Study of Urbach energy and Kramers-Kronig on Mn and Zn doped NiFe2O4 ferrite nanopowder for the determination of structural and optical characteristics.

MxNi1-xFe2O4 spinel ferrite (M = Mn, Zn, and x = 0, 0.05) has been successfully synthesized by co-precipitation technique with hydrazine hydrate reduction agent (instead of NaOH) and Ethylene glycol surfactant. The XRD spectra of the samples illustrated high crystallinity. The structural characterization of pure and doped fcc NiFe2O4 were calculated by Scherrer, Modified Scherrer, Williamson-Hall, and SSP methods. In comparison of several methods, the Scherrer method is unreasonable method and W-H method has an acceptable range and can calculate both < L > and strain without restriction. The specific surface area in Zn-doped increased, demonstrate increment of adsorption properties in Ni ferrite structure. TEM images revealed the shape of grains is spherical, cubic, and irregular, with a grain size in the range of 35-65 nm. Hysteresis loops illustrated the magnetic behavior of samples. From the reflectance data, the band gap energies were estimated at 1.984, 1.954, and 1.973 eV for un-doped, Mn, and Zn-doped NiFe2O4 respectively (red shift). The almost low value of Urbach energy for pure, Mn, and Zn -doped NiFe2O4 indicates low structural disorder, which can approve the high crystallinity of samples. Direct band gap energy (Eg), refractive index, and extinction coefficient were estimated by the Kramers-Kronig method with linear optical evaluations. The Eg by K-K method is in good agreement with the Eg by Kubelka-Munk function.

Study of operated primary and secondary (recurrence) hydatidosis in hospitals of Kermanshah, west of Islamic Republic of Iran.

Cystic echinococcosis, caused by the larval stage of Echinoccocus granulosus, is a global public health threat. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of cases of primary and secondary hydatid cyst in the west of the Islamic Republic of Iran. A retrospective record review was made in 7 public and private hospitals in Kermanshah from 2004 to 2009. Of 526 files of suspected cases analysed, 291 cases of hydatid cyst had been operated upon and confirmed. Of the patients, 51.5% were females, 57.7% lived in urban and suburban areas and the largest age group (17.5%) was 31-40 years. The major organs involved were liver (64.9%) and lung (26.8%) and 18 cases (6.2%) were confirmed as secondary hydatidosis. Most patients (79.4%) had been treated with albendazole. Kermanshah province should be considered an endemic region for human hydatid cyst disease; greater efforts in prevention are needed.

Study of operated primary and secondary [recurrence] hydatidosis in hospitals of Kermanshah, west of Islamic Republic of Iran

Cystic echinococcosis, caused by the larval stage of Echinoccocus granulosus, is a global public health threat. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of cases of primary and secondary hydatid cyst in the west of the Islamic Republic of Iran. A retrospective record review was made in 7 public and private hospitals in Kermanshah from 2004 to 2009. Of 526 files of suspected cases analysed, 291 cases of hydatid cyst had been operated upon and confirmed. Of the patients, 51.5% were females, 57.7% lived in urban and suburban areas and the largest age group [17.5%] was 31-40 years. The major organs involved were liver [64.9%] and lung [26.8%] and 18 cases [6.2%] were confirmed as secondary hydatidosis. Most patients [79.4%] had been treated with albendazole.Kermanshah province should be considered an endemic region for human hydatid cyst disease; greater efforts in prevention are needed

Predicting the value of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) as an indicator of functional ability in older Iranian adults (Kahrizak elderly study).

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the appropriateness of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in predicting functional ability in older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Participants were recruited from the Kahrizak Charity Foundation (KCF). MEASUREMENTS: Nutritional and ability status were examined using the MNA and the Barthel Index (BI). Participants were divided according to MNA (≤ 23.5 and > 23.5). RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty-five ≥ 60-year-old subjects were studied. The MNA and BI were positively correlated (r = 0.199; P = 0.001). The optimal cut-off point for BI with the highest sensitivity and specificity derived from the ROC curve was approximately 91.5 for males and 83.5 for females. The BI was significantly associated with MNA (odds ratio (OR): 1.89; 95% CI: 1.17-3.05, P = 0.009), mobility (OR: 6.39; 95% CI: 3.43-11.89, P < 0.001), consuming ≥ 2 servings of fruit and vegetables (OR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.09-4.72, P = 0.02) and self-view of nutritional status (OR: 4.15; 95%CI: 1.26-13.63, P = 0.01). The sensitivity (62.9% in males; 68.2% in females) and specificity (51.4% in males and 52.9% in females) of these cut-off points justifies the appropriateness of the MNA for determining functional ability. CONCLUSION: The MNA is potentially able to verify functional status among the elderly (as BI ≥ 91.5 with those of < 91.5 in males and ≥ 83.5 with those of < 83.5 in females) of KCF. It is suggested that this relationship should be further studied in a larger prospective population-based study.

The trend of hydatidosis in kermanshah province, Western iran (1986-2008).

BACKGROUND: Hydatidosis is the larval stage of the Echinococcusgranulosus. This disease is endemic in Iran. There are many studies about hydatidosis in different regions of the country, but there is not any information about the disease in Kermanshah Province. This article will review all available data about hydatidosis in this province. METHODS: Using web based search engines and a survey on medical student's theses, all the information about hydatid cysts in the province from 1986 -2008 was collected. RESULTS: During these twenty years, at least 482 proven cases of hydatid cyst have been identified in the province. Accordingly, the trend of hydatid cyst operation in the province has been growing and the average annual number of cases has reached 1.41/100,000. Frequency of disease in urban areas was slightly higher than rural areas and the rate of infection in housewives was more than others. CONCLUSION: Because of the growing trend of hydatid cyst operation in Kermanshah Province, which may be due to many different reasons, this province should be considered as one of the important endemic regions of hydatidosis in Iran.

Information visualisation in clinical medicine using 3D parallel diagrams: a case history.

An information visualisation tool was implemented and tested as a solution to the problem of visualising clinical experience derived from large amounts of formalised clinical data. The tool was based on the idea of dynamic 3D parallel diagrams with support for direct manipulation, an idea similar to the notion of 3D parallel coordinates. The tool was tested on a knowledge base containing about 1500 examinations obtained from different clinics. Clinical practice showed that the basic idea is conceptually appealing to the involved clinicians as the tool can be used for generating and testing of hypothesis.

MedView-design and adoption of an interactive system for oral medicine.

MedView is a joint project with participants from oral medicine and computer science. The aim of the project is to build a large database from patient examinations and produce computerized tools to extend, view, and analyze the contents of the database. The contents of the data base is based on a formalization of health-care processes and clinical knowledge in oral medicine harmonized within the network SOMNET. We give an overview of the current status of the MedView project and discuss background and future directions.