Nanofillers can reduce enamel demineralization without compromising physical properties of the composite. The aim of this study was to evaluate shear bond strength (SBS) and antibacterial effects of an orthodontic composite after adding titanium oxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles. Light cure orthodontic composite paste (Transbond XT) was blended with TiO₂ nanoparticles. A total of 30 extracted premolars were randomly allocated into two groups of 15. In order to bond brackets, Transbond XT adhesive and nanocomposite were used in each group, respectively. SBS of two groups were determined, and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) scores were assessed. A total of 45 composite discs specimen were prepared. Of the 45 discs, 30 discs were made from nanocomposite and tested for antibacterial properties immediately and 30 days after curing by direct contact test. The antibacterial properties of the remaining 15 discs that were made from the conventional composite were tested immediately after curing as control group. Student’s t-test and chi-square tests were used to analyse the data with the significance level of 0.05. No significant difference was found between SBS of conventional and nanocomposites, 24 hours after curing (P = 0.58). Chi-square test showed that ARI scores of two groups were not significantly different after debonding (P = 0.69). Comparison of antibacterial effects between conventional and nanocomposite demonstrated significant difference between two groups, with nanocomposites having a higher antibacterial activity (P = 0.03). Colony count revealed no significant difference in bacterial growth immediately and 30 days after curing in nanocomposite group. Adding TiO₂ nanoparticles to orthodontic composite enhances its antibacterial effects without compromising the SBS.

Fish-oil contains high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. We have evaluated the effects of purified omega-3 fatty acid supplements on several anthropometric and biochemical parameters, including heat shock protein (Hsp) 27 antibody titres in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Subjects (n = 120) with metabolic syndrome (mean age of 52.9 +/- 11.9 years) were randomly allocated to one of two groups: sixty subjects were given 1 gram of fish oil as a single capsule, containing 180 mg eicosapentaenoic acid and 120 mg docosahexaenoic acid daily for 6 months. Control subjects did not receive any supplementation over the same period. The study was completed by 47 subjects in the intervention group and 42 subjects in the control group. Treatment with omega 3 supplements was associated with a significant fall in body weight (P < 0.05), systolic blood pressures (P < 0.05), serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05), and total cholesterol (P < 0.05), triglycerides (P < 0.05), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (P < 0.01), and Hsp27 antibody titres (P < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in the control group. It appears that omega 3 improves the cardiovascular risk profile of subjects with metabolic syndrome, having effects on weight, systolic blood pressure, lipid profile and markers of inflammation and autoimmunity.

Objective. Postpartum depression is a common complication of childbirth, and its prevention is an important public-health issue because of its negative effects on mother, infant, and family. The present randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to examine the effect of prenatal selenium supplementation on the postpartum depression level in Iranian women. Design. A total of 166 primigravid pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy, were randomized to receive 100 μg of selenium (n = 83) or a placebo (n = 83) per day until delivery. The symptoms of postpartum depression were evaluated during the eight weeks following delivery by means of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Serum selenium concentrations were measured at baseline and at the end of study. Results. There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics and perceived social support between the selenium and control groups at baseline (p > 0.05). There were 22 drop-outs in the selenium-supplemented group and 19 in the placebo group. Forty-four women in the selenium group and 41 women in the placebo group completed the trial and the EPDS questionnaire. Selenium supplementation was associated with a significant increase in mean serum selenium concentration at term (p < 0.001) but remained unchanged in the control group. The mean EPDS score in the selenium group was significantly lower than that of the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion. These findings suggest that supplementation with selenium during pregnancy might be an effective approach for the prevention of postpartum depression.

Background & objective: Microarray and next generation sequencing (NGS) data are the important sources to find helpful molecular patterns. Also, the great number of gene expression data increases the challenge of how to identify the biomarkers associated with cancer. The random forest (RF) is used to effectively analyze the problems of large-p and small-n. Therefore, RF can be used to select and rank the genes for the diagnosis and effective treatment of cancer. Methods: The microarray gene expression data of colon, leukemia, and prostate cancers were collected from public databases. Primary preprocessing was done on them using limma package, and then, the RF classification method was implemented on datasets separately in R software. Finally, the selected genes in each of the cancers were evaluated and compared with those of previous experimental studies and their functionalities were assessed in molecular cancer processes. Result: The RF method extracted very small sets of genes while it retained its predictive performance. About colon cancer data set DIEXF, GUCA2A, CA7, and IGHA1 key genes with the accuracy of 87.39 and precision of 85.45 were selected. The SNCA, USP20, and SNRPA1 genes were selected for prostate cancer with the accuracy of 73.33 and precision of 66.67. Also, key genes of leukemia data set were BAG4, ANKHD1-EIF4EBP3, PLXNC1, and PCDH9 genes, and the accuracy and precision were 100 and 95.24, respectively. Conclusion: The current study results showed most of the selected genes involved in the processes and cancerous pathways were previously reported and had an important role in shifting from normal cell to abnormal.