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Abstract Background and objectives: Pathogens can be transferred via the hands of the personnel not only to themselves but also to their families or to the patient causing infection especially nosocomial infections. Microbial contamination of hand is caused by contact with patients and their environments or usual devices in the workplace. It seems that contamination of computer devices and handsets are more in hospital than official buildings. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the microbial contamination of computer keyboards, mouse and telephone receivers in a hospital department and an official building. Material and Methods: the sterile swab samples obtained from 32 keyboards, 31 computer mouse and 30 telephone receivers in the official building of Mashhad medical university and central laboratory of Imam Reza hospital were cultured on Blood agar and MacConkey agar plates. Results: Out of 64 samples from the official building, we identify 83 microbial germs. The most common ones are gram-positive Bacilli (n =34, 40.95%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (n = 32, 32.53%). Of 29 samples of central laboratory, there are 33 microbial germs .The most common of them are grampositive Bacilli (n = 19, 57.57%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (n = 7, 21.21%). Overall, microbial contamination of the computer equipment and handsets is not statistically meaningful (P< 0.05). Some germs like diphtheroid are not existed in laboratory, but two cases of Aspergillus are found. Conclusion: The presence of most of the germs on these devices is due to dusting or normal flora transferred via staffs’ hands. Only two of them, coagulase-positive Staphylococci and Aspergillus, should be considered carefully because they may cause serious infections in staff, their families or patients. Key words: contamination , workers’ desk, microorganism, computer keyboard and mouse

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Abstract Background and Objective: Of the most common hypochromic microcytic anemia are iron deficiency anemia and minor thalassemia, which are common in Iran and their differential diagnosis is extremely important. The level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D is the indication of vitamin D blood status. The aim of this study was to compare serum levels of vitamin D in people with minor thalassemia and iron deficiency anemia with healthy subjects in order to investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and iron absorption. Material and Methods: In this case-control study, 24 patients with minor thalassemia, 20 patients with iron deficiency anemia and 24 healthy individuals participated. Groups were matched for age and sex. Testing of Vitamin D level by ELISA, ferritin by quantitative luminescence method and HbA2 by column chromatography was carried out. Results: The number of individuals with low level of vitamin D in iron deficiency group is 15 (75%), in minor thalassemia group is 8 (33/3%) and in the control group 11 (45.8%). Conclusion: In this study, the highest percentage of vitamin D deficiency is observed in cases with iron deficiency anemia. Because of association between vitamin D and anemia, iron and vitamin D supplementation is recommended to enrich the diet. Keywords: Anemia Minor Thalassemia Iron Deficiency Anemia Vitamin D

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Background and objectives: Docetaxel is a chemotherapeutic agent commonly used for treatment of many cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Docetaxel induces G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and ultimately cell death. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of docetaxel on YM1 cells considering exposure time and dose.
Methods: After calculating the doubling time of YM1 cells, the anti-proliferative effect of different concentrations of docetaxel () [A1]  after 24, 48 and 72 hours was assessed by the standard colorimetric assay. In addition, the effect of docetaxel on cell cycle was evaluated by flow cytometry.
Results: The results showed that docetaxel toxicity was not significant until 24 hours at the tested concentrations (P>0.05). In addition, the effect of docetaxel on the cells was time-dependent at all tested concentrations. Overall, the duration of exposure to docetaxel had more significant role in docetaxel toxicity in YM1 cells compared to concentration.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the cytotoxicity of docetaxel on YM1 cells is time-dependent.

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Background and objectives: Activation of adenosine A2a receptor has been shown to induce the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. The role of this receptor in esophageal cancer has not yet been determined. The present study aimed to investigate effects of an adenosine A2a receptor antagonist (3, 7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine) on growth of esophageal cancer cells.
Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate mRNA expression of the A2a adenosine receptor in KYSE-30 and YM-1 esophageal cancer cell lines. Effects of the antagonist on viability of the cells were evaluated by MTT assay.
Results: At low concentrations, the antagonist had no effect on cell viability. However, at concentrations ≥200 μM, the antagonist significantly reduced viability of both cell lines (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the adenosine A2a receptor antagonist exerts inhibitory effects on KYSE30 and YM-1 cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, the use of this antagonist can be exploited as a therapeutic target for the treatment of esophageal cancer.

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Background: Exercise and dietary supplements can partially mitigate the negative effects of cadmium. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of swimming and silymarin on placental growth factor (PLGF) in pregnant mice exposed to cadmium.
Methods: Seventy-two 8-week-old pregnant Wistar rats (weighing 20 ± 200 g) were divided into 9 groups, with 8 rats in each group. Cadmium chloride at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight was fed to rats by drinking a water solution. Silymarin (100 mg/kg body weight) was injected subcutaneously 3 times a week. The exercise program during pregnancy consisted of 60 minutes of swimming per day, conducted for 5 days a week. The microscopic sections of samples were taken 2 days after birth using the usual method of tissue sectioning. A 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc test at the error level of 0.05 were used to analyze the data.
Results: The PLGF index in the cadmium group showed a significant decrease (P < 0.001) compared to the cadmium + silymarin and cadmium + silymarin and swimming groups. However, swimming training alone had no effect on PLGF index (P = 0.162).
Conclusion: Cadmium significantly reduced PLGF levels in neonatal lung tissue, and regular swimming endurance exercises and silymarin supplementation inhibited the effects of cadmium chloride.

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Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of swimming training, cell therapy and laser therapy on the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial dynamics in azoospermic rats.
Methods: In this experimental study, 30 rats 6 to 8 weeks of age were randomly selected, and then injected intraperitoneally with a 40 mg dose of busulfan for each rat and an azoospermia model was created. Then mice were subdivided into: patient, control, patient + laser, patient + exercise, patient + cell and patient + Cell + Laser + Exercise. Swimming training was performed for 8 weeks, 5 days a week and for 30 minutes every day.
Results: Induction of azoospermia significantly reduced the expression of Mfn2 in testicular tissue. The use of interventional methods increased the expression of Mfn2, which was significant only in the combined group laser + exercise. The induction of azoospermia also significantly increased the expression of Drp1 and Murf1 in testicular tissue. The use of exercise, cell therapy and laser therapy interventions reduced the expression of Drp1, which was not significant, but for Murf1 expression, testicular tissue decreased in all groups except for the cell group, it was significant.
Conclusion: Swimming training in combination with cell therapy and laser therapy by improving the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial dynamics may exert its protective effect in azoospermic mice and cause the mice to become fertile.

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Background and Objectives. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causing agents of nosocomial infection, worldwide. The methicillin-resistant and biofilm-dependent infections of this bacterium has become a clinical concern in patients. This research aimed to identify biofilm forming ability and agr- specific group of clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in northern Iran.
Methods: During 2021, a total of 200 clinical isolates were identified as S. aureus by biochemical tests. The disk diffusion method was used to examine the antibiotic resistance of isolates and the microplate method was applied to investigate the biofilm production capability. In addition, the PCR method was used to determine the frequency of biofilm associated genes and agr typing of MRSA isolates. P£0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Overall, 62.5% of isolates were methicillin-resistant and 75% were multiple antibiotic-resistant. Biofilm forming ability was detected in 99 (79.2%) methicillin-resistant isolates in which icaA and icaD were found in 85% and 78% of biofilm-producing isolates, respectively. Type 1 of the agr gene was the most common type among methicillin-resistant isolates. The frequency of biofilm associated genes showed significant association with MDR phenotype and presence of agr locus (P£0.05).
Conclusion: Present results indicate high frequency of biofilm and antibacterial resistance in methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates in Guilan Province. Present data suggests reliable and rapid identification of biofilm forming MRSA strains to prevent the spread of these bacteria.