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Pelvic fracture is a result of devastating injuries and is usually encountered in conjunction with other life- threatening injuries. The aim of the current study was to determine the outcome determinants of patients with pelvic fractures referred to a large trauma center in southern Iran. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in a level I trauma center over a period of three years from 2012 to 2015. We included all patients with pelvic fractures whose medical records had sufficient data. Data were compared between good condition and poor conditions. A total of 327 patients with mean age of 40.1 ± 19.7 years were included. Poor condition was defined as being associated with higher heart rate (p=0.002), lower systolic blood pressure (p

【Abstract】Objective: To identify the main character-istics of victims of motorcycle accidents in Fars Province, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Fars Province which has the fourth largest population of all 31 provinces in Iran from March 2009 to June 2010. We included data from all 542 recorded cases of fatalities due to motor vehicle accidents. Data were recorded from the foren-sic medicine registry consisting of demographic and acci-dent-related information. Demographic information con-sisted of name, age, sex, status of fatal victim (motorcycle driver vs passenger) and educational level. Results: Of the 2 345 autopsy records from the foren-sic medicine archives, 542 (23.1%) gave the cause of death as motor vehicle accidents. Mean age of these victims was (31.4±16.5) years, and the male to female ratio was 28. Head injury was the most common cause of death in these victims, and overall they tended to have a low level of education. Motorcycle accidents frequently involved younger age groups (15-35 years), and head trauma related with non-use of a helmet was the most common cause of death. Conclusions: Head injury is frequent among victims in the province we studied. This situation may be related to the victims’ low socioeconomic status and little education regarding traffic laws leading to speeding and disregard of these laws along with their weak enforcement. Key words: Accidents, traffic; Motorcycles; Iran

Background: Protective loop ileostomy is performed following low anterior resection (LAR) in patients with rectal cancer to reduce the complications of primary anastomosis. The optimal timing for ileostomy closure remains controversial. The aim of the current study was to compare the effects of early (<2 weeks) versus late (≥2 months) closure of the stoma in patients with rectal cancer undergoing LAR on surgical outcome and complications rates., Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted in two referral centers in Shiraz, Iran, during a 2-year period. We have consecutively and prospectively included adult patients with rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent LAR followed by protective loop ileostomy in our center during the study period. The baseline, tumor characteristics and complication as well as outcome was recorded in a 1-year follow-up and was compared between early and late ileostomy closure., Results: Overall, 69 patients (32 in early and 37 in late group) were included. The mean age of the patients was 59.40 ± 9.30 years and there were 46 (66.7%) men and 23 (33.3%) women. Patients undergoing early closure of the ileostomy had significantly shorter operation duration (p<0.001) and lower intraoperative bleeding (p<0.001) compared to late ileostomy closure. There was no significant difference between two study groups regarding the complications. Early closure was also not found to be a predictive factor of post-ileostomy closure complications., Conclusion: Early closure (<2 weeks) of ileostomy after LAR in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma is a safe and feasible technique which is associated with favorable outcome., (Copyright © 2023 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Robotic Surgery Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide being associated with significant social and economic burden. The best sedative regimen in TBI patients is yet to be identified. This study was designed to determine the effects of dexmedotomdine hydrochloride (Percedex®, DEX) on functional outcome of patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This was a retrospective cohort study including patients with severe (3-8) and moderate (9-13) TBI referring to a level I trauma center. We studied two groups of patients, those receiving DEX or routine sedation regimen in neurointensive care unit (NICU). The main outcome measures were the Glasgow outcome scale extended (GOSE) at 3 and 6-month. We have also recorded ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS) and the tracheostomy rate. We included 138 patients in two study groups (each including 69). The baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. DEX was associated with lower LOS in hospital (p = 0.002) and NICU (p = 0.003). The GOSE was comparable between two study groups at 3 (p = 0.245) and 6-month (p = 0.497). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that after LOS of NICU and hospital stay adjustment, DEX group experienced significantly improved 6-month GOSE with the average improvement in score of 0.92 compared to the control group (p = 0.041). DEX administration in patients with moderate and severe TBI was associated with decreased NICU and hospital LOS and improved functional outcome at 6-month., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the main cause of low back pain, which is a healthcare concern associated with high social and economic burden. The current medical and surgical therapies are inadequate and ineffective. Several miRNAs have been identified that modulate (via up- or down-regulation) the pathogenesis of IDD through various signaling pathways. Understanding the nature of this regulation and their signaling pathways will enable researchers to manipulate miRNA regulation to develop miRNA-based therapies. The development of miRNA-based therapies opens a future window through which to decrease the IDD process or regenerate the intervertebral disc. In the near future, the obstacles associated with miRNA-based therapies will be overcome and these therapies will move from the bench to the bedside.

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) is persistent pain and disability following lumbar laminectomy which is associated with decreased quality of life and disability and has been reported in up to 40% of the patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy. Several approaches have been introduced to reduce the rate of the FBSS. Among these, applying anti-adhesive barrier gels have been studied with interest with controversial results. The aim of the current study was to determine the effects of anti-adhesive barrier gels on functional outcome and recurrence of patients undergoing lumbar disc surgery. We searched databases including EMBASE, PUBMED, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and scholar databases until November 2019. To assess the heterogeneity across included studies was used Cochran's Q and I-square (I 2 ) statistics. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI between were used to estimate pooled effect sizes. Out of 4507, 10 clinical trials found to be appropriate for current meta-analysis. The pooled results of included clinical trials indicated that adhesion barrier gel significantly decreased leg pain (LP) (SMD = -0.31; 95% CI, -0.60, -0.03; P = 0.032; I 2 : 59.2%) among patients with lumbar disc herniation surgery. Back pain (BP) (SMD = -0.03; 95% CI, -0.23, 0.16; P = 0.734; I 2 : 40.2%), and Oswestry disability index (ODI) (SMD = -0.11; 95% CI, -0.27, 0.05; P = 0.178; I 2 : 0.0%), were not significantly affected following adhesion barrier gel application. Application of adhesion barrier gel in single level lumbar disc surgery is associated with deceased leg pain. However, its application does not affect the low back pain, disability and gate. Further, larger randomized clinical trials are required., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Objective: Determining the predictive factors of diabetes foot ulcer (DFU) development and lower extremity amputations (LEA) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is of great importance to compose risk stratification models. The aim of this study is to investigate the outcome and predictors of LEA in patients with DFU in large sample of Iranian patients., Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted during a 2-year period from 2014 to 2016, in Shiraz, southern Iran. All the patients with type 1 and 2 DM and DFU were included in the cohort and were followed for 2 years at least. They were visited in the clinic on a monthly basis and development of new DFU and LEA were recorded. The two-year free-DFU survival and predictors of the DFU development and LEA were recorded. Multivariate regression models were used to determine the factors., Results: A total number of 432 patients with mean age of 56.8 ± 13.3 years were included. The two-year DFU-free survival rate was 0.826. The two-year DFU-free survival was associated with male gender (p = 0.005), foot deformity (p = 0.002), history of prior DFU (p < 0.001), cigarette smoking (p = 0.032), nephropathy (p = 0.005), retinopathy (p = 0.007), ischemic heart disease (p = 0.043), and neuropathy (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Development of new DFU is associated with higher age, longer duration of disease, and type I diabetes. LEA was associated with increased white blood cell (WBC), Creatinine and ulcer history for major amputation and ulcer history, fasting blood sugar (FBS), infection, revascularization history, and foot deformity, for minor amputation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute pain control after supratentorial craniotomy is considered among the most important indicators of postoperative recovery. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of intravenous acetaminophen on postcraniotomy pain., Methods: We searched databases including Embase, Scopus, Medline, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science until April 2019. Cochran Q test and I 2  statistic were used to assess the heterogeneity across included clinical trials. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate pooled effect sizes., Results: Out of 479 reports, 5 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria and were appropriate for our meta-analysis, which included a total of 2635 patients. The pooled results of included clinical trials indicated that paracetamol intake significantly decreased rescue dose (SMD, -0.67; 95% CI, -1.15 to -0.19; P < 0.01; I 2  = 90.0%), total dosage of rescue (SMD, -0.78; 95% CI, -1.18 to -0.37; P < 0.01; I 2  = 86.0%), intensive care unit length of stay (SMD, -0.24; 95% CI, -0.44 to -0.04; P = 0.01; I 2  = 0.0%), and visual analog scale score (SMD, -0.16; 95% CI, -0.31 to -0.00; P = 0.04; I 2  = 71.7%) and increased patient satisfaction (SMD, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.14-0.43; P < 0.01; I 2  = 10.2%) among patients with craniotomy. Time to rescue (SMD, 0.21; 95% CI, -0.42 to 0.85; P = 0.51; I 2  = 94.3%) and hospital length of stay (SMD, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.24 to 0.16; P = 0.69; I 2  = 0.0%) did not significantly change after paracetamol intake., Conclusions: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that preoperative intravenous administration of acetaminophen is associated with decreased postoperative pain, need for rescue analgesics, and dosages of analgesics after craniotomy surgery., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The role of obesity has been widely studied as a determinant factor of increasing mortality in surgical patients. In this study we aimed to investigate the association of mortality determinants with obesity classification and BMI score in burn patients admitted to a tertiary referral center in Southern Iran., Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, medical profiles of burn patients admitted from 2016 to 2017 were obtained from Amiralmomenin Burn Hospital, a tertiary referral burn center affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Demographic, and clinical characteristics as well as patient outcomes were recorded to determine prognostic factors in fatal burns based on anthropometric measurements., Results: Among 101 patients who were enrolled in this study including 73 males and 28 females, mean age was 34.85±12.04 years, total burn surface area (TBSA) was 37.37 (10.50%), BMI was 25.46±5.33 kg/m 2 and hospital stay was 22.28±13.62 days. Overall mortality rate was 24.7% with 25 expired cases. Logistic regression demonstrated significant association of older age, male gender, and greater TBSA with mortality. However, difference in mortality rate in patients with BMI of 25 kg/m2 (27.4%) in comparison to patients with BMI<25 kg/m2 (18%) did not reach statistical significance., Conclusion: Although patients with higher BMI had increased mortality rate following burn injury, this finding showed no significant association. Further studies with larger samples may be necessary to conclude a causal association between BMI and mortality in burn patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Purpose The aim of the current study was to report the surgical outcome and complications of jejunostomy with enteroenterostomy for enteral nutrition (EN) in critically ill trauma patients with prolonged nasogastric (NG) nutrition. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out in a level I trauma center in Shiraz, southern Iran during a one-year period from 2016 to 2017. We included a total number of 30 patients with severe trauma admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with more than three months NG nutrition and bowel atrophy. We performed a novel jejunostomy with an enteroenterostomy procedure for providing a route for enteral nutrition in all 30 patients. The rate of complications, such as dislodgement, clogging, obstruction, leakage, mucosal bleeding, and infection, were recorded and reported. We also recorded the hospital and ICU length of stay (LOS). Results We included a total number of 30 patients with a mean age of 35.64 ± 8.91 years, and there were 23 (76.6%) men and seven (23.4%) women among the patients. Overall, 14 (46.6%) patients experienced complications related to the jejunostomy with enteroenterostomy. The most common complication was nausea and vomiting (33.3%) and distention (33.3%), followed by surgical site infection (30.0%). The mean ICU LOS and hospital LOS was found to be 16.8 ± 3.7 and 24.3 ± 4.1 days, respectively. The overall mortality rate was 17 (56.6%), which was secondary to the primary injury and was not related to the procedure. Conclusion Jejunostomy with enteroenterostomy is a safe and feasible method for providing a route for EN in critically ill trauma patients with prolonged NG nutrition and bowel atrophy., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: To determine the antimicrobial activity and entity of several local herbal plants against Acintobacters isolated from trauma patients admitted to a Level-I trauma center., Methods: The antibacterial activities of the Satureja bachtiarica oil and someselected Iranian medicinal plants ( Artemisia sieberi and Tanacetum dumosum belonging to the Asteraceae/Compositae; Salvia mirzayanii and Mentha mozaffarianii belonging to the Lamiaceae/Labiatae) were assayed on A. baumannii by microdilution and agar disc diffusion methods. Having obtained the acceptable antibacterial data, the shade-dried aerial parts of the plants were extracted by hydrodistillation method using Clevenger apparatus according to European pharmacopeia for 3 h. The analysis of S. bachtiarica essential oil accompanied by other herbal drug oils were performed by using GC/FID and GC/MS methods., Results: Outcomes revealed that the S. bachtiarica essential oil exhibited the potent antibacterial capability against Acinetobacter strains in comparison with Colistin, as a positive control. For S. bachtiarica ,the growth inhibition zone and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were 21 mm and 0.5 mg/ml, while, for Colistin, the data were in order: 8 mm and 0.016 mg/ml. Consequently, GC/MS outcomes demonstrated that the major components of the essence were carvacrol (48.6%), followed by p -Cymene (16.6%), γ -terpinene (6.9%) and linalool (5.3%)., Conclusion: Based on the considerable inhibitory activity against nosocomial infections by essential oil of S. bachtiarica , it could be considered as the suitable candidate in the food industry and pharmaceutical uses., Competing Interests: All authors declare there is no conflict of interest.

Objective: To compare the cellular changes of harvested arteries which were preserved in normal saline (NS) and the standard and routinely used University of Wisconsin (UW) solution., Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 20 brain dead patients. The femoral and iliac arteries were bilaterally removed and were placed in NS and UW solutions. The vascular change indices including endothelial detachment (ED), medial detachment (MD), and internal elastic membrane disruption (IEMD) were surveyed for each preserver in the first, 5th, 10th, and 21st day., Results: The mean age of the included patients was 32.28 ± 8.88 years, and there were 13 (65.0%) men and 7 (35.0%) women among the patients. The NS and UW preservation solutions were comparable regarding the indices of vascular changes at first, 5th, and 10th day of the study. Only in 21st day of the study, there was a significant difference between 2 group regarding MD changes (P = .049)., Conclusion: The results of this in vitro study demonstrated that NS can be used as a worthy preserver for harvested vessels for up to 21 days, especially in resource-limited transplantation centers., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To determine the effects of pregnancy on the presentation, management, surgical and obstetrics outcome of patients with acute appendicitis., Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted during a 2-year period from 2014 to 2016 in Shahid Faghihi hospital of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. We enrolled all the pregnant individuals with acute appendicitis who required surgical appendectomy. We also enrolled age-matched controls of non-pregnant women undergoing open appendectomy during the study period. The presentation, clinical and laboratory characteristics, surgical and obstetrics outcomes were determined in both study groups and were further compared between them. In order to determine the determinants of outcome, we also ran a multivariate logistic regression model., Results: Overall we included a total number of 584 patients with presumed appendicitis among whom there were 58 (9.94%) and 526 (90.06%) non-pregnant individuals. The pregnant patients had significantly longer duration of symptoms ( p =0.038), lower temperature ( p =0.026), longer duration of hospital stay ( p =0.026) and higher rate of hospital admission longer than 2 days ( p =0.031). The complications of the surgical procedure were comparable between the two study groups except for the pneumonia which was significantly higher in pregnant patient ( p =0.041). After adjusting for confounders such as age and ethnicity, pregnancy remained significantly associated with lower temperature ( p =0.018), longer symptom duration ( p =0.042) and higher rate of pneumonia ( p =0.049)., Conclusion: Acute appendicitis during the pregnancy was associated with longer duration of symptoms, lower body temperature and higher rate of pneumonia. The pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were comparable to the previously reported data., Competing Interests: None declared.

Objective: To evaluate the lethal area 50 (LA50) and determinants of mortality in burn patients admitted to a single burn center., Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary burn center affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, during a 1-year period from 2015 to 2016. To determine prognostic factors in fatal burns, medical records of eligible burn patients were reviewed for demographic and clinical variables, as well as patient outcome. Also, LA50 was calculated using Probit analysis., Results: Overall 559 patients with the mean age of 27.2±23.65 years and including 343 (61.4%) males and 216 (38.6%) females were enrolled in this study. The average burn TBSA% was 31.38±24.41% (1-100%). Duration of hospital stay ranged from 1 to 67 days (15.11±10.64). With 93 expired patients, the mortality rate was calculated to be 16.6%. The total LA50 was 66.55% (58.4-79.3). Fire was the most common cause of burn injury., Conclusion: Compared to developed countries, in our burn center the LA50 and survival rate of burn patients are lower. This indicates an urgent need for prompt attention in order to improve current policies regarding this public health issue to reduce mortality.

Objective: Scorpion stings are a major public health problem in many countries, particularly in pediatrics. Children are more susceptible to severe clinical manifestations of envenomation. The aim of this study is to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric scorpionism in Hormozgan province of Iran during 2012., Method: This was a cross-sectional study being conducted during 2010 in Hormozgan, the southern province of Iran. We included 350 patients admitted to emergency unit of the hospitals of 8 cities of Hormozgan with impression of scorpion envenomation. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics as well as the treatment and outcome were recorded., Results: The prevalence rate of pediatric scorpion stings in the province was 1.8 in 1000 children. The mean age of the patients was 5.75 ± 4.54 (range, 1-18) years. There were 208 (59.5%) boys and 142 (40.5%) girls among the patients. The most common site of sting was sole to knee in 94 (26.8%) followed by hand in 61 (17.4%) and fingers in 47 (13.4%). The most common presenting symptom was vomiting in 236 (67.4%) followed by localized pain in 131 (37.3%), erythema in 120 (34.2%), and edema in 119 (33.9%). The highest and lowest frequency occurred in July (17.7%) and January (3.2%), respectively. Nocturnal envenomations (53.7%) were more common than diurnal (46.3%). Most of scorpionism were mild (83.4%) that all evolved to cure, without any deaths., Conclusions: The results demonstrate the pediatric scorpionism is a public health problem in Hormozgan province of Iran, and special attention should be paid to prevention and treatment.

Objective: To compare the outcome of patients with up to 60% total body surface area (TBSA) thermal burns undergoing ultra-early and early excision and grafting., Methods: This historical cohort study was performed in two referral burn centers of Shiraz during a 1-year period from 2015 to 2016. We included those patients with thermal burns up to 60% TBSA who underwent ultra-early (48-72 hours) and early (7-10 days) excision and grafting. We excluded those who were hemodynamically unstable and those with electrical burns. The outcome of patients was determined by graft success, operation duration, blood loss, hospital length of stay and mortality rate., Results: We included a total number of 107 patients with mean age of 32.1 ± 11.6 years. There were 65 (60.7%) men and 42 (39.3%) women among the patients. Both study groups were comparable regarding the baseline characteristics. Ultra-early excision and grafting was associated with more, higher graft success rate ( p =0.048), lower infection rate ( p =0.037), shorter hospital length of stay ( p =0.044) and lower mortality rate ( p =0.027)., Conclusion: Ultra-early excision and grafting in patients with thermal burns covering less than 60% TBSA was associated with higher graft success rate, shorter hospital length of stay, lower infection rate and lower mortality rate when compared to early surgery.

Objective: To determine the effects of platelet rich plasma PRP on healing rates of long bone non-union fracture., Method: This was a randomized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial being performed in a 12-month period. We included 75 adult (>18 years) patients suffering from long bone (Femur, Tibia, Humerus and Ulna) non-union fracture who were randomly assigned to receive 5mL PRP (n=37) or 5mL normal saline as placebo (n=38) in the site of fracture after intramedullary nailing or open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) along with autologous bone graft. Patients were followed each 45 days till 9 months and were evaluated both clinically and radiologically in each visit. The healing rate, failure rate, incidence of infection, mal-union and limb shortening were recorded and compared between groups after 9 months of follow-up., Results: The healing rate was significantly higher in PRP group compared to placebo (81.1% vs. 55.3%; p=0.025). The limb shortening was significantly higher in those who received placebo (2.61±1.5 vs. 1.88±1.2mm; p=0.030). Injection of PRP was also associated with lower pain scores ( p=0.003) and shorter healing duration ( p=0.046). The surgical site infection ( p=0.262) and mal-union rate ( p=0.736) were comparable between groups., Conclusion: Application of PRP along with autologous bone graft in the site of non-union of long bone after intramedullary nailing or ORIF results in higher cure rate, shorter healing duration, lower limb shortening and less postoperative pain. Higher infection rate might be a complication of PRP application., Clinical Trial Registry: This trial is registered with the Iranian Clinical Trials Registry (IRCT201208262445N1; www.irct.ir).

Introduction: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), also known as female circumcision, is an ancient traditional procedure that involves partial or total removal of the female external genitalia for nonmedical reasons. Although it is well described in African and some Arabic countries, data from Iran are scarce., Aim: To describe the epidemiology, regional characteristics, knowledge, and attitude toward FGM/C in Southern Iran., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during a 36-month period from 2010 to 2013 in Hormozgan, a southern province of Iran near the Persian Gulf. We included 780 women in six major rural areas of the province who referred to healthcare centers for vaccination, midwifery, or family planning services. All participants underwent complete pelvic examination to determine the type of FGM. The questionnaire consisted of several sections such as demographic and baseline characteristics, and two self-report sections addressing the knowledge and attitude toward FGM/C and its complications. Baseline sociodemographic characteristics including age, educational level, marital status, religion, and nationality were the independent variables., Results: Among the participants, 535 (68.5%) had undergone FGM/C. FGM/C was associated with higher age (P = 0.002), Afghan nationality (P = 0.003), Sunni Islam as religion (P = 0.019), illiteracy (P < 0.001), and family history of FGM/C in mother (P < 0.001), sister (P < 0.001), and grandmother (P < 0.001). Ancient traditions in the area (57.1%) were mentioned as the most important factor leading to FMG/C. Urinary tract infection was the most common reported complication (60.4%)., Conclusion: FGM/C is a common practice in rural areas of Southern Iran. It is associated with increased age, illiteracy, Sunni Islam religion, Afghan nationality, and positive family history. Lack of knowledge toward FGM/C is the main cause of its high prevalence and continuation in the area., (© 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.)

Background: Pelvic fractures are among the most devastating traumatic injuries accompanied by high morbidity and mortality rate leading to catastrophic outcomes and haemodynamic consequences. Although Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) recommends performing pelvic radiography in all major blunt trauma patients, several lines of evidence recommend that it can be limited to those blunt trauma patients who are haemodynamically unstable or have positive pelvic physical examination. Thus, we performed this study in order to evaluate the efficacy of routine pelvic radiography in haemodynamically stable, high-energy, blunt trauma patients., Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study including all the haemodynamically stable, high-energy, blunt trauma patients with negative pelvic physical examination referring to our trauma centre during a 5-month period (May-September 2010). Pelvic radiographies were performed and reviewed for abnormalities. In those who had negative pelvic physical examination and the radiography was not revealing enough, CT imaging was requested and reviewed., Results: During the study period, 1679 high-energy blunt trauma patients referred to our centre out of which 389 were haemodynamically stable and had negative pelvic physical examination. Pelvic radiography was found to be normal in all the patients except one (0.25%) who had pelvic fracture. Only three patients required CT imaging out of which two (0.5%) were found to be normal., Conclusions: Pelvic radiography could be eliminated from the primary survey protocol of the patients with high-energy blunt trauma who are haemodynamically stable and have negative pelvic physical examination.

Background: Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased prevalence of thrombophilia, leading to higher rates of pregnancy loss. The aim of this study was to determine the association between thrombophilia and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in patients with and without PCOS., Methods: In this comparative case-control study, we included 60 patients with RPL (≥3 consecutive pregnancy losses at <20 weeks of gestation) and PCOS (Group 1), 60 patients with PCOS and without RPL (Group 2), 60 patients with RPL and without PCOS (Group 3), and 60 healthy individuals (Group 4). These four study groups were compared regarding serum levels of testosterone, fasting insulin, homocysteine (Hcy), plasminogen activator inhibitor activity (PAI-Fx), protein C, protein S, antithrombin III, activated protein C ratio (APCR), factor V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A, and methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutations., Results: Patients in Group 1 had significantly higher levels of testosterone (p = 0.026), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (p = 0.035), fasting insulin (p = 0.015), Hcy (p = 0.036), and PAI-Fx (p = 0.008) compared to Group 3. They also had higher proportions of APCR (p = 0.009) and a higher prevalence of factor V Leiden mutations compared to Group 3 (p = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in protein C (p = 0.088), protein S (p = 0.514), or antithrombin III (p = 0.627) between the four study groups., Conclusion: Hyperinsulinemia, hyperandrogenemia, hypofibrinolysis, and hyperhomocysteinemia as well as APCR and factor V Leiden mutations are associated with RPL in patients with PCOS., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of transcutaneous application of electrical stimulation on the rate of corneal epithelial healing in corneal abrasion using an in vivo model of corneal wound healing in the rabbit., Methods: This was an experimental study including 16 adult Dutch rabbits that were randomly allocated to 2 study groups (8 in each group) to receive transcutaneous electrostimulation or no treatment. The corneal epithelium was lifted from the round limbal border. The rabbits in the study group received transcutaneous electrostimulation for 30 minutes by placing the active electrode (-) on the upper right lid and the passive electrode (+) on the right foot. Photographs of corneal epithelial defects were taken each day until the sixth day by digital photographs and the images were analyzed using software., Results: The healing percentage was significantly higher in those who received transcutaneous electrostimulation at days 2 (P < 0.001), 3 (P < 0.001), 4 (P = 0.001), and 6 (P = 0.014) after the procedure. The healing rate was also significantly higher in the transcutaneous electrostimulation group at days 2 (P < 0.001), 5 (P = 0.022), and 6 (P = 0.044) after the procedure. The healing rate did not differ significantly between the groups at days 3 (P = 0.169) and 4 (P = 0.426). The maximum healing rate was observed in the first 24 hours, and the minimum healing rate was observed during day 3 in the electrical stimulation group., Conclusions: The transcutaneous application of electrical stimulation can considerably increase the rate of corneal healing, especially in the first 24 hours of healing full surface corneal abrasion.

Objective: To identify the main characteristics of victims of motorcycle accidents in Fars Province, Iran., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Fars Province which has the fourth largest population of all 31 provinces in Iran from March 2009 to June 2010. We included data from all 542 recorded cases of fatalities due to motor vehicle accidents. Data were recorded from the forensic medicine registry consisting of demographic and accident-related information. Demographic information consisted of name, age, sex, status of fatal victim (motorcycle driver vs passenger) and educational level., Results: Of the 2 345 autopsy records from the forensic medicine archives, 542 (23.1%) gave the cause of death as motor vehicle accidents. Mean age of these victims was (31.4+/-6.5) years, and the male to female ratio was 28. Head injury was the most common cause of death in these victims, and overall they tended to have a low level of education. Motorcycle accidents frequently involved younger age groups (15-35 years), and head trauma related with non-use of a helmet was the most common cause of death., Conclusions: Head injury is frequent among victims in the province we studied. This situation may be related to the victims' low socioeconomic status and little education regarding traffic laws leading to speeding and disregard of these laws along with their weak enforcement.

Background: Detecting cervical spine injuries in trauma patients is essential because undetected injuries in the this area may result in severe neurological disability and probably quadriplegia. Thus, radiography of the cervical spine is considered mandatory in the initial evaluation of trauma patients according to Advanced Trauma Life Support. This approach results in many unnecessary normal radiographs. Therefore, we performed this study to determine the role of routine cervical radiography in the initial evaluation of stable high-energy blunt trauma patients., Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study including all hemodynamically stable high-energy blunt trauma patients with negative cervical physical examinations referred to our trauma center during a 5-month period (May to September 2010). Cervical radiographs, computed tomography (CT) scanning and magnetic resonance imaging were performed and reviewed for abnormalities., Results: During the study period, 1,679 high-energy blunt trauma patients were referred to our center, of which 400 were hemodynamically stable and had negative cervical physical examinations. Cervical radiographs were found to be normal in all patients., Conclusion: Cross-table cervical spine radiographs can be limited to those high-energy blunt trauma patients who have a positive cervical physical examination or those in whom the physical examination is not revealing. These radiographs also have low value for detecting occult cervical spine fractures, and CT imaging is considered the modality of choice in these cases.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of preoperative intravenous or peritonsillar infiltration of ketamine for postoperative pain control in children following adenotonsillectomy., Patients and Methods: 78 children between 5 and 18 years of age who were scheduled for elective adenotonsillectomy were randomly assigned to four groups: group 1 (n = 19) received intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg), group 2 (n = 21) intravenous normal saline, group 3 (n = 19) ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) injected through the tonsillar capsule, and group 4 (n = 19) normal saline injected in the same location. The incidence of postoperative pain and vomiting as well as the severity of postoperative pain were compared between study groups during the 6-hour postoperative period using a visual analog scale (VAS) at rest, upon swallowing saliva, drinking liquids and eating ice cream., Results: There were no demographic differences between the four groups. The incidence of postoperative pain was significantly lower in groups 1 [7 (36.8%) vs. 10 (47.6%); p = 0.032] and 3 [5 (31.5%) vs. 12 (63.2%); p = 0.001] compared with their controls. The amount (in milligrams) of pethidine and metoclopramide used for pain and nausea control was significantly lower in groups 1 (12.5 ± 5.3 vs. 19.6 ± 9.6 mg, p = 0.038, and 2.9 ± 1.1 vs. 4.6 ± 2.6 mg, p = 0.042, respectively) and 3 (8.6 ± 3.1 vs. 21.6 ± 8.4 mg, p < 0.001, and 1.6 ± 0.9 vs. 5.3 ± 3.2 mg, p = 0.002, respectively) compared with their controls. These values were also higher in group 1 compared with group 3. The VAS scores on swallowing saliva (3.9 ± 2.7 vs. 2.7 ± 1.2; p = 0.018), on drinking liquids (3.7 ± 2.6 vs. 2.8 ± 1.6; p = 0.013) and on eating ice-cream (4.3 ± 2.4 vs. 2.8 ± 1.5; p = 0.001) were also significantly higher in group 1 compared with group 3., Conclusions: Our results show that peritonsillar infiltration of ketamine was more effective in reducing the postoperative pain severity, need for analgesics and need for antiemetics. Thus, peritonsillar infiltration of ketamine is suggested for postoperative pain control in those undergoing adenotonsillectomy., (Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.)