Distal Akin osteotomy for hallux valgus interphalangeus.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess clinical and radiological outcomes in patients who underwent distal Akin osteotomy for hallux valgus interphalangeus (HVI). METHODS: A series of 15 consecutive patients (17 feet) was retrospectively reviewed. All the patients were preoperatively and post-operatively evaluated with a physical and radiographic assessment (HVI angle). Satisfaction has been assessed through a satisfaction survey, the scale used consisted in three possible choice: very satisfied, satisfied, not satisfied. RESULTS: Among 15 patients the 52.9% (9 patients) stated to be "very satisfied", the 41.2% (7 patients) "satisfied" and just a 5.9% (one patient) was "not satisfied". The mean HVI value decreased from 24.9°±7.8° preoperatively to 13.1°±5.8° postoperatively at last follow up (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings we can conclude that the distal Akin osteotomy can be considered safe and effective in the surgical correction of symptomatic HVI deformities.

The effect of dietary intake changes on nutritional status in acute leukaemia patients after first induction chemotherapy.

This study aimed to evaluate how changes in dietary intake among acute lymphoblastic and acute myeloid leukaemia (ALL and AML) patients affect nutritional status after the first induction chemotherapy. Dietary intake was assessed using 24-h recall and a 136-item food frequency questionnaire. Nutritional status was assessed by Patients Subjective Global Assessment questionnaire before starting induction therapy and again after 1 month. All newly diagnosed acute leukaemia patients aged 15 years old and older who attended three referral hospitals for initiation of their induction chemotherapy were included in the sample selection provided that they gave informed consent. A total of 30 AML and 33 ALL patients participated in the study. Dietary intake and nutritional status worsened after the chemotherapy treatment. Dietary intake in terms of macronutrients, micronutrients, food variety and diet diversity score changed significantly after the induction chemotherapy. No significant relationship was found between the changes in dietary indices and nutritional status. Chemotherapy-related side effects as an additional factor to cancer itself could affect dietary intake of leukaemia patients. The effectiveness of an early assessment of nutritional status and dietary intake should be further investigated in order to deter further deterioration.

[Significant association between nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate and IRF6rs2235371 polymorphism in Iranian familiar population].

According to previous studies the IRF6rs2235371 polymorphism is a risk factor for NSCL/P in different populations. However our recent study revealed no correlation between IRF6rs642961 and NSCL/P in our population. In the present study we have investigated the relationship between IRF6rs2235371 and NSCL/P in same group to determine whether IRF6rs2235371 is a risk factor in our population as well. We analyzed the IRF6rs2235371 genotype in a subset of the Iranian population using the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique. The PCR products were digested with DpnII. Chi-square test was applied to analyze the obtained result. The patients were supplied by the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic of the Isfahan University of Medical Science. A clinician ascertained the non-syndromic status of all patients and that no clefting drugs, ethanol or smoking were abused during pregnancy. The control group was selected from unaffected subjects with no history of NSCL/P in their families. 107 patients from 107 Iranian unrelated families and 100 controls were screened. There was a significant association between the IRF6rs2235371 genotype sand an increased NSCL/P risk. Our data indicates that the IRF6rs2235371 variation can increase the risk of NSCL/P in the Iranian population. This result is in contrast with the results of our recent study on the correlation between the IRF6rs642961 polymorphism and NSCL/P in the same group.

Effects of dietary energy density on serum adipocytokine levels in diabetic women.

This study was aimed to assess the effect of dietary energy density (kcal/g) on serum levels of adipocytokines of type 2 diabetic women. In this randomized parallel design clinical trial, a total of 60 diabetic women (aged 30-60 years; BMI>25 kg/m²) were assigned to consume either a low-energy dense (LED) (65% of energy from carbohydrates and 25% from fats), normal-energy dense (NED) (60% from carbohydrates, 30% from fats), or high-energy dense (HED) diet (55% from carbohydrates and 35% from fats) for 8 weeks. The low-energy dense diet was rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and water, while the high-energy dense diet was rich in fats and oils and limited in fruits and vegetables as compared with the normal-dense diet. At baseline and at the end of intervention fasting blood samples were taken to assess metabolic profile. Women in the LED group consumed significantly more dietary fiber (p<0.001), fruits (p<0.001) and vegetables (p<0.001) than those in the NED and HED groups. We failed to find a significant effect of dietary energy density (kcal/g) on serum adiponectin and visfatin levels. Even the within-group changes in serum adiponectin and visfatin levels were not significant. Consumption of LED and NED diets resulted in a significant increase in serum chemerin levels (p=0.04). Comparison of mean changes of serum chemerin levels across 3 groups revealed a significant difference (p=0.04). Our study provides evidence indicating that consumption of HED diet for 8 weeks among diabetic patients prevented the increase in serum chemerin levels compared with LED and NED diets. Furthermore, we found no significant effect of dietary energy density (kcal/g) on serum adiponectin and visfatin concentrations in the current study.

Nutritional status and quality of life in patients with acute leukaemia prior to and after induction chemotherapy in three hospitals in Tehran, Iran: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The primary objective of the present study was to assess changes in the nutritional status and quality of life in acute leukaemia patients, aged ≥15 years, who had undergone induction chemotherapy. METHODS: A preliminary and post-induction chemotherapy assessment of patients' nutritional status, quality of life, sociodemographic status and medical characteristics was conducted using the Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life (QOL-C30, version 3) questionnaires. The PG-SGA is a clinical nutrition assessment tool used to evaluate oncology patients. Patients with newly-diagnosed acute leukaemia, aged ≥15 years, at three hospitals in Tehran (from May 2009 to March 2010), were recruited for the present study. RESULTS: Sixty-three acute leukaemia patients [65% men and 35% women with a mean (SD) age of 33 (15.4) years] participated in the present study. A total of 19.4% were found to be malnourished prior to chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, 76.1% of patients were considered moderately malnourished, whereas 6.3% were severely malnourished. After induction chemotherapy, both the nutritional status and quality of life deteriorated in the majority of patients, as demonstrated by a paired t-test. CONCLUSIONS: A deteriorated nutritional status and quality of life was the result of the side effects posed by induction chemotherapy in the patients investigated in the present study. These findings highlight the need for an appropriate nutritional support programme to improve the nutritional status and quality of life in patients with leukaemia undergoing chemotherapy.

The interactive effects of exercise type and environment temperature on HSP72 in active females.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of endurance and/ or weight training in normal and/ or moderate heat environments on heat shock protein (HSP72) response in active young females. Forty-five healthy active female (21±3 year, 61.4±10.2 kg, VO2max 37.2±5.3 mL/kg/min) were randomLy assigned into five groups; endurance training+normal heat (ET+NH), endurance training+moderate heat (ET+MH), weight training+normal heat (WT+NH), weight training+moderate heat (WT+MH) and heat group (HG). The training protocols include treadmill running to exhaustion on a treadmill at %65-75 V02max in the ET+NH and ET+MH groups and 4 sets of eccentric actions of elbow flexors (two sets with %50 and two sets with %60 1RM) in the WT+NH and WT+MH groups. Fasting blood samples were collected from non-dominant arm at three phases; consist of rest (baseline) and mid-test and 30 min after the training protocols. Endurance training and/ or weight training, in particularly, in the moderate heat ambient resulted in an increase in the HSP72, creatin kinase (CK) and cortisol values, as compared to ET+NH and WT+NH groups and the mid-test and baseline phases. However, the HSP72 and CK concentrations significantly increased in WT+ NH group, as compared to ET+NH group. Furthermore, WT+MH group showed significant increase in HSP72 levels, as compared to ET+ NH group. These findings suggest the muscle damage related to factors such as; exercise type, environment temperature and increase in exercise-induced body temperature.

The effect of creatine supplementation on muscle fatigue and physiological indices following intermittent swimming bouts.

We evaluated the effect of Creatine (Cr) supplementation on muscle fatigue and physiological indices after intermittent swimming bouts in trained swimmers. Sixteen healthy non-elite swimmers (19±4 years, 75±12 kg) were randomly assigned into two groups of either Cr supplementation or placebo and performed six repeated sprints swimming bouts of 50-m departing every 120 seconds. The Cr group was supplemented 4 times a day for 6 days. Blood lactate, Creatine Kinase (CK), creatinine, heart rate, best repeated sprint (RSb) and mean repeated sprint (RSm) times, and percentage of speed decrement (%Dec) were measured at the various phases of swimming bouts. Repeated measure ANOVA and independent t-student tests showed CK and blood lactate concentration increased gradually after the third and sixth swimming bouts. % Dec in Cr group was significantly lower after 3rd swimming bout, also heart rate in Cr group was associated with lower increase in HR mean (P<0.05) compared to placebo. These results suggest that Cr supplementation may improve swimming performance and reduce increased blood lactate levels following intermittent sprint swimming bouts. In conclusion Cr supplementation in trained swimmers may improve anaerobic performance and heart rate variations independent of the effect of intensive sprint swimming bouts.

Endurance exercise training and diferuloyl methane supplement: changes in neurotrophic factor and oxidative stress induced by lead in rat brain.

Lead is a highly neurotoxic agent that particularly affects the developing central nervous system. In the current study we investigated the neuroprotective effects of exercise training and/or diferuloyl methane (DM) supplement, which is known as curcumin, on lead acetate-induced neurotoxicity in the rat hippocampus. Sixty rats were randomly divided into six groups: 1) lead acetate, 2) DM supplement, 3) endurance training, 4) training+ DM supplement, 5) sham and 6) base. The rats in the training groups performed treadmill running consisting of 15 to 22 m · min(-1) for 25 to 64 min, 5 times a week for 8 weeks. All groups except sham received lead acetate (20 mg · kg(-1)), whereas the sham group received DM solvent. In addition, the DM and training + DM groups received DM solution (30 mg · kg(-1)) intraperitoneally. Chronic administration of lead acetate resulted in a significant increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) in plasma, but not in the hippocampus. In addition, it led to significantly decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels, as compared to the sham group. Treadmill running, DM supplementation, or both resulted in a significant decrease in MDA levels and significantly increased BDNF and TAC levels, as compared to the lead acetate group. These results provide a rationale for an inhibitory role of DM supplement and regular exercise in the attenuation of lead-induced neurotoxicity.

Interferometric optical testing to discriminate benign and malignant brain tumors.

When normal cells suffer from the malignant disease, changes occur in cellular size and structure, and their constituents. These changes can affect the biological response of cells and tissues. Conventional hematoxylin and eosin staining, which is the gold standard of tumor diagnosis provide a very detailed view of the tissue by staining cell structures to diagnose a disease based on the deformation of the cells. However, this study shows changes in cells and tissues structure due to malignant diseases can also affect the optical properties. The purpose of this research was to assess and compare these effects to identify benign and malignant brain tissues from each other. Various samples of adult human brain tissues were studied using Mach-Zehnder interferometer as an optical method and using the Fourier transform method as an analytical process. The formed interference patterns of benign and malignant brain tumors were investigated to obtain the phase distribution of tumors. The obtained information demonstrated that the phase distribution of malignant brain tissues was different from benign brain tissues. The phase distribution approximately ranged from 10 to 120 rad for benign samples and from 10 to 160 rad for malignant samples. Moreover, the average of unwrapped phase distribution was 63.79 and 85.69 rad in benign and malignant samples, respectively. This results indicated that the proposed laser-based technique, Mach-Zehnder interferometer method, can be used as an auxiliary procedure along with histological techniques to identify benign and malignant brain tumors from each other. It is suggested that the unwrapped phase distribution of tissues be considered as an optical property for differentiating various brain tumors.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B in Nahavand, Islamic Republic of Iran.

We determined the seroprevalence of hepatitis B in Nahavand in a sample of 1824 subjects > 5 years in 2002. Face-to-face interviews were conducted and blood samples taken. The association between risk factor and hepatitis B was assessed using logistic regression. The prevalence of HBsAg positive cases was 2.3%, and HBcAb and HBsAb were isolated in 7.8% and 11.6% of the participants respectively; 11.9% were positive for both HBcAb and HBsAb. History of surgery and imprisonment were the major risk factors for infection with odds ratios of 2.14 (95% CI: 1.22-3.05) and 3.57 (95% CI: 1.68-5.4) respectively.

Investigation of hyperelastic models for nonlinear elastic behavior of demineralized and deproteinized bovine cortical femur bone.

In this study, the hyperelastic models of demineralized and deproteinized bovine cortical femur bone were investigated and appropriate models were developed. Using uniaxial compression test data, the strain energy versus stretch was calculated and the appropriate hyperelastic strain energy functions were fitted on data in order to calculate the material parameters. To obtain the mechanical behavior in other loading conditions, the hyperelastic strain energy equations were investigated for pure shear and equi-biaxial tension loadings. The results showed the Mooney-Rivlin and Ogden models cannot predict the mechanical response of demineralized and deproteinized bovine cortical femur bone accurately, while the general exponential-exponential and general exponential-power law models have a good agreement with the experimental results. To investigate the sensitivity of the hyperelastic models, a variation of 10% in material parameters was performed and the results indicated an acceptable stability for the general exponential-exponential and general exponential-power law models. Finally, the uniaxial tension and compression of cortical femur bone were studied using the finite element method in VUMAT user subroutine of ABAQUS software and the computed stress-stretch curves were shown a good agreement with the experimental data.

Evaluating Radioprotective Effect of Hesperidin on Acute Radiation Damage in the Lung Tissue of Rats.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of γ-irradiation-induced cellular damage, Lung is a radiosensitive organ and its damage is a dose-limiting factor in radiotherapy. The administration of dietary antioxidants has been suggested to protect against the succeeding tissue damage. The present study aimed to evaluate the radioprotective efficacy of Hesperidin (HES) against γ-irradiation-induced tissue damage in the lung of male rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty two rats were divided into four groups. Rats in Group 1 received PBS and underwent sham irradiation. Rats in Group 2 received HES and underwent sham irradiation. Rats in Group 3 received PBS and underwent γ-irradiation. Rats in Group 4 received HES and underwent γ-irradiation. These rats were exposed to γ-radiation 18 Gy using a single fraction cobalt-60 unit, and were administered HES (100 mg/kg/d, b.w, orally) for 7 days prior to irradiation. Rats in each group were sacrificed 24 hours after radiotherapy (RT) for the determination of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and histopathological evaluations. RESULTS: Compared to group 1, the level of SOD and GSH significantly decreased and MDA level significantly increased in group 3 at 24 h following irradiation, (p=0.001, p<0.001, p=0.001), respectively. A statistically significant difference in all parameters was observed for rats in group 4 as compared to group 3 (p<0.05). Histopathological results 24 hours after RT showed that radiation has increased inflammation, lymphocyte, macrophage and neutrophil compared to group 1 ( p<0.0125). Oral administration of HES before RT significantly decreased macrophage and neutrophil when compared to group 3 (p<0.0125), but partly there was inflammation and lymphocyte that indicated there was no significant difference when compared to group 3 (p>0.0125). CONCLUSION: Oral administration of HES was found to offer protection against γ-irradiation- induced pulmonary damage and oxidative stress in rats, probably by exerting a protective effect against inflammatory disorders via its free radical scavenging and membrane stabilizing ability.

Mechanical properties of chiral and achiral silicon carbide nanotubes under oxygen chemisorption.

In this paper, the mechanical properties of fully oxygenated silicon carbide nanotubes (O2-SiCNTs) are explored using a molecular mechanics model joined with the density functional theory (DFT). The closed-form analytical expressions suggested in this study can easily be adapted for nanotubes with different chiralities. The force constants of molecular mechanics model proposed herein are derived through DFT within a generalized gradient approximation. Moreover, the mechanical properties of fully oxygenated silicon carbide (O2-SiC) sheet are evaluated for the case that the oxygen atoms are adsorbed on one side of the SiC sheet. According to the results obtained for the bending stiffness of O2-SiC sheet, one can conclude that the O2-SiC sheet has isotropic characteristics.

Effect of diabetes on the healing process of synthetic grafts implanted in dogs: a preliminary study.

The deleterious effects of diabetes in peripheral vascular surgery and blood access are generally considered to be associated with the greater failure rate of vascular prostheses. To understand better these phenomena, we investigated the healing characteristics of an ePTFE graft in dogs. The animals were made diabetic after total pancreatectomy and the grafts implanted for scheduled periods of 24 h, 48 h, 1 wk and 1 month, either as thoracic (series I) or abdominal (series II) aortic substitutes. The same implantations were performed in non-diabetic dogs used as controls. The luminal surfaces of grafts implanted in diabetic dogs, either as thoracic or abdominal bypasses, proved to be more invaded by platelets as a result of the blood's increased platelet aggregation properties. The presence of endothelial-like cells spreading over the pannus after 1 month implantation was strikingly different in diabetic versus non-diabetic dogs. In the first group, the cells were fragile and less abundant, whereas in the second they were more adhesive, elongated and orientated in the direction of the blood flow.

Ménière disease caused by an anomalous vein of the vestibular aqueduct.

The precise cause of Ménière disease remains unclear. Multiple causes have been proposed with most experimental evidence pointing to impaired fluid resorption by the endolymphatic duct and sac as the final common pathway in development of hydrops. We report a unique case of Ménière disease secondary to compression of the endolymphatic duct and sac by an anomalous vein of the vestibular aqueduct. The resulting mechanical obstruction led to excessive accumulation of endolymph with clinical signs of Ménière disease. We review the literature and discuss proposed pathogenesis of disease. The finding of this anomalous vein provides further evidence that anatomical obstruction of the endolymphatic duct and sac may lead to Ménière-like symptoms. This unique example of an anatomical variant offers additional insight into the pathophysiology of endolymphatic hydrops.

Cytologic findings of medulloblastoma in crush smears.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the cytologic findings of medulloblastomas on intraoperative crush preparation smears and compare them with the findings of other central nervous system tumors. STUDY DESIGN: The intraoperative crush preparation smears of 19 cases of medulloblastoma were studied (6 undifferentiated type and 13 well-differentiated type). The findings were compared with those of a control group consisting of 31 astrocytomas, 22 ependymomas, 18 oligodendrogliomas, 27 meningiomas, 17 schwannomas, 17 pituitary adenomas, 3 lymphomas, 5 hemangioblastomas, 5 chordomas and 11 metastatic tumors. RESULTS: Medulloblastomas revealed clusters and isolated small, round malignant cells with hyperchromatic nuclei and indistinct cytoplasm. Typical Homer-Wright rosettes were seen in the well-differentiated type, but they were poorly formed in the undifferentiated type. Tumor cannibalism, target inclusions, cytoplasmic vacuoles and prominent multiple nucleoli were noticed frequently in the undifferentiated type. The control group (metastatic tumors and high grade astrocytomas) rarely showed tumor cannibalism or multiple nucleoli. CONCLUSION: Smears of the undifferentiated type of medulloblastomas frequently revealed tumor cannibalism, cytoplasmic vacuoles, target inclusions and prominent multiple nucleoli. These findings have been rarely reported. The prognosis of the undifferentiated type of medulloblastoma was poor.

An epidemiological and clinical study on scorpionism in hospitalized children in khuzestan, iran.

BACKGROUND: Scorpion sting is a public health problem in Khuzestan, South-West Iran. The aims of the current study were to monitor the hospitalized children, due to scorpion sting, and releasing more clinical and epidemiologic data related to scorpionism in this Province. METHODS: In this retrospective study, the data of scorpion sting victims, among the hospitalized children in Abuzar Children Hospital of Ahvaz Jundi Shapur University of Medical Sciences, was analyzed from the points of epidemiological and clinical aspects in 2006. RESULTS: The scorpion species of 18 files out of 57 were recognized accurately, using Farzanpay's keyof Iranian scorpions, as Androctonus crassicauda (Scorpionida: Buthidae) and Hemiscorpious lepturus (Scorpionida: Hemiscorpiidae). CONCLUSION: The most scorpionism emergencies among the children in the Khuzestan should be paid to those species. However, H. lepturus sting emergencies are in the top of attention among the children.

Reduced-intensity conditioning hematopoietic SCT for pediatric patients with LAD-1: clinical efficacy and importance of chimerism.

Pediatric patients with leukocyte adhesion deficiency type-I (LAD-I) experience severe and recurrent life-threatening bacterial infections with failure of pus formation and delayed wound healing. LAD-I is a rare inherited disease caused by mutation in the leukocyte CD18 integrin expression, resulting in defective adherence and migration of leukocytes, in particular neutrophilic granulocytes through the intravascular space. Hematopoietic SCT is the only curative treatment option available to patients with LAD-I. Since 2007, in a prospective trial, reduced-intensity conditioning regimen have been developed for 10 consecutive patients with LAD-I who were referred to our center. Based upon available data, it is the first time that such a number of patients affected by LAD-I have been treated with this regimen. This study attempts to show that reduced-intensity regimen leads to a favorable result in LAD-I patients even in those who have experienced comorbid complications. Following transplantation, some patients develop mixed chimerism, however, in our study mixed chimerism was not followed by transplant rejection.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B in Nahavand, Islamic Republic of Iran

We determined the seroprevalence of hepatitis B in Nahavand in a sample of 1824 subjects > 5 years in 2002. Face- to- face interviews were conducted and blood samples taken. The association between risk factor and hepatitis B was assessed using logistic regression. The prevalence of HbsAg positive cases was 2.3%, and HBcAb and HBsAb were isolated in 7.8% and 11.6% of the participants respectively; 11.9% were positive for both HBcAb and HBsAb. History of surgery and imprisonment were the major risk factors for infection with odds ratios of 2.14 [95% CI: 1.22- 3.05] and 3.57 [95% CI: 1.68- 5.4] respectively