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In this paper, an experimental simulation method was used for evaluating the tribofilm formation in rolling/sliding contact at different points in the line of action. A ball-on-disc test method was employed by which the pressure and slide to roll ratio of gear contact could be simulated. In order to reach a general conclusion, four different oils and two surface roughness were involved in the experiments. The tribofilm evolution was captured using spacer layer interferometry method, and the correlation of tribofilm with the location at the line of action was studied. Results showed that there is a threshold pressure for the tribofilm formation around which the tribofilm growth rate is maximum. Above this threshold pressure, the tribofilm formation is not stable, and the wear is dominant. Below this threshold pressure, the tribofilm growth rate rises by increasing the pressure and the gear contact is safely protected by a stable tribofilm. Graphic Abstract

Cancer is a multi-stage process resulting from aberrant signaling pathways driving uncontrolled proliferation of transformed cells. The development and progression of cancer from a premalignant lesion towards a metastatic tumor requires accumulation of mutations in many regulatory genes of the cell. Different chemopreventative approaches have been sought to interfere with initiation and control malignant progression. Here we present research on dietary compounds with evidence of cancer prevention activity that highlights the potential beneficial effect of a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables. The Brassica family of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli is a rich source of glucosinolates, which are metabolized to isothiocyanate compounds. Amongst a number of related variants of isothiocyanates, sulforaphane (SFN) has surfaced as a particularly potent chemopreventive agent based on its ability to target multiple mechanisms within the cell to control carcinogenesis. Anti-inflammatory, pro-apoptotic and modulation of histones are some of the more important and known mechanisms by which SFN exerts chemoprevention. The effect of SFN on cancer stem cells is another area of interest that has been explored in recent years and may contribute to its chemopreventive properties. In this paper, we briefly review structure, pharmacology and preclinical studies highlighting chemopreventive effects of SFN.

Various cancer cell-associated intrinsic and extrinsic inputs act on YAP/TAZ proteins to mediate the hyperactivation of the TEAD transcription factor-based transcriptome. This YAP/TAZ-TEAD activity can override the growth-limiting Hippo tumor-suppressor pathway that maintains normal tissue homeostasis. Herein, we provide an integrated summary of the contrasting roles of YAP/TAZ during normal tissue homeostasis versus tumor initiation and progression. In addition to upstream factors that regulate YAP/TAZ in the TME, critical insights on the emerging functions of YAP/TAZ in immune suppression and abnormal vasculature development during tumorigenesis are illustrated. Lastly, we discuss the current methods that intervene with the YAP/TAZ-TEAD oncogenic signaling pathway and the emerging applications of combination therapies, gut microbiota, and epigenetic plasticity that could potentiate the efficacy of chemo/immunotherapy as improved cancer therapeutic strategies.

To find the pattern of hospitalization pattern change in COVID-19 pandemic, we aimed to compare the admission and mortality rate of each disease in all wards before and during the pandemic. Data for all ICD-10 disease categories were collected from 17 shahrivar hospital database for 14922 patients before (23 July 2017-23 January 2020 (and 10941 patients during the pandemic (20 February 2020- 20 September 2022). We compared the age, sex, duration of hospitalization, the frequency of readmission and outcome of patients in these two periords. Also the number of patients in each ICD-10 category and in each ward was compared. Comparing the two periods revealed a decrease in overall admission frequency (14,922 vs. 10,941 patients). During the pandemic, patients experienced significantly shorter hospital stays (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the number of patients entering remission or experiencing mortality (P = 0.063). Notably, admissions for neoplasms, blood disorders, nervous system conditions, eye disorders, circulatory and digestive system issues, genitourinary system disorders, congenital malformations, and poisoning significantly increased during the pandemic, while admissions for other conditions decreased. Admissions varied significantly across departments, with notable increases in the NICU, PICU, emergency, neonatal, and hematology departments during the pandemic (P < 0.001). In conclusion, our findings highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalization patterns, equipping healthcare managers to improve resource allocation and readiness for future health challenges.

For sustainable food production selection and breeding of feed efficient animals is crucial. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether multiparous dairy cows, ranked during their first lactation based on residual energy intake (REI) as efficient (low; L-REI) or inefficient (high; H-REI), differ in terms of nutrient use efficiency, methane emissions, rumen fermentation, and gut microbiota composition. Six L-REI and 6 H-REI cows were offered two diets with either a low or high proportion of concentrates (30 vs. 50% of DM) on two consecutive periods of 21 d. Gas exchanges, milk yield, feces and urine excretions were measured in open-circuit respiratory chambers. The results indicated that L-REI cows had higher methane yields (22.6 vs. 20.4 g/kg DM intake) and derived more energy (energy balance − 36.6 vs. − 16.9 MJ/d) and protein (N balance − 6.6 vs. 18.8 g/d) from the tissues to support similar milk yields compared to H-REI cows. Nutrient intake and digestibility were not affected by REI, and there were no interactions between REI and diet. Milk yield, milk production efficiency, and milk composition were not affected by REI except for milk urea concentration that was higher for L-REI cows (14.1 vs. 10.8 mg/100 ml). The rumen and fecal microbiota community structure and function were associated with both the diet and REI, but the diet effect was more pronounced. The current study identified several physiological mechanisms underlying the differences between high and low REI cows, but further studies are needed to distinguish the quantitative role of each mechanism.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant form of liver cancer, is associated with high mortality rates both in the United States and globally. Despite current advances in immunotherapy regimens, there is a scarcity of biomarkers to guide therapy selection. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and glypican-3 have been proposed as biomarkers for HCC, but they do not provide any prognostic benefit for modeling disease progression. Agrin, a secreted proteoglycan, is frequently overexpressed in HCC and plays prominent role(s) in the liver tumor microenvironment (TME) to promote hepatocarcinogenesis. Here we employed a pilot single-center retrospective investigation to assess the prognostic value of agrin in HCC. Our evidence suggests that elevated serum agrin levels are associated with poor prognosis and performance among HCC patients. Multivariate Cox regression models indicate that secreted agrin serves as a better prognostic indicator compared to AFP that is significantly correlated with other secreted biomarkers (e.g., IL6). Cumulatively, this work demonstrates a promising clinical value of agrin in the detection and prognosis of HCC.

We estimated mortality and economic loss attributable to PM 2·5 air pollution exposure in 429 counties of Iran in 2018. Ambient PM 2.5 -related deaths were estimated using the Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM). According to the ground-monitored and satellite-based PM 2.5 data, the annual mean population-weighted PM 2·5 concentrations for Iran were 30.1 and 38.6 μg m −3 , respectively. We estimated that long-term exposure to ambient PM 2.5 contributed to 49,303 (95% confidence interval (CI) 40,914–57,379) deaths in adults ≥ 25 yr. from all-natural causes based on ground monitored data and 58,873 (95% CI 49,024–68,287) deaths using satellite-based models for PM 2.5 . The crude death rate and the age-standardized death rate per 100,000 population for age group ≥ 25 year due to ground-monitored PM 2.5 data versus satellite-based exposure estimates was 97 (95% CI 81–113) versus 116 (95% CI 97–135) and 125 (95% CI 104–145) versus 149 (95% CI 124–173), respectively. For ground-monitored and satellite-based PM 2.5 data, the economic loss attributable to ambient PM 2.5 -total mortality was approximately 10,713 (95% CI 8890–12,467) and 12,792.1 (95% CI 10,652.0–14,837.6) million USD, equivalent to nearly 3.7% (95% CI 3.06–4.29) and 4.3% (95% CI 3.6–4.5.0) of the total gross domestic product in Iran in 2018.

A comprehensive review in congenital cataract management can guide general ophthalmologists in managing such a difficult situation which remains a significant cause of preventable childhood blindness. This review will focus on surgical management, postoperative complications, and intraocular lens (IOL)-related controversies. Electrical records of PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Web of Science from January 1980 to August 2017 were explored using a combination of keywords: \"Congenital\", \"Pediatric\", \"Childhood\", \"Cataract\", \"Lens opacity\", \"Management\", \"Surgery\", \"Complication\", \"Visual rehabilitation”, and \"Lensectomy\". A total number of 109 articles were selected for the review process. This review article suggests that lens opacity obscuring the red reflex in preverbal children and visual acuity of less than 20/40 is an absolute indication for lens aspiration. For significant lens opacity that leads to a considerable risk of amblyopia, cataract surgery is recommended at 6 weeks of age for unilateral cataract and between 6 and 8 weeks of age for bilateral cases. The recommended approach in operation is lens aspiration via vitrector and posterior capsulotomy and anterior vitrectomy in children younger than six years, and IOL implantation could be considered in patients older than one year. Most articles suggested hydrophobic foldable acrylic posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) for pediatrics because of lower postoperative inflammation. Regarding the continuous ocular growth and biometric changes in pediatric patients, under correction of IOL power based on the child's age is an acceptable approach. Considering the effects of early and late postoperative complications on the visual outcome, timely detection, and management are of a pivotal importance. In the end, the main parts of post-operation visual rehabilitation are a refractive correction, treatment of concomitant amblyopia, and bifocal correction for children in school age. The management of congenital cataracts stands to challenge for most surgeons because of visual development and ocular growth. Children undergoing cataract surgery must be followed lifelong for proper management of early and late postoperative complications. IOL implantation for infants less than 1 year is not recommended, and IOL insertion for children older than 2 years with sufficient capsular support is advised.

Four multiparous dairy cows were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square to examine how starch level and oil mixture impact dry matter (DM) intake and digestibility, milk yield and composition, rumen fermentation, ruminal methane (CH4) emissions, and microbial diversity. Experimental treatments comprised high (HS) or low (LS) levels of starch containing 0 or 30 g of a mixture of sunflower and fish oils (2:1 w/w) per kg diet DM (LSO and HSO, respectively). Intake of DM did not differ between cows fed LS and HS diets while oil supplementation reduced DM intake. Dietary treatments did not affect milk and energy corrected milk yields. There was a tendency to have a lower milk fat concentration due to HSO compared with other treatments. Both high starch level and oil supplementation increased digestibility of gross energy. Cows receiving HS diets had higher levels of total rumen VFA while acetate was lower than LS without any differences in rumen pH, or ruminal CH4 emissions. Although dietary oil supplementation had no impact on rumen fermentation, decreased CH4 emissions (g/day and g/kg milk) were observed with a concomitant increase in Anoplodinium-Diplodinium sp. and Epidinium sp. but a decrease in Christensenellaceae, Ruminococcus sp., Methanobrevibacter ruminantium and Mbb. gottschalkii clades.

Background and Aims Alterations in the expression pattern of miRNAs seem to be linked with autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Regarding the importance of assessing this potential link, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between miR‐21 rs1292037 single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and T1DM susceptibility. Furthermore, we investigated the miR‐21 expression level in T1DM. Methods A total of 250 T1DM patients and 250 controls were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) and miR‐21 expression levels were assessed using real‐time PCR. Moreover, the potential targets of miR‐21 were investigated using different bioinformatics web servers. Results Our results showed that the T/C genotype and the C allele were more frequent in T1DM patients than in controls. Individuals carrying the T/C genotype in overdominant model were 2.74‐fold at a higher risk of T1DM (OR = 2.74; 95%CI, 1.78–4.27; p < 0.0001). In addition, miR‐21 expression was more than twofold higher in patients than in controls (p < 0.0001) and it was found to be significantly upregulated when carrying the T/C genotype. Regarding miR‐21 predicted target genes, its overexpression may be associated with beta cell death, diabetic nephropathy, inflammatory responses, impaired insulin production or secretion, and T‐cell cytotoxicity, which are important in the initiation and progression of T1DM. Conclusion Our results suggested that miR‐21 rs1292037 may confer genetic susceptibility to T1DM. Therefore, it seems that this genetic link should be further investigated to enhance diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in these patients.