Epidemiology and Etiology of Burns in Iran Through the Examination of the Economic, Social and Educational Situation.

Burn accidents continue to cause severe physical, psychological and economic damage to individuals and communities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The present study was designed and conducted to investigate the epidemiology and identify the causes/mechanisms of burns in Iran, focusing on the economic, social and educational status of patients. This is a survey study that was performed from August 2016 to October 2017 on patients referred to Shahid Motahari University Hospital in Tehran. Samples included all patients whose parents or children were able to answer the questions. The data was extracted and analysed with SPSS Statistics v. 21. A total 1708 patients participated. Most of the patients were 19 to 39 years old. 70.6% had achieved a high school diploma or lower, and 11.5% patients were illiterate. Most of the patients lived in urban areas (91.7%) and in most cases, 4 people or less lived in a common space. Heat burns, chemical (acid) burns, and electrical burns account for the majority of cases. Most patients were unfamiliar with safety standards for burn prevention, safely stopping a fire, and fire safety equipment (alarms and extinguishers). The most common burn mechanisms were hot liquids inside the kitchen (12.6%) and gas explosion (11.9%). Based on these findings, the implementation of codified training programs, continuous control and monitoring of the safety standards in home and work environments, and the establishment of laws to standardize cooking and heating equipment will play an important role in reducing burn injuries in our country.

Les brûlures ont des conséquences physiques, psychologiques et économiques sévères (ces dernières aussi bien vis à vis de l'individu que de la communauté), en particulier dans les pays à IDH moyen et bas. Cet étude avait pour but d'explorer l'épidémiologie (causes et mécanismes) des brûlures en Iran et de rechercher des corrélations avec les statuts socio-économique et éducatif. Elle a été réalisée entre août 2016 et octobre 2017 auprès des 1 078 patients hospitalisés au CHU Shahid Motahari de Téhéran capables (eux même ou leur entourage) de répondre à notre questionnaire. Les données ont été extraites et analysées avec SSPS 21. La majorité des patients était âgés de 19 à 39 ans, 70,6% avaient reçu un enseignement de niveau lycée au plus haut et 11,5% étaient illettrés. Ils étaient urbains pour 91,7% d'entre eux, dans une habitation renfermant 4 personnes ou moins. La majorité des brûlures étaient thermiques, électriques ou chimiques. Peu de patients connaissaient les mesures de prévention globales, d'extinction d'un feu et de matériel d'extinction ou de détection de fumées. Les 2 mécanismes les plus fréquents étaient l 'ébouillantement dans la cuisine (12,6%) et l'explosion de gaz (11,9%). Ces données rendent nécessaire le déploiement de mesures d'éducation et surveillance des moyens de sécurité, au domicile comme au travail. Légiférer sur les équipements de cuisson et de chauffage permettrait aussi de réduire l'incidence des brûlures dans notre pays.

A Comparative Morphometric Study on Odontobuthus bidentatus and Odontobuthus doriae (Scorpionida: Buthidae) in Iran.

Scorpions are one of the most venomous animals which cause serious public health problems. The sting of scorpions can sometimes be fatal depending on the scorpion species involved. So far, sixty-six (66) scorpion species have been identified in Iran. Annually, about 40-50000 cases of scorpionism are reported in Iran. Odontobuthus doriae and O. bidentatus are among the most medically important scorpion species in Iran, and they are very similar to each other in coloration, carination, and trichobotrial patterns. This morphometric study aimed to compare some of the important morphological characteristics in order to identify the key differences between these two species. A total of 45 morphological characters were measured using calipers and stereomicroscope, and 55 morphological characters and ratios (relative of length to width ratio of morphological characters of scorpions) were analyzed. The independent sample t-test in SPSS software (version 24) was used for the statistical analyses in this study. The mean total length, carapace width, length of fixed and moveable fingers, and chelicerae length of O. doriae were greater than those of O. bidentatus in our study area. The morphological measurements displayed a clear distinction between O. doriae and O. bidentatus in our study area; therefore, they can be used as morphological identification keys for distinguishing between these two species.

Investigation Of Common Burn Mechanisms, And Training And Safety Conditions In The Workplace.

Workplace burn injuries are associated with significant physical, psychological, and social challenges. This study was designed and conducted to investigate the common burn mechanisms, and training and safety conditions in the workplace. The study is a cross-sectional study that was performed on patients admitted to Shahid Motahari University Hospital in Tehran from August 2016 to October 2017. Samples consisted of patients who suffered burns at work and were able to answer research questions. Data were recorded in tablets by electronic patient registration forms.Of the total burn patients under study, 14.28% were injured in the workplace. The burns were mainly thermal, followed by electrical, chemical, and inhalation burns. 38.2% of patients were not trained for safety measures at work and 27.8% of patients were not given personal protective equipment. 39.0% of workspaces were not safe against the risk of burns. Failure of devices and equipment was the cause of 28.8% of the accidents. Electrical damage, the ignition of flammable materials, gas explosions and contact with molten materials were the most common mechanisms in the occurrence of workplace burns. The lack of awareness by workers, lack of attention to the use of safety equipment at work, and the presence of damaged equipment are the main causes of burn accidents in the workplace. Therefore, the implementation of codified safety training and monitoring the observance of safety measures by workers and employers are recommended.

Les brûlures sur le lieu de travail ont des conséquences physiques, psychiques et sociales. Nous avons étudiés les circonstances de survenue de ces accidents, les conditions de sécurité et l'entraînement (au mesures de sécurité, NDRLF). Elle a été réalisée auprès de tous les patients admis au CHU Shahid Motahari de Téhéran entre août 2016 et octobre 2017. Sur l'ensemble des patients, 14,28% avaient subi un accident de travail (AT). Les brûlures étaient, par ordre décroissant, thermiques (matériel inflammable, explosion de gaz, contact avec liquide en fusion), électriques, chimique et pour finir lésions isolées d'inhalation. Un entraînement n'avait pas été dispensé à 38,2% des blessés ; 27,8% d'entre eux ne disposaient pas d'Équipement Personnel de Protection (EPP), 39% des sites n'étaient pas sécurisés contre l'incendie. L'absence de formation spécifique, l'absence d'utilisation des EPP et du matériel défectueux sont les facteurs de risque le plus souvent retrouvés en cas d'AT. Nous recommandons donc le développement de protocoles de préventions adossés à des audits de leur respect, tant par l'encadrement que par les ouvriers.

Segmental duplications and monosomies are linked to in vitro developmental arrest.

PURPOSE: To verify which genetic abnormalities prevent embryos to blastulate in a stage-specific time. METHODS: A single center retrospective study was performed between April 2016 and January 2017. Patients requiring Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidies (PGT-A) by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) were included. All embryos were cultured in a time-lapse imaging system and single blastomere biopsy was performed on day 3 of development. Segmental duplications and deletions as well as whole chromosome monosomies and trisomies were registered. Embryo arrest was defined if the embryo failed to blastulate 118 h post-injection. A logistic regression model was applied using the time to blastulate as the response variable and the different mutations as explanatory variables. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Of the 285 biopsied cleavage stage embryos, 103 (36.1%) were euploid, and 182 (63.9%) were aneuploid. There was a significant difference in the developmental arrest between euploid and aneuploid embryos (8.7% versus 42.9%; p = 0.0001). Segmental duplications and whole chromosome monosomies were found to have a significant effect on developmental arrest (p = 0.0163 and p = 0.0075), while trisomies and segmental deletions had no effect on developmental arrest. In case of segmental duplications, an increase of one extra segmental duplication increases the odd of arrest by 159%. For whole chromosome monosomies, the odd will only increase by 29% for every extra chromosomal monosomy. Both chromosomal abnormalities remained significant after adding age as an explanatory variable to the model (p = 0.014 and p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Day 3 cleavage stage embryos with segmental duplications or monosomies have a significantly decreased chance to reach the blastocyst stage.

Ultrasound elastography using a regularized modified error in constitutive equations (MECE) approach: a comprehensive phantom study.

Many of the current techniques in transient elastography, such as shear wave elastography (SWE) assume a dominant planar shear wave propagating in an infinite medium. This underlying assumption, however, can be easily violated in real scenarios in vivo, leading to image artifacts and reconstruction errors. Other approaches that are not bound to planar shear wave assumption, such solutions based on the partial differential equation, can potentially overcome the shortcomings of the conventional SWE. The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate the advantages of the modified error in constitutive equations (MECE) formulation with total variation regularization (MECE + TV) over SWE in reconstructing the elastic moduli of different tissue-mimicking phantoms. Experiments were conducted on phantoms with inclusions of well-defined shapes to study the reconstruction of specific features relevant to practical applications. We compared the performances of MECE + TV and SWE in terms of quantitative metrics to estimate reconstruction accuracy, inclusion shape recovery, edge preservation and edge sharpness, inclusion size representation, and shear elasticity and contrast accuracies. The results indicate that the MECE + TV approach outperforms SWE based on several of these metrics. It is concluded that, with further development, the proposed method may offer elastography reconstructions that are superior to SWE in clinical applications.

Study on the interaction of anti-inflammatory drugs with human serum albumin using molecular docking, quantitative structure-activity relationship, and fluorescence spectroscopy.

The interaction of 14 anti-inflammatory drugs with human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated using fluorescence quenching, molecular docking studies, and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) methodology. Binding of anti-inflammatory drugs to HSA plays a fundamental role in their transport, distribution, delivery, and elimination. Binding constants of these drugs to HSA, obtained using the fluorescence quenching method, were within the range 0.01 × 104  M-1 (acetaminophen) to 1881.05 × 104  M-1 (meloxicam). Binding sites and binding constants of these anti-inflammatory drugs were estimated using molecular docking. Inspection of the obtained values for docking score, logKb and Kb , showed that the drugs in this data set have a relatively strong binding constant for HSA. QSAR modelling was applied for binding constants obtained from fluorescence quenching and theoretical molecular descriptors. This modelling led to a linear two-parameter model with a correlation coefficient of 0.95 and adequate robustness. The descriptor results showed the importance of a bonding network and electronegativity as the discriminative structural factors in binding affinity for the HSA molecule.

The effects of stress-coping strategies and group cognitive-behavioral therapy on nurse burnout.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of teaching stress-coping strategies and group cognitive-behavioral therapy on stress and burnout among nurses. Stress and burnout have always been a significant problem in nursing, which can have a direct or indirect negative impact on the individual and his/her social life. A semi-experimental study was conducted on 60 nurses by means of a pre-test and post-test design. Nurses meeting the inclusion criteria were assigned to two groups, a control group and an intervention group, by the block randomization method. The nurses in the intervention group received group cognitive-behavioral therapy. They completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) before, immediately after and one month post intervention. There was a significant negative correlation only between burnout and work experience (r = -0.35 and p = 0.01). After intervention, burnout (p = 0.002) significantly decreased. The effectiveness of the intervention was also maintained after a month. The results showed that stress-coping strategies and group cognitive-behavioral therapy can be effective in reducing burnout. This method can be used to provide counseling services for nurses in health centres.

Le but de cette étude était d'évaluer les effets d'un apprentissage de gestion du stress (AGS) et de thérapie cognitivocomportementales de groupe (TCCG) sur le stress et le burn- out des infirmièr(e)s, reconnus comme des problèmes récurrents chez eux (elles), avec des impacts sur leur vie. Une étude semi- expérimentale pré et post- test a été conduite chez 60 infirmièr(e) s, réparti(e)s en 2 groupes (intervention I qui bénéficiait TCCG et témoin T, randomisation en blocs), après vérification des critères d'inclusion. Ils (elles) complétaient l'inventaire de burn- out de Maslach avant, juste après et 1 mois après la TCCG. On notait une corrélation inverse entre expérience et burn- out (r=-0,35 ; p= 0,01). Le burn- out décroissait significativement (p = 0,002) après intervention, effet persistant à 1 mois. Cette étude montre que AGS et TCCG semblent efficaces sur le burn- out. Elle pourrait faire partie d'une proposition de services dans les CTB.

Treatment of third-degree burn wounds in animal specimens: acellular dermis or partial-thickness skin graft.

Several dermal products have been introduced to substitute dermal tissues. In this study we review the effects of these products on repairing third-degree burn wounds and managing complications in animal specimens. Using an interventional approach, rats were randomly assigned to four groups (G1 to G4). Two wounds were created on the back of each rat. An open wound was left on the back of rats in G1; in G2, wounds were covered with a thick rat derived-ADM product and overlying thin skin graft; on G3 rats, similar third degree ulcers were made with one ulcer covered with harvested thin skin graft. In G4, ulcers were covered with a thin rat derived-ADM product and thin graft. Factors such as take rate, histopathological score, wound contracture and graft contracture were compared on the 7th, 15th, 21st and 30th day. Mean graft take rate on the 30th day in the thick ADM, thin ADM and graft group showed a significant difference (p=0.015). Histopathological score on the 30th day in the thin ADM, thick ADM and graft group showed no considerable difference. Mean graft take rate was significantly better in the thin ADM and graft group than in the thick ADM group. Wound contracture was significantly more severe in the thick ADM and control group than in the thin ADM and graft group.

Plusieurs produits ont été introduits dans le but de substituer le derme. Dans cette étude, nous avons étudié l'effet de ces produits sur la cicatrisation et la gestion des complications après brûlure expérimentale. Nous avons étudié 4 groupes (G1 à G4) de rats ayant subi deux brûlures du dos. Celles de G1 étaient laissées à l'air, G2 recevaient un Derme Artificiel Acellulaire (DAA) dérivé de rats épais recouvert d'une greffe fine, G3 recevaient une greffe conservée, G4 recevaient DAA fin et greffe fine. Le taux de prise de greffe, le score histologique, la rétraction de la brûlure et de la greffe ont été comparés à J7, J15, J21 et J30. A J30, les taux de prise de greffe étaient significativement différents entre G2, G3 et G4 (p=0,015), étant moins bons en cas d'utilisation de DAA en couche épaisse. De même, la rétraction était plus intense après utilisation de DAA en couche épaisse qu'en couche fine ou après greffe seule. Les résultats histologiques étaient comparables.

Comparing the effect of colactive plus ag dressing versus nitrofurazone and vaseline gauze dressing in the treatment of second-degree burns.

Wound care quality and speed of burn healing are important factors that affect the treatment, prognosis and complications of burns. Burn care is challenging, and the ideal method controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a new dressing (ColActive dressing) in the treatment of superficial second-degree burns versus traditional dressing including Vaseline and Nitrofurazone. This was a randomized clinical trial study involving 25 cases. A superficial second-degree burn area was divided into two parts in each patient; randomly, traditional dressing was used on one area, and ColActive plus Ag dressing on the other. Every 3 days, after removing the dressings and washing the wounds, wound surface area was evaluated by medical photographic records and J image software. Wound surface area in the two groups was compared before dressing and on the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th day afterwards. The difference was not significant before dressing, but significant on the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th post-operative day. The difference was significant in both groups, but it was more prominent in the ColActive group (p<0.001) than in the traditional group (p<0.05). Considering the results of this study and good results in previous case reports, ColActive may be more effective than traditional dressing. We suggest a more comprehensive study for a longer period with a larger number of cases to compare other important variables such as scar quality, cost, and pain in the two dressings.

La qualité des soins locaux et la vitesse de cicatrisation sont d'importants paramètres affectant le traitement, le pronostic et les complications des brûlures. La méthode idéale reste encore à trouver. Le but de cet étude est de comparer un nouveau pansement (ColActive ®) au traditionnel nitrofurazone/vaseline sur les brûlures du 2ème superficiel. Il s'agit d'une étude randomisée portant sur 25 patients. Les zones de 2ème superficiel étaient divisées en 2 recevant, après tirage au sort, l'une ColActive® Plus Ag, l'autre nitrofurazone/vaseline. Après nettoyage, les photographies des brûlures étaient évaluées en utilisant Image J, à l'entrée et à J3, 6, 9 et 12. Les différences étaient significatives à J3, 6, 9, 12 avec une valeur de p plus prononcée (<0,001) dans le groupe ColActive® Plus Ag que dans le groupe contrôle (<0,05). Considérant ces résultats en faveur de l'utilisation de ColActive® Plus Ag, nous suggérons une étude plus globale, sur un nombre plus élevé de patients, comparant aussi la qualité cicatricielle, le coût et la douleur.

Investigating the relationship between microalbuminuria and prognosis of patients with severe burns in the Motahari Burn Hospital.

Microalbuminuria seems to be a reflection of increased vascular permeability caused by systemic inflammatory response, and is likely to be a predictor of mortality, sepsis and other outcomes of severe burn patients. We investigated the impact of microalbuminuria on the prognosis of patients with severe burns. This is a prospective study on severe burn patients (above 20%) admitted in the first 24 hours after burns to the Motahari Burn Hospital. Patients' microalbuminuria was measured at admission and 48 hours later, and its relationship with patient prognosis (sepsis, renal failure, death, inhalation injury and systemic inflammatory response syndrome) was analyzed. We concluded that microalbuminuria at admission in patients with severe burns was directly related to inhalation injury (P = 0.018), ARDS during hospitalization (P = 0.001) and length of hospital stay (P = 0.025). Moreover, microalbuminuria at 48 hours after admission had a direct connection with patient death (P = 0.001), sepsis (P = 0.001), renal failure (P = 0.001) and SIRS (P = 0.001). Microalbuminuria is a simple, noninvasive, fast and affordable test to predict sepsis, mortality, renal failure, systemic inflammatory response and a finding associated with inhalation injury in severe burn patients, making it a fast prognostic predictor that helps to improve the management of these patients.

Une microalbuminurie semble traduire l'augmentation de perméabilité capillaire due à une réaction inflammatoire systémique et pourrait être un paramètre pronostic de mortalité, sepsis et autres évolutions des patients gravement brûlés. Nous avons étudié la relation entre microalbuminurie et devenir des patients sévèrement brûlés. Il s'agit d'une étude conduite chez des patients brûlés sur plus de 20% de SCT admis dans le CTB Motahari dans les 24 h suivant l'accident. La microalbuminurie a été mesurée à l'entrée et à h48 et son association avec une inhalation de fumée ainsi qu'avec le devenir du patient (sepsis, insuffisance rénale, décès, réponse inflammatoire systémique) a été analysée. La microalbuminurie à l'entrée est associée avec l'inhalation de fumées (p=0,018), la survenue d'un SDRA (p=0,001) et la durée d'hospitalisation (p=0,025). La microalbuminurie à h48 est associée au décès (p= 0,001), au sepsis (p= 0,001), à l'insuffisance rénale (p= 0,001) et au SIRS (p= 0,001). La microalbuminurie est un marqueur simple, rapide et abordable, fortement corrélé au sepsis, à la mortalité, à l'insuffisance rénale, au SIRS, fréquemment associé à une inhalation de fumées. Ceci en fait un marqueur pronostic rapide pouvant aider à améliorer la prise en charge de ces patients.

Development of quantitative interspecies toxicity relationship modeling of chemicals to fish.

In this work, quantitative interspecies-toxicity relationship methodologies were used to improve the prediction power of interspecies toxicity model. The most relevant descriptors selected by stepwise multiple linear regressions and toxicity of chemical to Daphnia magna were used to predict the toxicities of chemicals to fish. Modeling methods that were used for developing linear and nonlinear models were multiple linear regression (MLR), random forest (RF), artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM). The obtained results indicate the superiority of SVM model over other models. Robustness and reliability of the constructed SVM model were evaluated by using the leave-one-out cross-validation method (Q(2)=0.69, SPRESS=0.822) and Y-randomization test (R(2)=0.268 for 30 trail). Furthermore, the chemical applicability domains of these models were determined via leverage approach. The developed SVM model was used for the prediction of toxicity of 46 compounds that their experimental toxicities to a fish were not being reported earlier from their toxicities to D. magna and relevant molecular descriptors.

Elicitation of the most important structural properties of ionic liquids affecting ecotoxicity in limnic green algae; a QSAR approach.

Many ionic liquids are soluble in water and their impact on the aquatic environment has to be evaluated. However, due to the large number of ionic liquids and lack of experimental data, it is necessary to develop estimation procedures in order to reduce the materials and time consumption. In this study using multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP), ant colony optimization (ACO) and multiple linear regression (MLR) strategies, good predictive quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) models were introduced and structural parameters affecting ecotoxicity of ionic liquids in limnic green algae (Scenedesmus vacuolatus) were revealed. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) approaches were also applied to visualize any possible patterns or relationships among ionic liquids data. It was revealed that selected descriptors of the MLR model are also capable of clustering ionic liquids according to their four level of toxicity.

Oral chromoblastomycosis: a case report.

A chronic fungal infection in tropical regions, chromoblastomycosis is caused by dematiaceous fungi, the form-family of Fungi Imperfecti, usually affecting one lower limb at the site of a trauma but sometimes involving other areas of the body including head & neck. In this article, we report the case of a rare primary chromoblastomycosis of the palate and chest in a 27-year-old man who was successfully treated with surgical resection and combined drug therapy, and eventually free tissue transfer reconstructive surgical procedure to cure the palatine defect.

QSPR-based estimation of the half-lives for polychlorinated biphenyl congeners.

In this study, the depuration half-lives of 62 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were estimated from their structural features based on QSPR methodology. A genetic algorithm (GA) was applied as a variable subset selection strategy and QSPR models established upon multiple linear regression (MLR), multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP NN) and support vector regression (SVR) procedures. Robustness and predictive stability of the constructed models were evaluated through internal and external validation methods. The high numerical values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and low RMSE in the case of the MLP NN model, confirm the supremacy of this model as well as nonlinear dependency of molecular structural features to the PCB congeners half-lives. In the best developed QSPR model the following four descriptors are used; lopping centric index (Lop), mean topological charge index of order 1 (JGI1), Geary autocorrelation lag-8/weighted by atomic Sanderson electronegativities (GATS8e) and highest eigenvalue of Burden matrix/weighted by atomic masses (BEHm3). Analysis of the descriptors involved in these models revealed that 2D molecular structural features, compactness and electronegativities are the main factors contributing to the half-lives of PCBs. The structural information presented in this work can be used for further evaluation of half-lives of PCBs and other similar structural compounds in the environment.

The effects of ghrelin on ovary histology in Barbus sharpeyi.

Ghrelin is expressed in key cells of the female reproductive organ in several species of fishes. It has a role in the control of fertility. In the present study, the histological effect of ghrelin on 48 female Barbus sharpeyi was tested. Twenty-four hours later, microscopic observations and histometric counting was done. The results indicated that ghrelin can increase the number of mature ovarian follicles and sexual maturation and reduce the average oocyte diameter.

Closure of palatal fistula with buccal fat pad flap.

Palatal fistula as a complication of palatal surgery is difficult to manage due to the presence of fibrotic and scarred tissue and the absence of local virgin tissue. Recurrence rates are high. To investigate the efficacy of repairing small and medium sized palatal fistulas using the buccal fat pad (BFP), 20 patients (aged 2.5-19 years) with palatal fistula (10-20mm) underwent closure surgery using a pedicled BFP flap. The nasal layer was closed by a local mucosal flap (turn down flap) and the pedicled BFP flap was used for oral lining. Full epithelialization of the BFP layer was observed within 4 weeks in all patients. A 2mm defect in the anterior part of the previous fistula location remained in one case, which spontaneously healed after 2 months; all others closed successfully. Mild pain and cheek swelling occurred in 10 patients, which disappeared within 5 days with no surgical intervention. This study suggests the pedicled BFP flap is a simple and relatively secure method for palatal fistula management. It is recommended for fistulas less than 20mm in length located in the posterior two-thirds of the palate.

Shear wave dispersion ultrasonic vibrometry for measuring prostate shear stiffness and viscosity: an in vitro pilot study.

This paper reports shear stiffness and viscosity "virtual biopsy" measurements of the three excised noncancerous human prostates using a new tool known as shear wave dispersion ultrasound vibrometry (SDUV) in vitro. Improved methods for prostate guided-biopsy are required to effectively guide needle biopsy to the suspected site. In addition, tissue stiffness measurement helps in identifying a suspected site to perform biopsy because stiffness has been shown to correlate with pathologies, such as cancerous tissue. More importantly, early detection of prostate cancer may guide minimally invasive therapy and eliminate insidious procedures. In this paper, "virtual biopsies" were taken in multiple locations in three excised prostates; SDUV shear elasticity and viscosity measurements were performed at the selected "suspicious" locations within the prostates. SDUV measurements of prostate elasticity and viscosity are generally in agreement with preliminary values previously reported in the literature. It is, however, important to emphasize here that the obtained viscoelastic parameters values are local, and not a mean value for the whole prostate.

Future perspectives for hand transplant in iran.

Hand transplant program is a communion of physicians and researchers during the current decade. 72 hands and digits were transplanted in 53 patients over the past 13 years. Unlike a solid organ transplant, hand transplantation involves various tissues, so it is called "composite tissue allotransplantation." This article discusses the plans for performing the first hand transplant in Iran.

Prediction of biomagnification factors for some organochlorine compounds using linear free energy relationship parameters and artificial neural networks.

Multiple linear regression and artificial neural networks (ANNs) as feature mapping techniques were used for the prediction of the biomagnification factor (BMF) of some organochlorine pollutants. As independent variables, or compound descriptors, the Abraham descriptors often employed in linear free energy relationships were used. Much better results were obtained from the nonlinear ANN model than from multiple linear regression. The average absolute error, average relative error and root mean square error in the calculation of log (BMF) by the ANN model were 0.055, 0.051 and 0.097 for the training set and 0.11, 0.086 and 0.175 for the internal validation set, respectively. The degree of importance of each descriptor was evaluated by carrying out a sensitivity analysis approach for the nonlinear model. The results obtained reveal that the order of importance is the pollutant volume, the pollutant dipolarity/polarizability and the pollutant excess molar refraction. In order to examine the credibility of the obtained ANN model the leave-many-out cross-validation test was applied which gave Q(2)= 0.827 and SPRESS = 0.15. Also the Y-scrambling procedure was applied to the ANN model in order to examine the effect of chance correlations. The results obtained reveal that it is possible to predict the BMFs of organochlorine pollutants using a nonlinear ANN model with Abraham descriptors as inputs.

Quantitative structure-property relationship modelling of the degradability rate constant of alkenes by OH radicals in atmosphere.

In this work, the degradability rate constants of 98 alkenes by OH radicals were predicted from theoretically derived descriptors, which were calculated from the molecular structure alone by applying a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) approach. For the selection of the most relevant descriptors, stepwise multiple linear regression (MLR) and genetic algorithms (GAs) were used. Then some linear and nonlinear techniques were used for the investigation of the relation between selected molecular descriptors and the OH radical degradability rate constant. These methods were MLR, artificial neural networks (ANNs) and support vector machines (SVMs). According to the variable selection method and feature mapping techniques, six QSPR models were constructed which were: stepwise-MLR-MLR, stepwise-MLR-ANN, stepwise-MLR-SVM, GA-MLR, GA-ANN, and GA-SVM. The credibility of these models was evaluated by a leave-24-out cross-validation test. The statistical results are Q(2) = 0.86, SPRESS = 0.16 for GA-ANN, Q(2) = 0.69, SPRESS = 0.20 for GA-SVM, and Q(2) = 0.83, SPRESS = 0.18 for GA-MLR model. Based on these values and other statistical parameters obtained in this work, it was concluded that the GA-ANN model outperformed the other models.