• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2018

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are the most important problems among professions particularly, dentists. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in various parts of the body in Iranian dentists by using systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and searching in national databases such as SID, Magiran, Irandoc, IranMedex, and Medlib, and international databases such as MedLine, Web of Sciences, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, Embase, Springer, Wiley Online Library, Ebsco, CEBM, and Google Scholar search engine which were published by January 1, 2017. Researched keywords were in Persian and their standard English equivalents were in accordance with their MeSH. The obtained documents were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-analysis version 2. Results: According to 23 studies through 2,531 Iranian dentists which took part in this study, prevalence of skeletal disorders in Iranian dentists has been 17.6% [confidence interval (CI) 95%:11.7-25.5] in knees, 33.2% (CI 95%:24.1-43.8) in shoulders, 33.4% (CI 95%: 26.8-40.8) in the thorax, 51.9% (CI 95%:46.7-57.2) in necks, 33.7% (CI 95%:28.2-39.6) in wrists/hands, 12.9% (CI 95%:7.7-20.6) in elbows, 37.3% (CI 95%: 31.5-43.5) in lower back, 11.9% (CI 95%:8.7-16.1) in thighs, 12.9% (CI 95%:3.8-36) in the foot, and 10.5% (CI 95%:7-15.4) in legs. Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in Iranian dentists, ergonomics should be included as a lesson in preclinic and also, reeducation courses for ergonomics basics should be executed for graduate dentists.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.192-198
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• 2004

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is believed to be one of viral proteins that are capable of preventing virus-infected cell death upon various stimuli. But, the effect of the HCV core protein on apoptosis that is induced by various stimuli is contradictory. We examined the possibility that the HCV core protein affects the ceramide-induced cell death in cells expressing the HCV core protein through the sphingomyelin pathway. Cell death that is induced by $C^2$-ceramide and bacterial sphingomyelinase was analyzed in 293 cells that constitutively expressed the HCV core protein and compared with 293 cells that were stably transfected only with the expression vector. The HCV core protein inhibited the cell death that was induced by these reagents. The protective effects of the HCV core protein on ceramide-induced cell death were reflected by the reduced expression of $p21^{WAF1/Cip1/Sid1}$ and the sustained expression of the Bcl-2 protein in the HCV core-expressing cells with respect to the vector-transfected cells. These results suggest that the HCV core protein in 293 cells plays a role in the modulation of the apoptotic response that is induced by ceramide. Also, the ability of the HCV core protein to suppress apoptosis might have important implications in understanding the pathogenesis of the HCV infection.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.253-258
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• 2017

This study was aimed at evaluating the additivity of crude protein digestibility in mixed diets of corn and soybean meal (SBM), and comparing direct and indirect methods for evaluating crude protein (CP) digestibility. Totally, five hundred and twenty-five 18-day-old broiler chickens were grouped into 7 blocks based on body weight, and randomly allocated to 6 treatment groups in a randomized complete block design. The basal diet, diet 3, was corn-SBM-based, containing 65% corn and 28% SBM. Diets 1 and 5 contained corn and SBM, respectively, as the sole CP source. To use the difference method, 2 diets, diets 2 and 4, were prepared by mixing corn and SBM at the expense of the basal diet, respectively. Diet 2 contained 79% corn and 14% SBM, and diet 4 contained 32.5% corn and 34% SBM. To evaluate the additivity of digestibility values, the difference between measured values for the mixed diets (diets 2, 3, and 4) and predicted values calculated using the measured values for diets 1 and 5 was examined. The apparent (AID) and standardized (SID) ileal digestibility of CP in SBM differed between the direct and indirect methods; however, corresponding digestibility did not differ for corn. Additionally, the predicted and measured digestibility of both AID and SID differed in diets 2 and 3, implying that the digestibility values obtained from diets 1 and 5 were not additive for mixed diets. In conclusion, this study showed that digestibility evaluated by direct and indirect methods depends on the ingredients having different CP concentrations, and this finding may be considered to improve the accuracy of feed formulation for broiler chickens.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.41-53
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• 2021

Objectives: Cesarean sections are one of the common surgical procedures around the world. Management of cesarean section side effects, including pain, hematoma, delayed wound healing, is of particular importance in maintaining maternal health and ability to care for the baby. The tendency to use complementary medicine strategies is on the rise because of the easy treatment with low side effects. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the efficacy and safety of clinical trials performed in Iran and worldwide on the effect of complementary medicine on pain relief and wound healing after cesarean section. Methods: PRISMA checklist was followed to prepare the report of this systematic review. The search process was carried out on databases on databases of Magiran, SID, Iran Medex, Scopus, Pub Med, Science direct, Medline and Cochrane library using keywords of cesarean, pain, wound healing, Herbal medicine, acupressure, massage, complementary medicine and their Persian equivalent and all possible combinations, from inception until February 2020. We used the Jadad scale to assess the quality of the searched articles. According to the Jadad scale, the articles with a score of at least 3 were included in the study. Results: Finally, 28 clinical trials (with a sample size of 3,245) scored at least 3 on the Jadad scale were included into the analysis. This article reviewed 13 articles on medicinal herbs, 4 articles on massage, 1 article on reflexology, 2 articles on acupressure. Conclusion: According to the present review, the use of medicinal herbs was the most common method of complementary medicine in pain relief and wound healing after cesarean section.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2022

Objectives: Post-term pregnancy is a condition associated with increased maternal and fetal complications. Administration of castor oil causes cervical stimulation by increasing the production of prostaglandins. We examined the effects of castor oil on cervical ripening and labor induction through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: The search process was performed to obtain relevant articles from databases including Pubmed, Cochrane library, Scopus, Science direct, SID, Iran Medex, and Google Scholar using the English keywords of cervical ripening, post-term, castor oil, labor induction, Bishop score, and pregnancy considering all possible combinations without time constraints and their Persian equivalents from national databases. Results: A total of eight related articles from the 19 primary studies were extracted and systematically reviewed. According to a cumulative chart, the difference in the post-intervention Bishop score was statistically significant (standard mean difference [SMD]: 1.64, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.67-2.11, p = 0.001), indicating an effect of castor oil on increasing the Bishop score. In addition, the difference in labor induction was statistically significant after the intervention (odds ratio: 11.67, 95% CI: 3.34-40.81, p = 0.001), indicating an effect of castor oil on increasing the odds ratio of labor induction (experience of vaginal delivery). Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that oral administration of castor oil is effective for cervical ripening and labor induction. Midwives should closely monitor pregnant women with prolonged labor and collaborate with obstetricians to employ castor oil as a safe intervention to induce cervical ripening and labor to prevent undue caesarean surgery.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.119-132
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• 2020

In this study a new innovative three unknowns trigonometric shear deformation theory is proposed for the buckling and vibration responses of exponentially graded sandwich plates resting on elastic mediums under various boundary conditions. The key feature of this theoretical formulation is that, in addition to considering shear deformation effect, it has only three unknowns in the displacement field as in the case of the classical plate theory (CPT), contrary to five as in the first shear deformation theory (FSDT) and higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). Material characteristics of the sandwich plate faces are considered to vary within the thickness direction via an exponential law distribution as a function of the volume fractions of the constituents. Equations of motion are obtained by employing Hamilton's principle. Numerical results for buckling and free vibration analysis of exponentially graded sandwich plates under various boundary conditions are obtained and discussed. Verification studies confirmed that the present three -unknown shear deformation theory is comparable with higher-order shear deformation theories which contain a greater number of unknowns.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.115-126
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• 2017

In this paper, size dependent bending and free flexural vibration behaviors of functionally graded (FG) nanobeams are investigated using a nonlocal quasi-3D theory in which both shear deformation and thickness stretching effects are introduced. The nonlocal elastic behavior is described by the differential constitutive model of Eringen, which enables the present model to become effective in the analysis and design of nanostructures. The present theory incorporates the length scale parameter (nonlocal parameter) which can capture the small scale effect, and furthermore accounts for both shear deformation and thickness stretching effects by virtue of a hyperbolic variation of all displacements through the thickness without using shear correction factor. The material properties of FG nanobeams are assumed to vary through the thickness according to a power law. The neutral surface position for such FG nanobeams is determined and the present theory based on exact neutral surface position is employed here. The governing equations are derived using the principal of minimum total potential energy. The effects of nonlocal parameter, aspect ratio and various material compositions on the static and dynamic responses of the FG nanobeam are discussed in detail. A detailed numerical study is carried out to examine the effect of material gradient index, the nonlocal parameter, the beam aspect ratio on the global response of the FG nanobeam. These findings are important in mechanical design considerations of devices that use carbon nanotubes.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.322-324
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• 2014

Candidiasis caused by Candida albicans is a localized mucocutaneous disease. It occurs worldwide in various kinds of animals. A 7-year-old male spotted seal weighing 98 kg showed facial skin lesions. The present case was characterized by erythematous, thickened, and alopecic skin lesions in the periocular region and on the commissure of the lower lip. For diagnosis, skin scraping and culture of samples from the facial skin lesions were done. Colonies were cream-colored and glistening after 3 days of culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Typical yeast-like cells were observed by microscopic inspection after Gram staining. Recovery was achieved with itraconazole (1 mg/kg SID) for 7 days, repeated three times at 2-week intervals.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.103-115
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• 2018

In this work, a simple but accurate hyperbolic plate theory for the free vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) sandwich plates is developed. The significant feature of this formulation is that, in addition to including the shear deformation effect, it deals with only 3 unknowns as the classical plate theory (CPT), instead of 5 as in the well-known first shear deformation theory (FSDT) and higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). A shear correction factor is, therefore, not required. Two common types of FGM sandwich plates are considered, namely, the sandwich with the FGM face sheet and the homogeneous core and the sandwich with the homogeneous face sheet and the FGM core. The equation of motion for the FGM sandwich plates is obtained based on Hamilton's principle. The closed form solutions are obtained by using the Navier technique. The fundamental frequencies are found by solving the eigenvalue problems. Numerical results of the present theory are compared with the CPT, FSDT, order shear deformation theories (HSDTs), and 3D solutions. Verification studies show that the proposed theory is not only accurate and simple in solving the free vibration behaviour of FGM sandwich plates, but also comparable with the higher-order shear deformation theories which contain more number of unknowns.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.75 no.2
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• pp.193-209
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• 2020

This paper presents a new hyperbolic shear deformation plate theory including the stretching effect for free vibration of the simply supported functionally graded plates in thermal environments. The theory accounts for parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains and satisfies the zero traction boundary conditions on the surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factors. This theory has only five unknowns, which is even less than the other shear and normal deformation theories. The present one has a new displacement field which introduces undetermined integral variables. Material properties are assumed to be temperature-dependent, and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume power laws of the constituents. The equation of motion of the vibrated plate obtained via the classical Hamilton's principle and solved using Navier's steps. The accuracy of the proposed solution is checked by comparing the present results with those available in existing literature. The effects of the temperature field, volume fraction index of functionally graded material, side-to-thickness ratio on free vibration responses of the functionally graded plates are investigated. It can be concluded that the present theory is not only accurate but also simple in predicting the natural frequencies of functionally graded plates with stretching effect in thermal environments.