The role of molecular diagnosis in anaphylactic patients with dual or triple-sensitization to Hymenoptera venoms.

BACKGROUND: The poly-sensitization to Hymenoptera venom makes it difficult to select genuine allergens for immunotherapy and increases patients' costs. The objective of this study was to determine the culprit allergen in dual or triple-sensitized patients to three Hymenoptera venoms through molecular diagnosis and evaluating the results of incorporating the molecular diagnosis with skin tests. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with anaphylactic reactions and dual or triple-sensitization to Hymenoptera venoms in skin tests entered this study. IgE-sensitization to whole extracts and molecules of Apis mellifera (Api m), Vespula vulgaris (Ves v), and Polistes dominulus (Pol d) was evaluated utilizing ALEX or ImmunoCAP. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (90.6%) were male. IgE-sensitization to at least one of the allergenic molecules related to Apis mellifera, Vespula vulgaris, and Polistes dominulus was seen in 59.4, 53.1, and 21.9%, respectively. Among 32 patients, 14 (43.8) and 8 (25%), were mono-sensitized to Api m and Ves v components in ALEX, respectively. Double sensitization to Hymenoptera was identified in 18.8% of patients in ALEX. Api m 1+/Api m 2-/Api m 10- and Ves v 1+/Ves v 5+ demonstrated the most prevalent sensitizations patterns in our patients. CONCLUSIONS: The molecular diagnosis of IgE-sensitization to Hymenoptera venoms can be valuable, especially in patients who show dual or triple-sensitization in skin tests, as the ALEX results revealed mono and double-sensitization to Hymenoptera venoms in 22 and 6 patients, respectively. Regarding the high cost and adverse reactions of venom immunotherapy, especially for two or three venoms, incorporating the molecular diagnosis alongside skin tests for accurate diagnosis of the culprit venom could help decrease costs for patients.

Associations between the perception of dental pain and pain anxiety, mental pain, and dental anxiety in Iranian sample.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the perception of dental pain and its relationship to pain anxiety, dental anxiety, and mental pain. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 328 patients referred to dental clinics in Kermanshah (Iran) from 2020 to 2021. The instruments used in this study included scales assessing pain anxiety, dental anxiety, mental pain, and pain perception. RESULTS: There was a significant relationship (p = .001) between pain perception with dental anxiety (r = .38), pain anxiety (r = .45), and mental pain (r = .25). CONCLUSION: Psychological factors are associated with the perception of dental pain. Given the importance of dental care to overall health, psychological interventions may help to reduce the perception of dental pain and fear of seeing dentists in Iran.

Meatal Stenosis and Atopic Condition: A Pilot Study Demonstrating a Possible Unidentified Etiology.

Meatal stenosis (MS) is known as one of the most frequent complications of circumcision. In the present study, we aimed to find any possible relationship between MS and allergic disorders. A total of 36 children with a mean±SD age of 5.84±2.03 years were referred with MS and an atopic background even in themselves or in one of their family members (Group A). There were also age-matched controls with a mean±SD age of 5.70±2.17 years who were referred to our center with allergic symptoms and no urinary complaints (Group B, n=17). The RIDA qLine allergy and allergy explorer (ALEX) tests were performed for all patients to find possible allergen sensitization. Laboratory findings revealed that IgE-sensitization to the main food and aeroallergens in Group A (with the chief complaint of MS in whom a mild atopic condition was found during concise medical history taking) were very similar to the control group with no significant difference (except for ryegrass which was higher in the control group). Although total IgE level was considerably higher in group B compared to group A, food sensitization to cow's milk and ß-lactoglobulin was higher in asthmatic patients of group A compared to the controls. It seems that not all patients with MS should be considered as a complication of circumcision and undergo a surgical procedure for correction of the stenosis. Further investigations are required to determine the role of concise medical history taking and proper treatment of the allergic disorder to reduce failed surgical attempts in atopic boys with MS.

Factors affecting the accident size of motorcycle-involved crashes: a structural equation modeling approach.

Motorcycle users are one of the vulnerable road users in the event of a crash due to the low level of protection. In most of the studies related to the safety of motorcycle, the highest level of occupants' injury severity is frequently taken into account, which involves one aspect of the crash. To conduct a comprehensive study of crash severity, accident size can be utilized, which consists of different aspects of a crash. Therefore, to investigate the influential factors on the accident size of motorcycle-involved crashes, structural equation modeling was used in the present study. Results reveal that the crashes involving heavy vehicles, old-aged drivers, female drivers, day time, dry road surface, two-way roads, lack of shoulder and rural roads are associated with larger accident size. This study also showed the importance of considering the driver and road characteristics in safety programs for mitigating the crash severity.

A new approach in analyzing the accident severity of pedestrian crashes using structural equation modeling.

BACKGROUND: According to official statistics in Iran, there were 17000 fatalities in road traffic crashes in 2018 that 25% of all crash fatalities belong to pedestrians. In most of the researches related to pedestrians' safety, one aspect of the traffic crash (e.g. the injury or crash severity) is almost considered for the investigation. In order to perform a complete study of the crash, accident size can be utilized which involves different aspects of the crash. Accident size is described in terms of the number of fatalities and injured individuals and the number of damaged and involved vehicles in a crash. METHODS: According to the fact that accident size has multiple indicators and it is not measured directly, traditional methodologies cannot be applied. So, in the present study the effective factors on the accident size of pedestrian crashes are investigated through structural equation modeling. For the purpose of this study, 3718 pedestrian-involved crash data occurred in Isfahan province is used for the modeling. The independent variables are weather conditions, road surface conditions, time, horizontal and vertical alignments, road type and location, driver's gender and age, vehicle type, pedestrian's age, gender and clothing color. RESULTS: The results indicated that highways, the pedestrians' invisibility, female and old-aged pedestrians, heavy vehicles, old-aged and female drivers are related to the increase of the accident size in pedestrian crashes. These results denote that the mentioned variables are associated with the higher number of injuries, fatalities, the higher number of involved and damaged vehicles in a crash. CONCLUSIONS: Present study shows the importance of considering safety improvement measures in highways, educating the people in the society about the traffic safety, the separation of pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic flow and considering the old people in policies and programs for mitigating the accident size.

Functional Movement Screen Composite Scores in Firefighters: Effects of Corrective Exercise Training.

PURPOSE: Firefighters require a high level of functional fitness to operate safely, effectively, and efficiently. The authors studied the distribution of functional movement screen (FMS) scores in firefighters and examined whether an 8-week corrective exercise program based on National Academy of Sport Medicine guidelines could improve them. METHODS: All 524 active firefighters of a city completed the baseline FMS testing. Those who obtained a score of 14 or less, a sign of movement dysfunction, and volunteered to continue their participation were randomly assigned to either an experimental (n = 51) or a control (n = 45) group. Both groups participated in an 8-week training program. The control group used their own usual training routine, but the experimental group used the specific protocol designed for the study. RESULTS: The FMS scores of 43% of the population were less than 14. Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction between FMS scores of the groups (F1,94 =165, P < .001). The experimental group showed a 69% improvement from pretest (10.6) to posttest (17.8), whereas the control group showed only a 3% improvement from pretest (11.8) to posttest (12.1). CONCLUSIONS: Preceding studies have shown that FMS scores less than 14 increase the injury risk. The findings showed that using our proposed training protocol, low FMS scores could be improved to 14 and higher. Considering the high injury rate of firefighters, the authors suggest administering FMS periodically and to use a training protocol such as ours, to increase functional fitness and reduce injury risk.

Head and Neck Lymphoma in an Iranian Population.

INTRODUCTION: This study is aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of head and neck lymphoma in a defined group of an Iranian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 126,450 biopsy reports from two referral Pathology Departments, (Tehran, the capital of Iran) were evaluated. In cases with head and neck lymphoma, other variables such as age, sex, specific location of lesions, and histopathological findings were recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the prevalence and characteristics of head and neck lymphoma by means of SPSS soft ware, version 18. RESULTS: In total, 513 (0.4%) cases had head and neck lymphoma (46.9% male, 27.1% female) with a mean age of 46±6.2. Of the total lesions, 200 (0.15%) were Hodgkin lymphoma and 313 (0.25%) were non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Nodular sclerosis was the most common (62.5%) histopathological subtype among Hodgkin lymphoma. In non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (62.3%) had the highest frequency. In Hodgkin disease, classic Hodgkin lymphocytic rich, mixed cellularity, and lymphocyte depletion were only seen in the neck compartment. Bone involvement was only found in Hodgkin nodular lymphocytic predominant variation. In non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the tongue, palate, and vestibular mucosa were affected only by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Jaw bones were only involved with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma compared to other bony structures. T-cell lymphoma and mucosal associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma were also found. CONCLUSION: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma especially in the tongue, palate, vestibular mucosa, and jaw bones.

Head and Neck Lymphoma in an Iranian Population.

INTRODUCTION: This study is aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of head and neck lymphoma in a defined group of an Iranian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 126,450 biopsy reports from two referral Pathology Departments, (Tehran, the capital of Iran) were evaluated. In cases with head and neck lymphoma, other variables such as age, sex, specific location of lesions, and histopathological findings were recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the prevalence and characteristics of head and neck lymphoma by means of SPSS soft ware, version 18. RESULTS: In total, 513 (0.4%) cases had head and neck lymphoma (46.9% male, 27.1% female) with a mean age of 46±6.2. Of the total lesions, 200 (0.15%) were Hodgkin lymphoma and 313 (0.25%) were non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Nodular sclerosis was the most common (62.5%) histopathological subtype among Hodgkin lymphoma. In non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (62.3%) had the highest frequency. In Hodgkin disease, classic Hodgkin lymphocytic rich, mixed cellularity, and lymphocyte depletion were only seen in the neck compartment. Bone involvement was only found in Hodgkin nodular lymphocytic predominant variation. In non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the tongue, palate, and vestibular mucosa were affected only by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Jaw bones were only involved with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma compared to other bony structures. T-cell lymphoma and mucosal associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma were also found. CONCLUSION: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma especially in the tongue, palate, vestibular mucosa, and jaw bones.

Determination of the best pre-jump height for improvement of two-legged vertical jump.

BACKGROUND: Athletic performance in many sports depends on two-legged vertical jump. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of different pre-jump height exercises on two-legged vertical jump and to determine the best pre-jump height(s). METHODS: Subjects included 35 females and 42 males. By matched randomized sampling, subjects of each sex were assigned into four groups, namely, control, 10-cm hurdle, 20-cm hurdle, and 30-cm hurdle. They participated in the same training program for 6 weeks. Statistical analyses were based on one-way and repeated-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: Analysis of the data showed that practice over hurdles of 10 cm was better than no hurdle and hurdles of >10 cm. Also, jump attempts over hurdles were efficient for trained athletes, but not for untrained athletes. For both sexes, the rate of spike improvement was much better in the experimental groups than in the control groups; it was independent from the rate of progress in jump, which was relatively less evident. CONCLUSIONS: It is likely that rather than increasing jump height, training over hurdle enabled the players to use a higher percent of their jump potentials.