Human identity versus gender identity: The perception of sexual addiction among Iranian women

This qualitative study was conducted to explore the images of personal identity from the perspective of women with sexual addiction. The data required for the study were collected through 31 in-depth interviews. Sensing a threat to personal identity, dissatisfaction with gender identity, dissociation with the continuum of identity, and identity reconstruction in response to threat were four of the experiences that were common among women with sexual addiction. Painful emotional experiences appear to have created a sense of gender and sexual conflict or weakness in these women and thus threatened their personal identity and led to their sexual addiction.     

The effects of wheat germ supplementation on metabolic profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized,double‐blind,placebo‐controlled trial

The aim of the present trial was to examine the effects of wheat germ (WG) consumption on metabolic control and oxidative stress status of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Eighty participants with T2DM were randomly allocated to receive 20‐g WG (n = 40) or placebo (n = 40) in a randomized double‐blind clinical trial for 12 weeks. Serum lipid profiles, glycaemic indices, total antioxidant capacity, and malondialdhyde (MDA) were assessed. A total of 75 subjects completed the trial. Compared with the placebo, WG consumption led to significant reduction in total cholesterol (TC) concentrations (p = .04). There was a trend regarding TC to high density lipoprotein ratio (p = .08) following 12 weeks WG consumption, although they were not statistically significant after correcting for multiple testing. In addition, within‐group comparison revealed a significant rise in total antioxidant capacity concentration (p = .001) in WG group. We observed no significant effects of WG intake on glycaemic status, blood pressure, MDA, triglyceride, and low density lipoprotein levels. WG consumption for 12 weeks could decrease serum TC levels and had no significant effects on other metabolic variables and MDA in patients with T2DM. Though observed health benefit effects were small, it might lead to a major impact on wider public health.     

Association between psychological status with perceived social support in pregnant women referring to Tabriz health centers

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the psychological status of pregnant women with perceived social support.

Method: In this cross-sectional study, 372 Iranian women were selected randomly via a two-stage cluster sampling method at the third trimester of pregnancy in healthcare centers of Tabriz-Iran. Data were collected using the socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire, perceived social support (PRQ-85) and the short form of depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21). The statistical tests including Spearman’s correlation, Mann–Whitney, Kruskal Wallis, and linear regression model were used for data.

Results: The mean (SD) score of perceived social support 131.5 (18.9) with a range of 25–175 was achieved. In terms of the scale of mental health, median (25–75 percentile) of the score of anxiety 4.0 (3.0–7.0), depression 1.0 (0.0–6.0), and stress 8.0 (0.6–10.0) was achieved. There was a significant negative correlation between perceived social support with anxiety (r?=??.355, p?p?p?Conclusions: The results of this study showed that social support affects the mental state of women in the third trimester of pregnancy and the levels of anxiety, depression, and stress decrease in pregnant women with increasing of social support.     

The dynamics of metabolic syndrome development from its isolated components among iranian children and adolescents: Findings from 17 Years of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS)

BackgroundCareful evaluation of the progression trend of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents (C&A) is one of the important methods of studying the natural history of MetS in them. This study was performed to determine the trend of changes in the progression of MetS from its components.MethodsThis was a longitudinal study which was performed on data from 4 follow-up periods of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) between 1999 and 2015. The research population consisted of 6-18-year-old children and adolescents creating 3895-person population. The criteria for the diagnosis of MetS was joint interim statement (JIS). The considered components were central adiposity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia.ResultsIn this study, in the long term, the highest increase in the MetS’ incidence in boys occurred in obesity and in girls in dyslipidemia and in total mode, in obesity. But in the short term (3.6 year follow-up periods) in the first to fourth periods, in total mode, the highest incidence occurred in dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and obesity. In terms of trend, in total mode, the highest increase in MetS incidence was related to the obesity component. Also, the incidence of MetS from all components was declining in overall mode. Also, the most common components at the beginning and end of the study in all groups were dyslipidemia with a decreasing and obesity with an increasing trend, respectively.ConclusionIt seems that in Iranian C&As, obesity and dyslipidemia components play a more important role in the further development of the MetS than other components. This matter requires careful and serious attention in preventive and control planning.     

Comparison of artificial neural network and logistic regression models for prediction of outcomes in trauma patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Currently, two models of artificial neural network (ANN) and logistic regression (LR) are known as models that extensively used in medical sciences. The aim of this study was to compare the ANN and LR models in prediction of Health-related outcomes in traumatic patients using a systematic review.

Rapid Communication ELEVATED OVARIAN AND THYMIC CELL APOPTOSIS IN WILD COTTON RATS INHABITING PETROCHEMICALCONTAMINATED TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

The objective of this study was to determine the rates of apoptotic cell death in ovary and thymus collected from wild female cotton rats ( Sigmodon hispidus ) inhabiting five petrochemical-contaminated and five ecologically matched reference sites in Oklahoma. Overall comparison of reference and contaminated sites, using individual sites as replicates, revealed a significantly increased rate of ovarian cell apoptosis in cotton rats inhabiting contaminated sites. In comparison to rats from reference sites, the number of uterine scars was lower in rats collected from the contaminated sites. There were no significant differences in the percentage of atretic follicles among animals collected from reference and contaminated sites. The rate of thymocyte apoptosis was elevated at one of five contaminated sites, although the overall rate of thymocyte apoptosis was not significantly different when comparing all sites. To our knowledge, this is the first study documenting elevated rates of ovarian and thymic cell apoptosis in wild mammals exposed chronically to environmental toxicants.     

Off-the-shelf acellular fetal skin scaffold as a novel alternative to buccal mucosa graft: the development and characterization of human tissue-engineered fetal matrix in rabbit model of hypospadiasis

Aim

In this study, we aimed to develop a novel alternative to buccal mucosal graft from the acellular human fetal skin to manage hypospadias in a rabbit model. We optimized the decellularization protocol to develop and characterize the human tissue-engineered fetal dermal matrix as an “off-the-shelf” natural biomaterial.

Material and Methods

Human fetal skin was obtained at 16–19 weeks gestational age with respect to a signed informed consent from parents under the university ethical committee approval. The dissected full-thickness fetal skin tissues were placed into SDS and Triton X-100 in different dosages to achieve the optimum decellularization protocol. Histopathology of the acellular fetal matrix was assessed by Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) and DAPI staining to confirm the removal of all cell materials, Masson’s trichrome staining for collagen evaluation, DNA quantification for confirmation of DNA content, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for evaluation of scaffold microstructure. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was used to detect specific dermal markers, namely vimentin, type I collagen, cytokeratin (CK)19. The prepared dermal scaffolds were then grafted on the 8 rabbit models of hypospadias. The rabbits underwent evaluations at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months postoperatively.

Results

H&E, Masson’s trichrome, DAPI staining, and SEM confirmed the significant removal of cells; meanwhile, the ECM was completely preserved. At the time of biopsy, after 2, 4, and 6 months, no evidence of inflammation, fibrosis, necrosis, or rejection was observed. The grafted dermal scaffolds appeared histologically and anatomically normal. It was observed that the scaffolds were recellularized by circulating CD 34?+?bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) inside the body, implicating the body as a natural bioreactor.

Conclusion

The application of acellular fetal skin (AFS) is a safe and feasible method that can decrease surgical time in a complex hypospadias reconstruction. Moreover, AFS demonstrated excellent angiogenesis characteristics and migration of the stem cells to the scaffold observed during the course of treatment. Novel natural AFS scaffold without cell seeding is an excellent alternative to buccal mucosal graft; hence, it can overcome the limitations concerning the graft size and prevent the creation of wounds in oral mucosal tissue.