current satisfactory level of immunization.

Abstract: Periodontitis is an oral inflammatory disease possessing detrimental impacts on supporting tissue of teeth (like gingiva, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone) and involves a great number of individuals all over the world. One of the appropriate ways to prevent this disease is to find related risk factors. According to reports, pregnancy complications can be associated with this oral disease; however, the possible mechanisms linking these two conditions have not been exactly determined. Hence, in this review, we summarize documents related to pregnancy complications and periodontitis with a mechanistic insight. : Literature on the relevant topic was searched from scientific databases, including Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed, in English, between 1996 and 2022. : 3Based on reports, pregnancy complications (premature labor, low weight at birth, and preeclampsia) can be related to periodontitis. This linkage can be mediated by inflammatory reactions, one of the main pathogenic mechanisms in periodontitis. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, have the ability to induce labor and fetal toxicity and finally create preterm labor and low weight at birth. Besides, these cytokines can potentiate chronic inflammatory responses in the fetal-maternal interface, impair placentation, and create endothelial dysfunction. : It seems that pro-inflammatory reactions, like secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, can be a bridge for associating periodontitis and pregnancy complications. However, more studies with larger sample sizes are needed to support these findings.

Almond consumption has an inverse relationship with obesity and factors related to metabolic syndrome. However, the results of available clinical trials are inconsistent. Therefore, we analyzed the results of 37 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and evaluated the association of almond consumption with subjective appetite scores and body compositions. Net changes in bodyweight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat mass (FM), body fat percent, fat-free mass (FFM), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subjective appetite scores were used to calculate the effect size, which was reported as a weighted mean differences (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). This meta-analysis was performed on 37 RCTs with 43 treatment arms. The certainty in the evidence was very low for appetite indices, body fat percent, FFM, VAT, and WHR, and moderate for other parameters as assessed by the GRADE evidence profiles. Pooled effect sizes indicated a significant reducing effect of almond consumption on body weight (WMD: -0.45 kg, 95% CI: -0.85, -0.05, p= 0.026), WC (WMD: -0.66 cm, 95% CI: -1.27, -0.04, p= 0.037), FM (WMD: -0.66 kg, 95% CI: -1.16, -0.17, p= 0.009), and hunger score (WMD: -1.15 mm, 95% CI: -1.98, -0.32, p= 0.006) compared with the control group. However, almond did not have a significant effect on BMI (WMD: -0.20 kg m-2, 95% CI: -0.46, 0.05, p= 0.122), body fat percent (WMD: -0.39%, 95% CI: -0.93, 0.14, p= 0.154), FFM (WMD: -0.06, 95% CI: -0.47, 0.34, p= 0.748), WHR (WMD: -0.04, 95% CI: -0.12, 0.02, p= 0.203), VAT (WMD: -0.33 cm, 95% CI: -0.99, 0.32), fullness (WMD: 0.46 mm, 95% CI: -0.95, 1.88), desire to eat (WMD: 0.98 mm, 95% CI: -4.13, 2.23), and prospective food consumption (WMD: 1.08 mm, 95% CI: -2.11, 4.28). Subgroup analyses indicated that consumption of ≥50 g almonds per day resulted in a significant and more favorable improvement in bodyweight, WC, FM, and hunger score. Body weight, WC, FM, body fat percent, and hunger scores were decreased significantly in the trials that lasted for ≥12 weeks and in the subjects with a BMI < 30 kg/m2. Furthermore, a significant reduction in body weight and WC was observed in those trials that used a nut-free diet as a control group, but not in those using snacks and other nuts. The results of our analysis suggest that almond consumption may significantly improve body composition indices and hunger scores when consumed at a dose of ≥50 g/day for ≥12 weeks by individuals with a BMI < 30 kg/m2. However, further well-constructed randomized clinical trials are needed in order ascertain the outcome of our analysis.