Search

A general approach is proposed to design ultra-wideband radar cross section reduction (RCSR) metasurface by using non-resonant unit cells in chessboard arrangement. The proposed miniaturized artificial magnetic conductor unit cell is composed of two stacked non-resonant patches separated from one another by thin dielectric substrates. The genetic optimization algorithm is used to optimize the unit cell design parameters and obtain wide 10-dB RCSR bandwidth. The proposed approach is performed to design three different RCSR metasurfaces, ideal, ROGERS and low cost. The low cost RCSR metasurface composed of low cost commercially available FR-4 substrate is fabricated and tested which reduces RCS more than 10-dB from 5.22 GHz to 30.85 GHz, 142% fractional bandwidth. This metasurface has significantly wider RCSR bandwidth rather than the state of the art references as well as low cost, simple and light weight structure which facilities its practical applications.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive and lethal form of breast cancer, characterized by a high infiltration of tumor-associated macrophages and poor prognosis. To identify new biomarkers and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying IBC pathogenesis, we investigated the expression pattern of heparanase (HPSE) and its activator cathepsin L (CTSL). First, we quantitated the HPSE and CTSL mRNA levels in a cohort of breast cancer patients after curative surgery (20 IBC and 20-non-IBC). We discovered that both HPSE and CTSL mRNA levels were significantly induced in IBC tissue vis-à-vis non-IBC patients ( p  <0 .05 and p  <0 .001, respectively). According to the molecular subtypes, HPSE mRNA levels were significantly higher in carcinoma tissues of triple negative (TN)-IBC as compared to TN-non-IBC ( p  <0 .05). Mechanistically, we discovered that pharmacological inhibition of HPSE activity resulted in a significant reduction of invasiveness in the IBC SUM149 cell line. Moreover, siRNA-mediated HPSE knockdown significantly downregulated the expression of the metastasis-related gene MMP2 and the cancer stem cell marker CD44. We also found that IBC tumors revealed robust heparanase immune-reactivity and CD163+ M2-type tumor-associated macrophages, with a positive correlation of both markers. Moreover, the secretome of axillary tributaries blood IBC CD14+ monocytes and the cytokine IL-10 significantly upregulated HPSE mRNA and protein expression in SUM149 cells. Intriguingly, massively elevated IL-10 mRNA expression with a trend of positive correlation with HPSE mRNA expression was detected in carcinoma tissue of IBC. Our findings highlight a possible role played by CD14+ monocytes and CD163+ M2-type tumor-associated macrophages in regulating HPSE expression possibly via IL-10. Overall, we suggest that heparanase, cathepsin L and CD14+ monocytes-derived IL-10 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IBC and their targeting could have therapeutic implications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Exposure to external extremely low-frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields induces the development of electric fields inside the human body, with their nature depending on multiple factors including the human body characteristics and frequency, amplitude, and wave shape of the field. The objective of this study was to determine whether active implanted cardiac devices may be perturbed by a 50 or 60 Hz electric field and at which level. A numerical method was used to design the experimental setup. Several configurations including disadvantageous scenarios, 11 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and 43 cardiac pacemakers were tested in vitro by an experimental bench test up to 100 kV/m at 50 Hz and 83 kV/m at 60 Hz. No failure was observed for ICNIRP public exposure levels for most configurations (in more than 99% of the clinical cases), except for six pacemakers tested in unipolar mode with maximum sensitivity and atrial sensing. The implants configured with a nominal sensitivity in the bipolar mode were found to be resistant to electric fields exceeding the low action levels, even for the highest action levels, as defined by the Directive 2013/35/EU. Bioelectromagnetics. 2020;41:136-147. © 2020 Bioelectromagnetics Society., (© 2020 Bioelectromagnetics Society.)

New technologies, such as biosensors and lab-on-a-chip, are reducing time consumption and costs for the detection and characterization of biological cells. One challenge is to detect and characterize cells and bacteria one by one or at a very low concentration. In this case, measurements have very low variations that can be difficult to detect. In this article, the use of an insulation layer on the connection tracks of a biosensor with coplanar electrodes is proposed to improve a biosensor previously developed. The impedance spectroscopy technique was used to analyze the influence of the insulation layer on the cutoff frequencies and on the normalized impedance variation. This solution does not induce changes in the cutoff frequencies, though it permits improving the normalized impedance variations, compared to the same biosensor without the insulation layer.

Introduction and Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of 12 weeks of low-intensity resistance training and exercises for peripheral neuropathy (EPN) on the inflammatory and physiological conditions, balance, and complications of diabetic neuropathy in female patients., Materials and Methods: 45 women with mild to moderate diabetic neuropathy and an average age of 55.46±3.06 years voluntarily participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to either control (n=15), resistance (n=15), and EPN (n=15) groups. Both experimental groups were trained for 12 weeks (three sessions per week). EPN group did peripheral neuropathic exercises (12 lower extremity movements), and the resistance group performed their exercises with a 30% repetition maximum. During the intervention period, the control group only performed their daily activities. Blood samples were taken in both pre-test and post-test to investigate the levels of Tumor necrosis-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-10 (IL-10), C Reactive Protein (CRP), fast blood glucose (FBG) and Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Complications of diabetic neuropathy were measured using the Michigan questionnaire and the Monofilament 10 g. In order to measure the balance, De Morton mobility index (DEMMI) was used., Results: The statistical analyses showed a significant decrease of FBG and HbA1c in the two experimental groups, as compared to the control group. TNF-α and CRP levels were decreased in both EPN and resistance groups, as compared to the control group. The observed increase in the serum IL-10 levels of the two experimental groups was not, however, significant, as shown in intra-group and inter-group comparisons. On the other hand, the two complications of pain and tingling in the lower limb extremities were improved in both experimental groups ( p <0.05). However, the numbness complication showed no significant change ( p =0.10). Static and dynamic balance was improved in the EPN group as well ( p <0.05)., Conclusion: Since EPN exercises, in contrast to resistance exercises, are focused on the lower limb extremities and designed for diabetic neuropathy patients, they can improve the imbalance, pain and tingling, by significantly reducing TNF-α and CRP and improving the physiological conditions., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2019 Nadi et al.)

This paper proposes a simple approach to optimize the operating frequency band of a lab-on-a-chip based on bio-impedance cytometry for a single cell. It mainly concerns applications in low-conductivity media. Bio-impedance allows for the characterization of low cell concentration or single cells by providing an electrical signature. Thus, it may be necessary to perform impedance measurements up to several tens of megahertz in order to extract the internal cell signature. In the case of single cells, characterization is performed in a very small volume down to 1 pL. At the same time, measured impedances increase from tens of kilo-ohms for physiological liquids up to several mega-ohms for low conductivity media. This is, for example, the case for water analysis. At frequencies above hundreds of kilohertz, parasitic effects, such as coupling capacitances, can prevail over the impedance of the sample and completely short-circuit measurements. To optimize the sensor under these conditions, a complete model of a cytometry device was developed, including parasitic coupling capacitances of the sensor to take into account all the impedances. It appears that it is possible to increase the pass band by optimizing track geometries and placement without changing the sensing area. This assumption was obtained by measuring and comparing electrical properties of yeast cells in a low-conductivity medium (tap water). Decreased coupling capacitance by a factor higher than 10 was obtained compared with a previous non-optimized sensor, which allowed for the impedance measurement of all electrical properties of cells as small as yeast cells in a low-conductivity medium.

The limit of detection of a biological sensor is an important parameter because, when it is optimized, it allows the detection of a reduced number of biological cells and the reduction of the detection time. This parameter can be improved upon with a reduction in electrode size, but the rate of detection is similarly reduced as well. To avoid this problem, we propose a sensor matrix composed of 20 × 20 µm² coplanar square electrodes with a standard clean room manufacturing process. However, it was observed that the exposition of electrode connection tracks to the solution reduces the normalized impedance variation. In this pursuit, we propose in this paper an analysis of electrode connection tracks on the normalized impedance variation and cutoff frequencies to biological cell measurements by impedance spectroscopy. The experimental results were obtained using the E4990A Keysight impedance analyser (Keysight Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) with a frequency band ranging from 100 Hz to 12 MHz, thus allowing for good measurement accuracy. Therefore, it was found that, for the measurements between the electrodes with 9 µm of connection tracks in contact with the solution, the normalized impedance variation was from 3.7% to 4.2% for different measurements, while, for the electrodes with 40 µm of connection tracks in contact with the solution, the normalized impedance variation was from 1.8% to 2.1% for different measurements.

Objective: Supercharge end-to-side (SETS) transfer, also referred to as reverse end-to-side transfer, distal to severe nerve compression neuropathy or in-continuity nerve injury is gaining clinical popularity despite questions about its effectiveness. Here, the authors examined SETS distal to experimental neuroma in-continuity (NIC) injuries for efficacy in enhancing neuronal regeneration and functional outcome, and, for the first time, they definitively evaluated the degree of contribution of the native and donor motor neuron pools., Methods: This study was conducted in 2 phases. In phase I, rats (n = 35) were assigned to one of 5 groups for unilateral sciatic nerve surgeries: group 1, tibial NIC with distal peroneal-tibial SETS; group 2, tibial NIC without SETS; group 3, intact tibial and severed peroneal nerves; group 4, tibial transection with SETS; and group 5, severed tibial and peroneal nerves. Recovery was evaluated biweekly using electrophysiology and locomotion tasks. At the phase I end point, after retrograde labeling, the spinal cords were analyzed to assess the degree of neuronal regeneration. In phase II, 20 new animals underwent primary retrograde labeling of the tibial nerve, following which they were assigned to one of the following 3 groups: group 1, group 2, and group 4. Then, secondary retrograde labeling from the tibial nerve was performed at the study end point to quantify the native versus donor regenerated neuronal pool., Results: In phase I studies, a significantly increased neuronal regeneration in group 1 (SETS) compared with all other groups was observed, but with modest (nonsignificant) improvement in electrophysiological and behavioral outcomes. In phase II experiments, the authors discovered that secondary labeling in group 1 was predominantly contributed from the donor (peroneal) pool. Double-labeling counts were dramatically higher in group 2 than in group 1, suggestive of hampered regeneration from the native tibial motor neuron pool across the NIC segment in the presence of SETS., Conclusions: SETS is indeed an effective strategy to enhance axonal regeneration, which is mainly contributed by the donor neuronal pool. Moreover, the presence of a distal SETS coaptation appears to negatively influence neuronal regeneration across the NIC segment. The clinical significance is that SETS should only employ synergistic donors, as the use of antagonistic donors can downgrade recovery.

OBJECTIVE A surgical series of 201 benign and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) was assessed to characterize the anatomical and clinical presentation of tumors and identify predictors of neurological outcome, recurrence, and extent of resection. METHODS All surgically treated PNSTs from the Division of Neurosurgery at Toronto Western Hospital from 1993 to 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Data were collected on patient demographics, clinical presentation, surgical technique, extent of resection, postoperative neurological outcomes, and recurrence. RESULTS One hundred seventy-five patients with 201 tumors had adequate follow-up for analysis. There were 182 benign and 19 malignant PNSTs. Of the benign lesions, 133 were schwannomas, 21 of which were associated with a diagnosis of schwannomatosis. There were 49 neurofibromas, and 26 were associated with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). Patients presenting with schwannomas were significantly older than those with neurofibromas. Schwannomas were more readily resected than neurofibromas, with the extent of resection of the former influenced by tumor location. Patients with benign PNSTs typically presented with a painful mass and less frequently with motor deficits. The likelihood of worsened postoperative motor function was decreased in patients with fully resected tumors or preoperative deficits. Recurrence of schwannomas and neurofibromas were seen more frequently in patients diagnosed with NF3 and NF1, respectively. Subtotal resection was associated with the increased recurrence of all benign lesions. CONCLUSIONS Outcomes following resection of benign PNSTs depend on tumor histopathology, tumor location, and genetic predisposition syndrome. Gross-total resection should be attempted for benign lesions where possible. The management of malignant PNSTs remains challenging, requiring a multimodal approach.

Madagascar hosts a high diversity of small brown frogs. In this paper, we add another one by describing Gephyromantis (Duboimantis) tohatra sp. nov. The new species is a small brown mantellid frog discovered on a recent expedition to Marojejy National Park in northeastern Madagascar. It is characterised, among other things, by its small size (snout-vent length ~33 mm), an orange to yellowish belly, two dorsolateral ridges, and a distinctive call composed of 7-10 pulsed notes. The new species occurs sympatrically with other members of the subgenus Duboimantis at high altitude (~1700 m above sea level), including its sister species G. schilfi from which it radically differs by advertisement call and by a substantial genetic divergence of 4.3% uncorrected pairwise distance in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. It thus joins the diverse assemblage of Gephyromantis species known from high altitudes on the mountain massifs of northern Madagascar.

Objective: Interstitial, angular and corneal pregnancies are not very frequent and often mistaken, each with its own definition and prognosis. The objective of this work is to relate 10 years experience of ectopic pregnancies at the UH in Dijon, based on the latest data from the literature in term of diagnosis, management and subsequent fertility., Method: This is a retrospective study carried out at the UH of Dijon from 01/01/2005 to 01/01/2015. From the medical records of each patient who presented a corneal, interstitial or angular pregnancy, we identified the risk factors for ectopic pregnancy (EG), the diagnostic and therapeutic means used, and the subsequent obstetrical events., Results: In 10 years, 532 EG were managed including 10 interstitials, one angular and nine cornual. The main risk factors were previous EG (50%), salpingectomy (55%), curettage (45%) and smoking (40%). The localization of the EG was done in 75% by the endo-vaginal sonography, in 25% in peroperative. Thirty-five percent were treated with methotrexate, 20% had surgery and 40% had both. Seventy-five percent of patients had at least one ulterior pregnancy. In the case of caesarean section, no dehiscence of the corneal scar was identified., Conclusion: This study shows the presence of medical antecedents which are risk factors of the tubular EG. A methotrexate protocol should be proposed first. Even after corneal surgery, vaginal delivery may remain possible., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Peripheral neuropathy is a common complaint of diabetes. This study aimed to determine the effects of 12 weeks combined training with Vitamin D supplement on improvement of sensory-motor neuropathy in women with diabetic neuropathy., Materials and Methods: This clinical trial study conducted on 90 patients were selected and randomly divided into two groups. Finally, 81 adult females with diabetes type II (20-55 years old) were interred in this study. The control group had no training, but received Vitamin D. The experimental group received Vitamin D and 12 weeks training program (3 days a week, 60 min/session) including aerobic exercises, strength, and flexibility. Aerobic exercise intensity was set at 60-70% maximum heart rate and resistance training intensity was determined by 10 R.M. Michigan neuropathy questionnaire, reflex hammer and tuning fork 128 Hz used to screening tense of neuropathy (Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument) that were used for pretest and posttest., Results: Following 3 months combined training and supplementation with Vitamin D, had observed a significant reduction in numbness ( P = 0.001), pain (0.002), tingling ( P = 0.001), and weakness ( P = 0.002) in the lower limb and also increases in sense of touch intervention ( P = 0.005), detects the position of the fingers ( P = 0.001) and vibration perception ( P = 0.001) in tissues. Knee reflexes ( P = 0.77) and ankles reflexes ( P = 0.47) did not significantly change after interventions., Conclusion: It seems that taking part in combined training and supplementation with Vitamin D can improve the symptoms of sensory-motor neuropathy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Thisstudy aims to compute 50 Hz electric field interferences on pacemakers for diverse lead configurations and implantation positions. Induced phenomena in a surface-based virtual human model (standing male grounded with arms closed, 2 mm resolution) are computed for vertical exposure using CST EM ® 3D software, with and without an implanted pacemaker. Induced interference voltages occurring on the pacemaker during exposure are computed and the results are discussed. The bipolar mode covers 99% of the implanted pacing leads in the USA and Europe, according to statistics. The tip-to-ring distance of a lead may influence up to 46% of the induced voltage. In bipolar sensing mode, right ventricle implantation has a 41% higher induced voltage than right atrium implantation. The induced voltage is in average 10 times greater in unipolar mode than in bipolar mode, when implanted in the right atrium or right ventricle. The electric field threshold of interference for a bipolar sensing mode in the worst case setting is 7.24 kV·m -1 , and 10 times higher for nominal settings. These calculations will be completed by an in vitro study.

Arachnoid cysts (ACs) are frequently encountered in pediatric neurosurgical practice. Their natural history and optimum treatment are not well determined. The authors describe a resolution of asymptomatic middle fossa AC after trivial head trauma in a 7-year-old child. Intracystic bleeding was noticed on interval MRI. Serial MRI follow-up demonstrates stages of resolution of the AC that did not require surgical intervention. Few cases of nonsurgical AC disappearance have been reported, much fewer with trauma as a triggering factor. Here, we present the stages of resolution in images., (© 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNETs) are generally considered benign, slow-growing epilepsy-associated lesions. While rare cases of malignant transformation of DNET to high-grade glial tumors have been reported, to our knowledge there have been no reports of transformation/emergence of DNET to atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT), a highly aggressive embryonal brain tumor. Here, we report the case of an 8-year-old boy who presented with an incidental finding of a small right insular lesion which grew slowly over 3 years. The patient first underwent surgery with subtotal tumor resection at age 11. Pathology was consistent with DNET. Following surgery, further tumor growth was evident, requiring fractionated radiotherapy and eventually chemotherapy, but continued tumor growth was witnessed. Three years after radiation, imaging showed dramatic further tumor growth, and the patient underwent a second debulking surgery. The pathology revealed a malignant tumor with BAF47-negative cells, suggestive of AT/RT. This report adds to our knowledge about the poorly understood behavior and natural history of DNETs and emphasizes the importance of lifelong clinical and neuroimaging follow-up of these lesions., (© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: There are many antidepressant medications with different side-effects and efficacy profiles., Objectives: In this study, we compared the efficacy of citalopram and venlafaxine in major depression, which has not yet been studied in Iran., Patients and Methods: In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial study, 39 patients aged 18-54 year old with major depressive disorder were randomly allocated into two groups in Yazd City, Iran, between March 2011 and December 2012. A total of 16 patients were treated with velafaxine and 23 patients were treated with citalopram for 8 weeks. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) questionnaire was used for monitoring depression severity. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20.0 software using Mann Whitney U test and chi-square statistical tests., Results: The HDRS scores were decreased significantly in each group after 8 weeks of treatment (P = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference considering the score of HDRS (P = 0.110). Ten patients in the venlafaxine group and two patients in the citalopram group stopped using medication, all due to nausea or vomiting, or both, and the rate of these two side-effects was significantly higher in the venlafaxine group (P = 0.010)., Conclusions: The efficacy of venlafaxine and citalopram are almost the same, but compliance for the use of medication, such as nausea and vomiting, in patients using venlafaxine is much higher than the citalopram group. Therefore, this implies that citalopram could be a safer antidepressant for patients suffering from major depression.

This study was designed determine the efficacy of bupropion versus placebo in subjects with negative symptoms of schizophrenia. A convenience sample of 40 patients of both genders aged 18-60 years who were living in psychiatric care centers were randomly treated with bupropion (started with 75 mg twice a day; increased to 100 mg thrice daily) or placebo. The diagnosis of schizophrenia was confirmed by a psychiatrist based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria. Before and after the intervention, severity of negative symptoms was determined using a reliable and valid Persian version of Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Comparison of post-treatment total SANS score and subscale scores between bupropion treated patients and placebo group demonstrated no significant difference. Moreover, comparison of pre- treatment and post-treatment total SANS score and subscales within 2 groups revealed that nor bupropion neither placebo improved the severity of negative symptoms significantly. Present study demonstrated that bupropion has no significant effect on SANS score of patients with severe negative symptoms. However, further studies with larger sample size are recommended to achieve more accurate results.

Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant brain tumor of childhood. Although craniospinal dissemination within the subarachnoid space is common, invasion of the dural sinuses is rare. Here, the authors report on a 15-year-old girl who presented with a right cerebellar mass, obstructive hydrocephalus, and radiographic evidence of tumor invasion into the right transverse-sigmoid sinus junction. The patient underwent posterior fossa craniotomy, gross-total resection of the intraparenchymal component of the right cerebellar tumor, and coagulation of the tumor invading the transverse sinus. After pathological confirmation of anaplastic medulloblastoma, the patient underwent craniospinal radiation therapy and high-dose chemotherapy. At 2 years posttreatment, the child was neurologically intact with no radiographic evidence of residual disease or recurrence. The implications for disease prognosis and management are discussed.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Despite current advances in therapy consisting of surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation, the overall survival rate still remains poor. Therapeutic failures are partly attributable to the highly infiltrative nature of tumor adjacent to normal brain parenchyma. Recently, evidence is mounting to suggest that actin cytoskeleton dynamics are critical components of the cell invasion process. Drebrin is an actin-binding protein involved in the regulation of actin filament organization, and plays a significant role in cell motility; however, the role of drebrin in glioma cell invasiveness has not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, this study was aimed to clarify the role of drebrin in glioma cell morphology and cell motility. Here we show that drebrin is expressed in glioma cell lines and in operative specimens of GBM. We demonstrate that stable overexpression of drebrin in U87 cells leads to alterations in cell morphology, and induces increased invasiveness in vitro while knockdown of drebrin in U87 cells by small interfering RNA (siRNA) decreases invasion and migration. In addition, we show that depletion of drebrin by siRNA alters glioma cell morphology in A172 GBM cell line. Our results suggest that drebrin contributes to the maintenance of cell shape, and may play an important role in glioma cell motility., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Establishment of distinct follicle cell fates at the early stages of Drosophila oogenesis is crucial for achieving proper morphology of individual egg chambers. In Drosophila oogenesis, Notch-signaling controls proliferation and differentiation of follicular cells, which eventually results in the polarization of the anterior-posterior axis of the oocyte. Here we analyzed the functions of Tribolium Notch-signaling factors during telotrophic oogenesis, which differs fundamentally from the polytrophic ovary of Drosophila., Results: We found Notch-signaling to be required for maintaining the mitotic cycle of somatic follicle cells. Upon Delta RNAi, follicle cells enter endocycle prematurely, which affects egg-chamber formation and patterning. Interestingly, our results indicate that Delta RNAi phenotypes are not solely due to the premature termination of cell proliferation. Therefore, we monitored the terminal/stalk cell precursor lineage by molecular markers. We observed that upon Delta RNAi terminal and stalk cell populations were absent, suggesting that Notch-signaling is also required for the specification of follicle cell populations, including terminal and stalk precursor cells., Conclusions: We demonstrate that with respect to mitotic cycle/endocycle switch Notch-signaling in Tribolium and Drosophila has opposing effects. While in Drosophila a Delta-signal brings about the follicle cells to leave mitosis, Notch-signaling in Triboliumis necessary to retain telotrophic egg-chambers in an "immature" state. In most instances, Notch-signaling is involved in maintaining undifferentiated (or preventing specialized) cell fates. Hence, the role of Notch in Tribolium may reflectthe ancestral function of Notch-signaling in insect oogenesis.The functions of Notch-signaling in patterning the follicle cell epithelium suggest that Tribolium oogenesis may - analogous to Drosophila - involve the stepwise determination of different follicle cell populations. Moreover, our results imply that Notch-signaling may contribute at least to some aspects of oocyte polarization and AP axis also in telotrophic oogenesis.

Hydration status has a major impact on hemodialysis (HD) patients. Overhydration is related to hypertension, pulmonary and peripheral edema, and other cardiovascular events; while dehydration is related to hypotension, and other severe ischemic symptoms. All result in increased morbidity and mortality. Bioimpedance has been newly developed to measure the amount of water in the body. Several predictive equations were used, taken from demographic and anthropometric data. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the body composition of HD patients and to propose a hydration index. We performed bioimpedance measures with the Tanita TBF-300 scale, which calculates Total Body Water (TBW). The tool was reliable, with good reproducibility. However, we found significant differences between weight variations (dW) and TBW variations (dTBW) during HD sessions. This paper proposes a hydration index (I=dW-dTBW), with the hypothesis that dry weight is reached when I=0, while I>0 or I<0 indicate overhydrated or dehydrated, respectively. In this study, the changes in the index corresponded to the variations in weight and hydration state. We conclude that impedancemetry is a currently available technique that can be used to estimate TBW in HD patients. Although the index has to be improved by complementary studies, it may be a good guide to assess the dry weight achieved.

Many species of tea (Camellia sinensis) and cowslip (Echium amoenum) are used in Iranian traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to conduct the survey on the ability of Iranian black tea and cowslip extracts on secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) by non-infected and infected mouse macrophages. A macrophage infection model with Legionella pneumophila and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used in this study. Research showed that the concentrations of TNF-alpha in non-infected and infected macrophage culture supernatant treated with various concentrations of Iranian black tea and cowslip extracts was significantly higher than the control. Various concentrations of cowslip (0.5, 5 and 50 μg/mL) had significantly a great effect on the induction of TNF-alpha secretion in comparison with the Iranian black tea extract (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, we demonstrated the ability of Iranian black tea and cowslip on the induction of TNF-alpha, which can exert an anti-L. pneumophila activity on macrophages at a low dose. However, further studies to elucidate the mechanism(s) of the induction of macrophages by Iranian black tea and cowslip as well as their potential inhibitory effects on the growth of infected cells and their possible antitumor effects should be carried out in future works.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of metformin treatment on the risperidone-induced body weight gain in patients., Methods: In a 12-weeks, double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized trial between October 2006 and October 2007 which was conducted in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Consultation Center of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 49 patients were entered the study with schizophrenia diagnosis. Then metformin (500 mg bid) or placebo was administrated with risperidone (6 mg) for the patients. Weight, height, and body mass index BMI were measured at the beginning, at 4 weeks, and at 12 weeks of the study. Changes in weight and BMI were evaluated by using repeated measures analysis of variance., Results: Seventeen patients were excluded from the study. Repeated measure analysis of variances showed a significant difference between weight and BMI in both metformin (p<0.001, p<0.015) and placebo group (p<0.013, p<0.005)., Conclusion: Metformin treatment did not show a significant effect to control the body weight of patients after 12 weeks.

The object of this article is to show the contribution of the vitro experimental approach, based on the basic rules of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), as a complementary tool to the clinical studies. Results can be obtained by a experimental approach in vitro with electromagnetic phantoms associated to a bench of "standard" test to allow a possible comparison between various studies. After describing the protocol developed for the cardiac implants (pacemakers and defibrillators), examples of partial results are presented by way of illustration.

Background: Radiofrequency ablation is currently used in the treatment of various cardiac arrhythmias. However, this technique is limited by impedance rise, leading to coagulum formation and desiccation of tissue. We developed a new generator, providing very high frequency (27 MHz) current, which is in the intermediate range between radiofrequency and microwave energy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results for catheter ablation of the atrioventricular junction and characteristics of the lesions obtained at ventricular sites., Methods and Results: The generator was coupled to a specially designed 7-French coaxial catheter. The study included experiments performed on 10 sheep (Wt. 31- 42 kg). In seven sheep, the catheter was introduced into the femoral vein and advanced across the tricuspid annulus to record the largest possible His electrogram. VHF current was applied for 25 s, with increasing energies. The energy needed to obtain complete atrioventricular (AV) block ranged from 60 to 100 Watts. Six animals were observed for 6 to 21 days. Complete AV block was found to be persistent. In those seven sheep in whom AV junction was ablated and in three additional sheep, the ablation catheter was positioned toward the right ventricular apex using the same approach and into the left ventricle via the femoral artery, and 20 to 90 Watts energy was delivered in order to assess the size of the induced lesions. Side effects included ventricular tachycardia degenerating into ventricular fibrillation in six cases, but the same effect was observed in this animal model with radiofrequency energy. No cardiac perforation was noted. No thrombus was observed at the catheter tip. The size of the lesion ranged from 3 to 45 mm in width and 1 to 15 mm in depth., Conclusions: Catheter ablation using VHF current is feasible and appears effective in producing stable AV block when applied at the AV junction and results in substantial myocardial lesions. Further studies are needed to define its clinical interest and side effects.