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Background and Aim: Considering the importance of sepsis and its complications in the mortality of the patients admitted to different parts of hospital and the importance of early diagnosis and timely and appropriate treatment in the patients' survival, we investigated the value of procalcitonin serum level for the differential diagnosis between infectious and noninfectious SIRS in the patients referring to Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj. Material and Methods: In this descriptive analytical (case-control) study, we measured procalcitonin level in SIRS positive patients who had been referring to Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj. After obtaing the results of the lab.tests the patients were divided into two groups of infectious SIRS (case group) and non-infectious (control group) based on the final diagnosis made by our infectious diseases specialist. Patients with history of antibiotic intake within the last 48 hours, mechanical trauma, heat stroke, recent surgery, cancer and severe burn were excluded from the study. Each group consisted of 30 patients. Using SPSS software, data were analyzed by independent T-test to compare the quantitative data between the two groups. We also used Pearson correlation test to investigate the relationship between procalcitonin serum level and variables related to vital signs and blood markers. P

Shoaleh Shami,1 Karim Nasseri,2 Mousa Shirmohammadi,3 Farzad Sarshivi,3 Negin Ghadami,3 Ebrahim Ghaderi,4 Mokhtar Pouladi,5 Arvin Barzanji1 1Department of Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 2Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 3Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 4Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran; 5Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran Introduction: Shivering is among the unpleasant and potentially harmful side effects of spinal anesthesia. The aim of this randomized double-blind clinical trial was to compare the antishivering effect of two different doses of intrathecal pethidine on the incidence and intensity of shivering and other side effects in patients who underwent cesarean section. Methods: In this study, 150 parturient females scheduled for nonemergent cesarean section were randomly allocated to three groups. Spinal anesthesia was performed with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine (12.5 mg), plus 0.5 mL of 0.9% saline in the standard group (S group), and the same dose of bupivacaine with 5 mg (P5 group) or 10 mg of pethidine (P10 group). Demographic and surgical data, incidence and intensity of shivering (primary outcome), hemodynamic indices, forehead and core temperatures, maximum sensory level, Apgar scores, and adverse events were evaluated by a blinded observer. Results: There were no significant differences between the three study groups regarding the demographic and surgical data, hemodynamic indices, core temperatures, and maximum sensory level (P>0.05). The incidence and intensity of shivering were significantly less in the P5 and P10 groups (P

Let A and U be Banach algebras, θ be a nonzero character on A and let A xθ U be the corresponding Lau product Banach algebra. In this paper we investigate derivations and multipliers of A xθ U and study the automatic continuity of these maps. We also study continuity of the derivations for some special cases of U and the Banach (A xθ U)-bimodule X and establish various results in this respect. Some of the results are devoted to find conditions under which one can represent a derivation on A xθ U as sum of two derivations in such a way that one of them is continuous. Some examples are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgeries in children, which is associated with pain and bleeding after the operation. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lidocaine-epinephrine administration in controlling complications after tonsillectomy. Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 109 patients aged 5 to 18, who had referred to Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj for tonsillectomy. After dividing the patients randomly, 40 mg of 1% lidocaine and 5 µg of epinephrine (a volume of 5 ml) were injected into the tonsillar bed in the intervention group before the surgery, but in the patients of the control group, surgery was started without lidocaine-epinephrine administration. Blood pressure and heart rate of the patients before, during and after surgery, and pain intensity based on Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale at minutes 30 and 60 and 6, 12 and 24 hours after surgery, and the amount of bleeding during and after surgery were recorded and compared by calculating the volume of suction and blood pads as well as the length of stay in recovery. Findings: The mean amount of bleeding in the intervention group was 65.5±47.1 ml and in the control group was 113.7±45.7 ml (p=0.0001). The mean pain intensity and hemodynamic changes at minutes 30 and 60, and 6, 12 and 24 hours after surgery in the intervention group were lower than the control group and showed statistically significant differences (p=0.0001). The mean time of discharge from recovery in the intervention group was 0.35±23.2 minutes and in the control group was 50.4±17.5 minutes (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it seems that the administration of lidocaine-epinephrine in the tonsil bed before tonsillectomy can reduce the amount of pain, bleeding, and hemodynamic changes during and after surgery, and the patient can recover sooner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study Johnson pseudo-contractibility of second dual of some Banach algebras. We show that the semigroup algebra ℓ 1 (S) ∗ ∗ is Johnson pseudo-contractible if and only if S is a finite amenable group, where S is an archimedean semigroup. We also show that the matrix algebra M I (ℂ) ∗ ∗ is Johnson pseudo-contractible if and only if I is finite. We study Johnson pseudo-contractibility of certain projective tensor product second duals Banach algebras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism is about one per 414 live births in Kurdistan Province, a western province in Iran. Recently, a surveillance system (diagnosis, report and treatment) was developed to control the disease in Iran. Aim. This study aimed to compare the IQ of children with congenital hypothyroidism with normal children in this province, where the disease is highly prevalent. Subjects and Methods. This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 100 children with congenital hypothyroidism under continuous treatment with thyroxine and a group of 100 healthy infants. Two tests of Goodenough draw-a-man test and Proteus Mazes were used to measure IQ. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS 16 and multiple regression. Results. The average IQ of the patient group treated for 42 months with thyroxine and healthy group were 103.4 (±16.9) and 103.4 (±15.4), respectively (p=0.989). There was no statistically significant difference between the IQ of children with transient and permanent hypothyroidism. In multivariate analysis, the only effective factor on IQ was mothers' education. Conclusion. There was no statistically significant difference between the IQ of children with congenital hypothyroidism who have been treated with thyroxine and the IQ of healthy children. So, there is appropriate quality of care for patients who are living in this province where the disease is highly prevalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background and aim: Dentists are occupationally exposed to elemental mercury from placements of mercury-containing amalgam. Although many studies have been conducted on mercury intoxication, there is still widespread concern about possible ill effects of chronic low-level mercury exposure on dentists. The present study examined the effects of occupational exposure to low levels of mercury by a group of dentists. Method: In this historical cohort study, subjects consisted of 106 dentists and 94 general practitioners (referent group), from private and public clinics in Shiraz city. Subjects were requested to complete a questionnaire on demographic variables, symptoms experienced and work practices. Additionally, using standard methods, atmospheric and urinary concentrations of mercury were measured. The data were analyzed by appropriate statistical tests. In univariate analysis, Chi-Square test was used to compare the prevalence of symptoms among both groups. Independent sample t-test and Mann-Whitney's U-test were used to compare the mean and median of quantitative data of both groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for potential confounders. Results: Both groups were similar as far as most demographic and socioeconomic variables, but age and number of personal amalgam fillings, were concerned. Median of atmospheric concentration of mercury was found to be 3.35 μg/m³. Likewise, the urinary concentration of mercury in dentists was estimated to be 3.22 μg /g.creatinine. This value was significantly higher than that of the referent group. Additionally, analysis of the data revealed that subclinical symptoms of intoxication were more prevalent in dentists. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that occupational exposure to mercury by dentists, even at low levels, is associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of subclinical symptoms of intoxication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Antibacterial activity of sol–gel synthesized Ag–TiO2 nanocomposite layer (30nm) deposited on rough anatase (a) TiO2 thin film (∼200nm in thickness) was investigated against Escherichia coli bacteria, in dark and also in exposure to UV light. The nanocomposite thin films were transparent with a surface plasmon resonance absorption band at a wavelength of 410nm. The metallic silver nanoparticles with an average diameter of 30nm and fcc crystalline structure were self-accumulated on surface of a mesoporous and aqueous TiO2 layer with a capillary pore structure having a pore radius of 3.0nm. By adding the silver nanoparticles in the TiO2 layer, recombination of the photoexcited electron–hole pairs in the (a)TiO2 thin film was delayed, while the pore structure was unchanged. Decrease in the recombination rate and accumulation of the silver nanoparticles on the film surface let the mesoporous Ag–TiO2/(a)TiO2 nanocomposite thin films have excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli bacteria. It was found that the relative rate of reduction of the viable bacteria in dark (in exposure to the UV light) for the Ag–TiO2/(a)TiO2 nanocomposite thin film was 3.2×10–2 min–1 (26×10–2 min–1) which was 4.6 (2.0) times greater than the corresponding value for the (a)TiO2 thin film. The behavior of silver ion release showed that the dominant mechanism of the release process in long time was based on water diffusion through the capillary mesoporous of the TiO2 layer, unlike the usual diffusion of water on the surface of silver-based bulk materials. Therefore, the synthesized Ag–TiO2/(a)TiO2 nanocomposite thin film can be utilized as a promising and effective bactericidal material in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bactericidal activity of high concentration Ag nanoparticles immobilized on surface of an aqueous sol–gel silica thin film was investigated against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Size of the surface nanoparticles was estimated in the range of 35–80nm by using atomic force microscopy. Due to accumulation of the silver nanoparticles at near the surface (at depth of 6nm and about 40 times greater than the silver concentration in the sol), the synthesized Ag–SiO2 thin film (with area of 10mm2) presented strong antibacterial activities against E. coli and S. aureus bacteria with relative rate of reduction of the viable bacteria of 1.05 and 0.73h−1 for initial concentration of about 105 cfu/ml, respectively. In addition, the dominant mechanism of silver release in long times was determined based on water diffusion in surface pores of the silica film, unlike the usual diffusion of water on the surface of silver-based bulk materials. Therefore, the Ag nanoparticles embedded near the surface of the SiO2 thin film can be utilized in various antibacterial applications with a strong and long life activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this work, aligned and compact Ag nanorods capped by sol–gel mesoporous TiO2 layer were grown on Ti/Si(100) in order to be applied in antibacterial applications. The Ag nanorods with a high effective surface were grown by applying an electric field perpendicular to the surface of the Ag/Ti/Si thin film while it was being heat-treated at 700 °C in an Ar+H2 ambient. The grown silver nanorods had widths and lengths of 20–50 and 250–500 nm with an abundance in {100} facet, respectively. The TiO2 cap layer also had the specific surface area, the total pore volume and the pore diameter of 474 m2/g, 0.49 cm3/g and 8.0 nm, respectively. Antibacterial activities of the TiO2-capped Ag nanorods against E. coli bacteria were examined in the dark and under UV irradiation, and then compared to the corresponding activities of the TiO2-capped Ag thin film and the TiO2-capped Ag nanoparticles grown on the Ti layer. The Ag+ ion release measurements showed that the mesoporous and aqueous TiO2 cap layer can control the silver release process by inter-diffusion of water and silvers thorough its capillary structures, completely different from the ion release behavior of the silver nanorods not capped by the TiO2 layer. The results showed a strong and lasting antibacterial activity for the TiO2-capped Ag nanorods with 2.34 h−1 for the relative rate of reduction of the number of viable bacteria. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]