• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.160-170
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• 2024

Objective: Owing to the availability of 3D software, scanners, and printers, clinicians are encouraged to produce in-office aligners. Recently, a new direct-printing resin (Tera Harz TC-85DAC) has been introduced. Studies on its mechanical characteristics and biological effects have been published; however, evidence on its efficacy in orthodontic treatment remains scarce. This pilot study aimed to investigate the accuracy of teeth movement achieved with direct-printed aligners. Methods: Seventeen patients (eight males and nine females) with a mean age of 27.67 ± 8.95 years, presenting with dental rotations < 30° and spaces/crowding < 5 mm, were recruited for this study. The teeth movement was planned starting from a T0 digital dental cast. The 3D direct-printed aligners were produced using Tera Harz TC-85DAC resin. Once the orthodontic treatment was completed, a final digital cast was obtained (T1). The planned teeth positions were then superimposed onto the T0 and T1 digital models. The differences between the programmed movements and the achieved overall torque, tip, rotation, and transverse dimensions were assessed using the paired t test or Wilcoxon's signed rank test. Results: The overall accuracies for torque, tip, and rotation were 67.6%, 64.2%, and 72.0%, respectively. The accuracy of the change in transverse diameter was 99.6%. Conclusions: Within the limits of the present pilot study (difficulties with abnormally shaped teeth and use of attachments), it can be concluded that 3D printed aligners can be successfully printed in-house and utilized for mildly crowded cases, with a comparable accuracy of tooth movement to that of other aligners.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.214-220
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• 2023

Background/Aims: This study aimed to determine whether vitamin C in addition to indomethacin decreases the occurrence and severity of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP) occurrence and severity. Methods: This randomized clinical trial included patients undergoing ERCP. The participants were administered either rectal indomethacin (100 mg) plus an injection of vitamin C (500 mg) or rectal indomethacin (100 mg) alone just before ERCP. The primary outcomes were PEP occurrence and severity. The secondary amylase and lipase levels were determined after 24 hours. Results: A total of 344 patients completed the study. Based on intention-to-treat analysis, the PEP rates were 9.9% for indomethacin plus vitamin C plus indomethacin and 15.7% for indomethacin alone. Regarding the per-protocol analysis, the PEP rates were 9.7% and 15.7% in the combination and indomethacin arms, respectively. There was a remarkable difference between the two arms in PEP occurrence and severity on intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses (p=0.034 and p=0.031, respectively). The post-ERCP lipase and amylase concentrations were lower in the combination arm than in the indomethacin alone arm (p=0.034 and p=0.029, respectively). Conclusions: Vitamin C injection in addition to rectal indomethacin reduced PEP occurrence and severity.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2023

Previous studies have frequently reviewed how different macronutrients affect liver health. Still, no study centered around protein intake and the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) risk relationship. This study aimed to examine the association between the consumption of total and different sources of protein and NAFLD risk. We allocated 243 eligible subjects to the case and control groups, including 121 incidence cases of NAFLD, and 122 healthy controls. Two groups were matched in age, body mass index, and sex. We evaluated the usual food intake of participants using FFQ. Binary logistic regression was conducted to estimate the risk of NAFLD in relation to different sources of protein intake. The age of participants was 42.7 years on average, and 53.1% were male. We found Higher intake of protein in total (odds ratio [OR], 0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11-0.52) was significantly associated with a lower risk of NAFLD, despite adjusting for multiple confounders. in detail, higher tendency to the vegetables (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.13-0.59), grains (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.11-0.52), and nuts (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.12-0.52) as the main sources of protein, were remarkably correlated with lower NAFLD risk. In contrary, increased intake of meat protein (OR, 3.15; 95% CI, 1.46-6.81) was positively associated with a higher risk. Totally, more calorie intake from proteins was inversely associated with lower NAFLD risk. This was more likely when the protein sources were selected less from meats and more from plants. Accordingly, increasing the consumption of proteins, particularly from plants, may be a good recommendation to manage and prevent NAFLD.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.15-15
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• 2015

Aspergillus fumigatus is a major cause of invasive aspergillosis (IA), a significant health issue worldwide with high mortality rates up to 95%. Our lab is interested in how A. fumigatus adapts to low oxygen conditions 'hypoxia', which is one of the important host microenvironments. A. fumigatus SrbA is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional regulator and belongs to sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) family members. Loss of SrbA completely blocks growth in hypoxia and results in avirulence in murine models of IA suggesting an essential role of SrbA in hypoxia adaptation and virulence in A. fumigatus. We conducted chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) with A. fumigatus wild type using a SrbA specific antibody, and 97 genes were revealed as SrbA direct targets. One of the 'SrbA regulons' (AFUB_099590) was a putative bHLH transcriptional regulator whose sequence contained a characteristic tyrosine substitution in the basic portion of the bHLH domain of SREBPs. Therefore, we designated AFUB_099590 SrbB. Further characterization of SrbB demonstrated that SrbB is important for radial growth, biomass production, and biosynthesis of heme intermediates in hypoxia and virulence in A. fumigatus. A series of quantitative real time PCR showed that transcription of several SrbA regulons is coordinately regulated by two SREBPs, SrbA and SrbB in hypoxia. This suggests that SrbA and SrbB have both dependent and independent functions in regulation of genes responsible for hypoxia adaptation in A. fumigatus. Together, our data provide new insights into complicated roles of SREBPs in adaptation of host environments and virulence in pathogenic fungi.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4581-4585
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• 2012

Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) performs a vital role in the pathogenesis of hematopoietic malignancies. Therefore in recent times, the focus of several studies was on use of FLT3 as a prognostic marker. The present study investigated the molecular characterization and incidence of FLT3 mutations in acute leukemia patients in Pakistan. A total of 55 patients were studied, of which 25 were suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 30 were suffering from acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The polymerase chain reaction demonstrated FLT3/ITD mutations in 1 (4%) of 25 ALL patients, a male with the L2 subtype. In AML cases the rate was 4 (13.3%) of 30, three males and one female. The AML-M4 subtype was found in three and the AML M2 subtype in the other. In the AML cases, a statistically significant (p=0.009) relationship was found between WBC (109/L) and FLT3/ITD positivity. However, no significant relationship was found with other clinical parameters (p>0.05). In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) $FLT3/ITD^+$ mutation was more prevalent in elderly patients 31-40 age groups, 21-30 and 51-60 age groups respectively. In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) statistically no significant relationship was found between clinical features and FLT3/ITD positivity (p>0.05). However, in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) $FLT3/ITD^+$ mutation was more commonly found in age groups of 21-30.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.97-104
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• 2016

OBJECTIVES : The objective of this research is to develop additives for the modification of Solvent DeAsphalting Residue (SDAR) to be used as pavement materials, and evaluate the performance of asphalt mixture manufactured using the SDAR modified by developed additives. METHODS : The SDAR generally consists of more asphaltenes and less oil components compared to the conventional asphalt binder, and hence, the chemical/physical properties of SDAR are different from that of conventional asphalt binder. In this research, the additives are developed using the low molecular oil-based plasticizer to improve the properties of SDAR. First, the chemical property of two SDARs is analyzed using SARA (saturate, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene) method. The physical/rheological properties of SDARs and SDARs containing additives are also evaluated based on PG-grade method and dynamic shear-modulus master curve. Second, various laboratory tests are conducted for the asphalt mixture manufactured using the SDAR modified with additives. The laboratory tests conducted in this study include the mix design, compactibility analysis, indirect tensile test for moisture susceptibility, dynamic modulus test for rheological property, wheel-tracking test for rutting performance, and direct tension fatigue test for cracking performance. RESULTS : The PG-grade of SDARs is higher than PG 76 in high temperature grades and immeasurable in low temperature grades. The dynamic shear modulus of SDARs is much higher than that of conventional asphalt, but the modified SDARs with additives show similar modulus compared to that of conventional asphalt. The moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixture with modified SDARs is good if, the anti-stripping agent is included. The performance (dynamic modulus, rutting resistance, and fatigue resistance) of asphalt mixture with modified SDARs is comparable to that of conventional asphalt mixture when appropriate amount of additives is added. CONCLUSIONS : The saturate component of SDARs is much less than that of conventional asphalt, and hence, it is too hard and brittle to be used as pavement materials. However, the modified SDARs with developed additives show comparable or better rheological/physical properties compared to that of conventional asphalt depending on the type of SDAR and the amount of additives used.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.367-374
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• 2017

Despite the broad distribution of leishmaniasis among Iranians and animals across the country, little is known about the genetic characteristics of the causative agents. Applying both HSP70 PCR-RFLP and sequence analyses, this study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among Leishmania spp. isolated from Iranian endemic foci and available reference strains. A total of 36 Leishmania isolates from almost all districts across the country were genetically analyzed for the HSP70 gene using both PCR-RFLP and sequence analysis. The original HSP70 gene sequences were aligned along with homologous Leishmania sequences retrieved from NCBI, and subjected to the phylogenetic analysis. Basic parameters of genetic diversity were also estimated. The HSP70 PCR-RFLP presented 3 different electrophoretic patterns, with no further intraspecific variation, corresponding to 3 Leishmania species available in the country, L. tropica, L. major, and L. infantum. Phylogenetic analyses presented 5 major clades, corresponding to 5 species complexes. Iranian lineages, including L. major, L. tropica, and L. infantum, were distributed among 3 complexes L. major, L. tropica, and L. donovani. However, within the L. major and L. donovani species complexes, the HSP70 phylogeny was not able to distinguish clearly between the L. major and L. turanica isolates, and between the L. infantum, L. donovani, and L. chagasi isolates, respectively. Our results indicated that both HSP70 PCR-RFLP and sequence analyses are medically applicable tools for identification of Leishmania species in Iranian patients. However, the reduced genetic diversity of the target gene makes it inevitable that its phylogeny only resolves the major groups, namely, the species complexes.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.467-472
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• 2017

In this study, the reforming reaction of vacuum residue (VR) was carried out using aquathermolysis reaction. VR showed a prone to decrease the amount of resins and asphaltenes in the constituents, and to increase saturates and aromatics when reacting with steam at 30 bar and above $300^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. This tendency became more evident when the amount of steam used was excessive than the amount of VR. When the aquathermolysis reaction was performed at $300^{\circ}C$ and 30 bar for 48 h, the VR composition was changed from the initial state (S/A/R/A = 7.3%/43.7%/25.6%/23.5%) to final state (S/A/R/A = 6.8%/57%/12.2%/24.0%), and the contents of the resins decreased by 13% and the aromatic compounds increased by 13%. The viscosity decreased from 880,000 cp to 290,000 cp by 68%. When 10% of decalin, which is easy to provide hydrogen, was added, the viscosity decreased by 68% in 24 h. The VR composition showed a reduction in the contents of resins and asphaltenes from 49% to 17% from the initial state (S/A/R/A = 7.3%/43.7%/25.6%/23.5%) to the final state (S/A/R/A = 4.5%/63.5%/12.5%/20.0%), and the content of aromatics was maximized to 63.5%. The gas layer formed by the aquathermolysis reaction in the reactor chamber was collected and analyzed by GC-MS spectroscopy. As a result, various hydrocarbon compounds such as ethylbenzene, octane and dimethylbenzene were detected.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.644-651
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• 2013

The fermented manure derivative known as Preparation 500 is traditionally used as a field spray in biodynamic agriculture for maintaining and increasing soil fertility. This work aimed at characterizing the product from a microbiological standpoint and at assaying its bioactive properties. The approach involved molecular taxonomical characterization of the culturable microbial community; ARISA fingerprints of the total bacteria and fungal communities; chemical elemental macronutrient analysis via a combustion analyzer; activity assays for six key enzymes; bioassays for bacterial quorum sensing and chitolipooligosaccharide production; and plant hormone-like activity. The material was found to harbor a bacterial community of $2.38{\times}10^8$ CFU/g dw dominated by Gram-positives with minor instances of Actinobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. ARISA showed a coherence of bacterial assemblages in different preparation lots of the same year in spite of geographic origin. Enzymatic activities showed elevated values of ${\beta}$-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, chitinase, and esterase. The preparation had no quorum sensing-detectable signal, and no rhizobial nod gene-inducing properties, but displayed a strong auxin-like effect on plants. Enzymatic analyses indicated a bioactive potential in the fertility and nutrient cycling contexts. The IAA activity and microbial degradation products qualify for a possible activity as soil biostimulants. Quantitative details and possible modes of action are discussed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.661-665
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• 2016

Background: Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of death among cancers throughout the world. Therefore, stomach cancer outcomes can affect health systems at the national and international levels. Although stomach cancer mortality and incidence rates have decreased in developed countries, these indicators have a raising trend in East Asian developing countries, particularity in Iran. In this study, we aimed to determine the time trend of age-standardized rates of stomach cancer in different districts of Iran from 2000 to 2010. Materials and Methods: Cases of cancer were registered using a pathology-based system during 2000-2007 and with a population-based system since 2008 in Iran. In this study, we collected information about the incidence of stomach cancer during a 10 year period for 31 provinces and 376 districts, with a total of 49,917 cases. We employed two statistical approaches (a random effects and a random effects Markov model) for modeling the incidence of stomach cancer in different districts of Iran during the studied period. Results: The random effects model showed that the incidence rate of stomach cancer among males and females had an increasing trend and it increased by 2.38 and 0.87 persons every year, respectively. However, after adjusting for previous responses, the random effects Markov model showed an increasing rate of 1.53 and 0.75 for males and females, respectively. Conclusions: This study revealed that there are significant differences between different areas of Iran in terms of age-standardized incidence rates of stomach cancer. Our study suggests that a random effects Markov model can adjust for effects of previous responses.