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Despite high coverage rates of polio vaccine in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the seroconversion rates of infants may be inadequate. This study measured seroprevalence of antibodies against poliovirus serotypes 1 to 3 (PV1, PV2 and PV3) in 7-month-old infants who had received at least 4 doses of trivalent oral polio vaccine. A serosurvey was conducted in 2010 in rural areas of Chabahar, Sistan-va-Baluchestan province. Using cluster sampling, 72 eligible infants were tested for antibody against the 3 poliovirus serotypes according to WHO guidelines. Antibody titres ≥ 1:10 were considered positive. The seropositive rates for antibody against PV1, PV2 and PV3 were 84.7%, 95.8% and 70.8% respectively. Only 63.9% of participants were seropositive for antibodies against all 3 poliovirus serotypes. Except for PV2, the seroprevalence of antibody against the other 2 poliovirus serotypes, especially PV3, was unsatisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of emergency surgery. Diagnosis is based on history and physical examinations. The aim of this study was to investigate some factors which increase the likelihood of positive appendicitis. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 100 patients (65 males and 35 females) with clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis in Zanjan in 2010-2011. Pathology report was our Gold Standard for diagnosis. Results: On the basis of pathology reports, 85% of the patients had appendicitis. Male gender and rebound tenderness indicated an increase in the likelihood of positive appendicitis up to 3.8 and 3.08 times, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of sonography in diagnosis were 50, 83.3, 94.7 and 21.7%, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, accuracy of acute appendicitis diagnosis according to pathology results was 85%. Two factors including "male gender" and "rebound tenderness" appeared to have high diagnostic value on positive pathology. It is suggested to consider sonography as a rapid, non-invasive and available method in the diagnosis of suspicious cases of appendicitis. However, negative sonography can not rule out the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Extracting macroscopic properties from molecular simulation of fluids is required in most of the molecular dynamics problems. However, methods used for this purpose, their accuracy, and their dependence on the sampling and averaging schemes are still ambiguous. Macroscopic properties at any point of a molecular domain can be extracted via sampling and averaging of molecular behavior within a control region around that point, called a bin. The size of this bin has a significant impact on the accuracy of the macroscopic properties' measurement. In this research, we will focus on the measurement of mean flow velocity using 'binning method'. On the basis of the results of this study, the most appropriate range of the bin size in which mean velocity can be measured accurately is determined. Although this range is determined based on the measurement of mean flow velocity, we believe that it can be used to estimate the proper range for the measurement of other flow quantities as well. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fascioliasis is considered as the most important helminthic infection of cattle and sheep. Traditional approaches using morphological and biologic characters cannot cause a certainty in the accurate and precise identification and intra-specific differences of Fasciola spp. In this study, we identified Fasciola species using ITS-1 marker and described genetic variation of each species of the parasite in isolates from Tabriz slaughterhouse in West Azerbaijan Province, north- western Iran. Methods: Overall, 100 samples (50 from sheep and 50 from cattle) morphologically detected as Fasciola worms were studied for identification of Fasciola species by PCR-RFLP method and intra-species variation of the parasite using RAPD-PCR technique. Results: A region of approximately 460bp in all samples was successfully amplified. There were no identifiable variations among the size of PCR products. Two and three fragments in samples correspond to F. hepatica and F. gigantica was seen, respectively, through PCR-RFLP method. No difference was seen in digestion pattern according to host (sheep or cattle). Different types of each species of the parasite was observed using RAPD-PCR technique. Conclusion: We could have an estimate of frequency of F. hepatica and F. gigantic and different genotypes of the parasite in isolates from one locality in north- western of Iran. By extension of such studies in future to other animal hosts (buffalo and goat) and including more regions to sampling, the reliability of the results and their application for control programs in zoonotic diseases will be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myxosarcomas are rare malignant neoplasms of soft connective tissues, and there are no reports of hepatic myxosarcomas in cats. An eight-year-old male, neutered, domestic shorthair cat presented with progressive hyporexia, lethargy, and weight loss. An ultrasonography study showed a large abdominal mass connected to the liver. The cat underwent a laparotomy and the mass was removed. Histopathological evaluation of the mass supported the diagnosis of a myxosarcoma. Tumour cells were positive with vimentin and alcian blue stain, and negative with PAS, pan-cytokeratin, s100, epithelial membrane antigen, and α-smooth muscle actin. The Ki-67 index by immunohistochemistry was 6%. The cat was euthanased due to severe lethargy and recumbency. Myxoid soft tissue neoplasms are very rare in cats, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a hepatic myxosarcoma in a cat. In the present case, the diagnosis was made based on histopathological and immunohistochemical findings and an alcian blue-positive supporting matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas pressure has to be reduced from medium pressure of 1.724 MPa (250 psia) to lower pressure of 0.414 MPa (60 psia) at Town Border pressure reduction Station (TBS). Currently, the pressure reduction is carried out by throttling valves while considerable amount of pressure energy is wasted. One of the equipment which could be used to recover this waste energy is the reciprocating expansion engine. The purpose of this research is to simulate one-sided reciprocating expansion engine thermodynamically for TBS pressure range. The simulation is based on first law of thermodynamics, conversation of mass and ideal gas assumptions. The model could predict in-cylinder pressure and in-cylinder temperature at various crank angles. In addition, the effects of the engine geometrical characteristics, such as intake and exhaust port area and ports timing on the Indicated work per cycle output are investigated.

800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} "nBackground: With respect to the importance of hepatitis B vaccination of high-risk groups such as prisoners, this study was performed to assess the comparability of a short-course double-dose vaccination schedule with the standard 3-dose schedule. "n"nMethods : Within a randomized clinical trial, a short-course vaccination (at months 0 and 1) with 20 microgram (double-dose) doses of the vaccine was compared to the standard method of hepatitis B vaccination (at months 0, 1 and 6, with 10-microgram doses) in 100 prisoners in Zahedan city in Iran in 2009. We made sure the sera from all the individuals were negative for markers of previous hepatitis B infection. Subsequently serum from all the participants was tested for anti-HBs antibody 1, 2 and 7 months after the first dose of vaccination."n"nResults : Seroconversion rates (HBsAb>10 mIU/ml) 1, 2 and 7 months after the first dose of vaccination were similar in the routine (11%, 79% and 94%, respectively) relative to the double-dose group (26%, 95% and 93 %, respectively). The mean values of anti-HBs antibody titers were similar in the 1st and 2nd months for the two groups but it was significantly higher (P=0.002) in the routine dose (514 mIU/ml) versus the double-dose group (130 mIU/mL), in the 7th month. "n"nConclusion: Demonstrating comparable results with the standard 3-dose schedule, it seems that short-term double-dose vaccination for hepatitis B is a safe and acceptable method for use in high-risk groups such as prisoners.

Background and Objective: Asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease during childhood and it is estimated that 4.8 million children involved in asthma all over the world and its prevalence and incidence is increasing. The aim of this study was to identify the peak-flow meter application on quality of life in asthmatic children. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial study was done on 80 asthmatic children between 7 to 15 years old which referred to Shahid Beheshti hospital clinic in Kashan, Iran during 2009. Susan Sylvia questionnaire included 3 parts, was filled for every child. The questions in any section had three options in which there were 5 items in activity limitation, 13 questions in symptoms and 6 questions in emotional functions. Every question had 1 to 3 points and whole questionnaire taken 23 to 69 points. The children were learnt to measure their PEFR (Peak Expiratory Flow Rate) 3 times a day using Peak flow meter device and upon the results, the management procedure was changed. After 3 months the outcome were evaluated and data analyzed by SPSS-15 and paired t-test. Results: Mean age of patients was 8.82±2.75 years old. Thirty three subjects (41.3%) were girl. The average score in emotional functions was 13.1±3.07 before and 14.35±3.7 after using peak-flow meter (P

"nBackground: Chemo-radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis represents a therapeutic challenge frequently encountered in cancer patients. This side effect causes significant morbidity and may delay or interruption of treatment plan, cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX2) is an inducible enzyme primarily expressed in inflamed and tumoral tissues. COX-2 inhibitors have shown promise to reduce chemoradiation induce toxicities. We conducted a phase III, randomized double blind clinical trial to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of celecoxib, a selective COX2 inhibitor, administered concurrently with chemoradiation for locally advanced head and neck cancer. Here in we report the first report about the role of COX-2 inhibitor in acute toxicicities. "nMethods: Patients with stage III/IV (locally advance) head and neck carcinoma who referred to department of radiation-oncology were eligible. Patients were treated with chemotherapy with cisplatin concurrently with radiation (60-70Gy). Celecoxib (100mg qid) was started at the first day of radiotherapy and was given for a total of 8 weeks. Acute toxicities were evaluated every week by WHO scale. "nResults: One hundred twenty two patients were enrolled into the study, (61 patients for each group). In repeated mesurment analysis of variance there is a significant difference in the time of onset of grade II acute toxicities between the two groups; The mucositis, dysphagia, epidermitis and oral pain score changed significantly over the typical five weeks in two groups but these changes were more sever in placebo group (p=0.0001). In the analysis of the overall changes in the following laboratory parame-ters: WBC, hemoglobin and platelet showed that these parameters decreased over time in both groups without a significant difference between groups. "nConclusion: The results of these study showed that the use of a COX-2 inhibitor (celecoxib) that is a safe and inexpensive drug may reduce acute toxicities of chemoradiation specially mucositis in head and neck carcinoma.