Kharameh cohort study (KHCS) on non-communicable diseases and preliminary findings of 3-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: The Kharameh cohort study (KHCS) is one branch of the 'Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran', located in the south of Iran. The enrolment phase of KHCS spanned from April 2015 to March 2017, during which urban and rural residents of Kharameh were enrolled in the study. KHCS aims to investigate the incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and its related risk factors in a 15-year follow-up. PARTICIPANTS: KHCS was designed to recruit 10 000 individuals aged 40-70 years old from both urban and rural areas of Kharameh. Thus, a total of 10 800 individuals aged 40-70 years of age were invited and, finally, 10 663 subjects were accepted to participate, with a participation rate of 98.7%. FINDINGS TO DATE: Of the 10 663 participants, 5944 (55.7%) were women, and 6801 (63.7%) were rural residents. The mean age of the participants was 51.9±8.2 years. 41.8% of the participants were aged 40-49, 35.2% were aged 50-59 and the remaining 23% were 60-70 years old. Until March 2020 (first 3 years of follow-up), the total number of patients diagnosed with NCDs was 1565. Hypertension, type 2 diabetes and acute ischaemic heart disease were the most common NCDs. Furthermore, the total number of deaths during the first 3 years of follow-up was 312, with cardiovascular diseases (38.7%) as the most common cause of death, followed by cerebrovascular diseases (11.8%) and cancer (16.2%). FUTURE PLANS: The remaining 12 years of follow-up will inevitably shed light on the genetic, lifestyle/socioeconomic status, and environmental risk and protective factors of NCDs.

Prognostic Factors of Rectal Cancer in Southern Iran.

BACKGROUND: Rectal cancer accounts for one-third of all colorectal cancer (CRC) cases. Due to physiological and anatomical differences, some researchers consider rectal cancer as a separate organ malignancy during the recent decades. However, limited studies have been conducted in this regard in Iran. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine survival of rectal cancer and its, affecting factors in Fars province, southern Iran. METHODS: In this cohort study, we used the data of 387 patients with rectal cancer gathered by the Colorectal Research Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences between 2007 and 2015. The impact of 35 explanatory factors including demographic information, medical history, pathologic data, and imaging findings was evaluated using Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Out of all patients, 111 ones (29%) died. The median follow-up period was 36 months. The patients' mean age at diagnosis was 56.72 ± 13.89 years. Their 5-year survival was 65% (95% CI: 58-69%). The results of multiple Cox regression analysis showed that sex (male/female; HR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.15-2.67), vascular invasion (yes/no; HR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.45-3.99), and lymph node ratio (> 0.2 vs ≤ 0.2; HR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.41-3.40) were significantly correlated to survival. CONCLUSION: Various geographical parts of Iran show different rates regarding rectal cancer survival. A better 5-year survival rate was detected by this study for the patients with rectal cancer in Fars province, southern Iran, compared to many parts of the country. Moreover, gender, vascular invasion, and nodal status played an important role in survival of rectal cancer.

Evaluation of Oral Health Status Based on DMF Index in Adults Aged 40-70 Years: Findings from Persian Kharameh Cohort Study in Iran.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Oral health is one of the most important public health problems. The DMF index is used to assess oral health status. PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate oral health status based on DMF index in adults in Fars province. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study was performed on 8911 people aged 40 to 70 years under the Kharameh cohort study in 2020. Demographic and oral health factors were collected during interviews and clinical evaluation. T test, ANOVA, and linear regression tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of DMF index was 18.06±8.7in all individuals under study. Multiple linear regression results showed that diabetes (OR=1.1 95%CI: 0.9-1.9 p= 0.0001), smoking (OR=4.4 95%CI: 4-4.9 p= 0.0001) and underweight (OR=2.1 95%CI: 1.1-3.1 p= 0.0001) are the factors affecting the increase in DMF index. Other factors such as high level of education, economic and social class, flossing, and living in a village have been inversely related to the DMF index. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are a warning about the importance of reducing dental costs to increase the level of access of people with low economic and social levels and increase health literacy in relation to oral health.

Gender difference in determinant factors of being overweight among the 40-70-year-old population of Kharameh cohort study, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Iranians face being overweight as one of the most common health problems, which is more prevalent among women. This study aimed to identify gender differences in determinants of being overweight in 40- to 70-year-old participants from Kharameh, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2015-2016. The total 10,663 inhabitants of Kharameh, Iran, aged 40-70 years old, were target population. Those with a body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 or > 29.9 were excluded. A checklist composed of socio-demographic, lifestyle, and BMI items was used; a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Overall, 53.4% of 8222 participants were overweight. The prevalence of overweight women (62.7%) was significantly higher (p <  0.001) than men (43.6%). The logistic regression model for men showed that being overweight was more likely among men with cigarette smoking history (OR = 1.49) and those with a moderate physical activity level (OR = 1.35), but less likely among those with a higher socio-economic status (SES) (OR = 0.74). Among women, being overweight was associated with high SES (OR = 1.61), an education level below high school diploma (OR = 1.57) and primary school education (OR = 1.50), being married (OR = 2.39), widowed (OR = 2.11) and having a greater calorie intake (OR = 1.01). Being overweight was less likely among employed women (OR = 0.85), those with cigarette smoking history (OR = 0.65), and those with high (OR = 0.72) and intensive physical activity (OR = 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the gender differences in determining factors affecting being overweight. As being overweight was more prevalent among women, the priority of health policies to control this issue should also be focused on women.

The prevalence and predictors of pre-hypertension and hypertension in Kherameh cohort study: a population based study on 10,663 persons in south of Iran.

Hypertension (HTN) is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and morbidity among Iranians. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of pre-HTN and HTN and some of its related factors in south of Iran. This cross-sectional survey was conducted on the data of the Persian cohort study in Kherameh. The participants consisted of 10,663 people aged 40-70 years. HTN was defined as either systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) ≥140/90 mmHg or taking medications. Pre-HTN was defined as SBP = 120-139 mmHg and/or DBP = 80-89 mmHg. The logistic regression method was used to identify the factors associated with pre-HTN and HTN. The age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of pre-HTN was 19.66% (95% CI: 19.45-19.86%) and 18.59% (95% CI: 18.36-18.83%) in males and females, respectively. Also, the ASPR of HTN was 21.44 (95% CI: 21.22-21.65%) in males and 33.53% (95% CI: 33.22-33.85%) in females. Male gender, old age, being unemployed, low education level, high body mass index (BMI), no smoking, diabetes, cerebro-cardiovascular disease, suffering from another chronic disease, family history of CVD, and negative family history of cancer and other chronic diseases were independently associated with pre-HTN (p < 0.05). All variables, except for gender, smoking, and family history of cancer, were significantly associated with HTN. Drug abuse was also correlated to HTN (p < 0.05). This study revealed the increased prevalence of HTN in rural and urban areas. Therefore, the health system needs to develop strategies to raise the accessibility of screening and diagnostic services.

Prognostic Factors Affecting Short- and Long-Term Recurrence-Free Survival of Patients with Rectal Cancer using Cure Models: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the prognostic factors affecting the recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with rectal cancer (RC) is the mainstay of care. The present study aimed to identify factors affecting both short- and long-term RFS of patients with RC using semiparametric mixture cure models. METHODS: The data were obtained from the database of the Colorectal Research Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, which was collected during 2007-2017. To determine the factors affecting recurrence, cure models were applied to short-term and long-term RFS of patients with RC separately. The cure rate was calculated using the smcure package in R 3.5.1 (2018-07-02) software. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Out of the 376 eligible patients with RC, 75.8% of men and 74.5% of women were long-term survivors. The mean age of the patients was 57.0±13.8 years. Lymph node ratio (LNR)≤0.2 increased the probability of short-term RFS. The prominent factors affecting long-term RFS were body mass index (BMI)<25 kg/m2 (OR=1.98, P=0.047), tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (OR=6.48, P<0.001), abdominal pain (OR=2.15, P=0.007), and computed tomography (CT) scan detected pelvic lymph nodes (OR=3.40, P=0.01). Over a 9-year follow-up period, the empirical and estimated values of cure rates were 75.3% and 83.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results showed that factors affecting short-term RFS might be different from long-term RFS. A lower BMI was related to a poorer prognosis in patients with RC. Early diagnosis leads to a lower TNM stage and could increase the probability of long-term RFS.

Do clinicopathologic features of rectal and colon cancer guide us towards distinct malignancies?

BACKGROUND: Unlike developed countries where studies on all aspects of colorectal cancers are widely numerous, Iran as a Middle Eastern country show very few studies especially ones comparing the differences between colon and rectal cancer. In this study, firstly we report demographic, clinical and pathologic characteristics of patients with rectum and colon cancer and secondly compare these findings in order to investigate probable differences. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 238 patients were divided into two groups: the rectal cancer group and the colonic cancer group. Demographic, clinical and pathologic information of patients were statistically compared using Stata version 12. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences between the two groups regarding age and gender and BMI. Regarding clinical presentation, the proportion of rectal bleeding was significantly higher in colon cancer group (P<0.001). Moreover, abdominal pain was significantly more frequent in colon cancer group (P<0.001). Tumor stage showed statistically difference between the two groups (P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: We did not find enough evidences to conclude that rectal cancer and colon cancer should be investigated as two distinct malignancies but findings showed significant differences such as stage at diagnosis encouraged us in order to conduct other appropriate studies for better evaluation of this issue.

Assessing Breast Cancer Risk with an Artificial Neural Network

Objectives: Radiologists face uncertainty in making decisions based on their judgment of breast cancer risk. Artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques have been widely applied in detection/recognition of cancer. This study aimed to establish a model to aid radiologists in breast cancer risk estimation. This incorporated imaging methods and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for cyto-pathological diagnosis. Methods: An artificial neural network (ANN) technique was used on a retrospectively collected dataset including mammographic results, risk factors, and clinical findings to accurately predict the probability of breast cancer in individual patients. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were used to evaluate discriminative performance. Result: The network incorporating the selected features performed best (AUC = 0.955). Sensitivity and specificity of the ANN were respectively calculated as 0.82 and 0.90. In addition, negative and positive predictive values were respectively computed as 0.90 and 0.80. Conclusion: ANN has potential applications as a decision-support tool to help underperforming practitioners to improve the positive predictive value of biopsy recommendations.

Assessment of Breast Cancer Risk in an Iranian Female Population Using Bayesian Networks with Varying Node Number

Objective: As a source of information, medical data can feature hidden relationships. However, the high volume of datasets and complexity of decision-making in medicine introduce difficulties for analysis and interpretation and processing steps may be needed before the data can be used by clinicians in their work. This study focused on the use of Bayesian models with different numbers of nodes to aid clinicians in breast cancer risk estimation. Methods: Bayesian networks (BNs) with a retrospectively collected dataset including mammographic details, risk factor exposure, and clinical findings was assessed for prediction of the probability of breast cancer in individual patients. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were used to evaluate discriminative performance. Result: A network incorporating selected features performed better (AUC = 0.94) than that incorporating all the features (AUC = 0.93). The results revealed no significant difference among 3 models regarding performance indices at the 5% significance level. Conclusion: BNs could effectively discriminate malignant from benign abnormalities and accurately predict the risk of breast cancer in individuals. Moreover, the overall performance of the 9-node BN was better, and due to the lower number of nodes it might be more readily be applied in clinical settings.

A survey on concomitant common bile duct stone and symptomatic gallstone and clinical values in Shiraz, Southern Iran.

BACKGROUND: Common bile duct stone (CBDS) as a result of gallstone is one of the gastrointestinal disorders. In this study, the incidence of CBDS and symptomatic gallstone in Shiraz were investigated, and their management suggested. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study that enrolled among 560 patients. The incidence of gallstone together with CBDS was evaluated using an ultrasonography studyand clinical data in the period between March 2014 and 2014 in Shiraz. Comparison between data was done using Student's t-test or Chi-square test. RESULTS: Of these patients, 18.6% were male, and 81.4% were female with a mean age of 47.67 ± 0.74 years. The concomitant rate of gallstone and CBDS was 8.6%. 6.8% of patients with concomitant of gallstone and CBDS showed symptoms while 1.8% had not been diagnosed before the operation. The mean of serum alkaline phosphatase level in patients with the only gallstone was 255.80 IU/L and patients with concomitant gallstone, and CBDS was 580.88 IU/L with a significant difference between two groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, liver function tests (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase) showed a significant difference between two groups of patients (P < 0.01, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical variables such as tenderness, fever, and Morphy sign were more severein patients with concomitant gallstone and CBDS. The concomitant rate of gallstone and CBDS in our society is less that Western countries and asymptomatic patients showed fewer ratios than other countries. We think the approach for asymptomatic CBDS patients with gallstone can be affected by our results.

Using amniotic membrane for anal sphincter repair in animal model / Uso de membrana amniótica para reparo de esfíncter anal em modelo animal

Purpose: Sphincter repair is the primary management for fecal incontinence especially in traumatic causes. Regardless of progression in the method and material of sphincter repair, the results are still disappointing. This study evaluates the efficacy of using amniotic membrane during sphincteroplasty regarding its effects in healing of various tissues. Methods: Rabbits undergone sphincterotomy and after three weeks end to end sphincteroplasty was done. Animals divided to three groups: classic sphincteroplasty, sphincteroplasty with fresh amniotic membrane and sphincteroplasty with decellularized amniotic membrane. Three weeks after sphincteroplasty animals were sacrificed and sphincter complex was sent for histopathologic evaluation. Sphincter muscle diameter and composition of sphincter was evaluated. Before sphincterotomy, before and after sphincteroplasty electromyography of sphincter at the site of repair were recorded. Results: No statistical significant difference was seen between groups even in histopathology or electromyography. Conclusion: Although amniotic showed promising effects in the healing of different tissue in animal and human studies it was not effective in healing of injured sphincter.

Objetivo: Reparo do esfíncter é o tratamento primário para casos de incontinência fecal, especialmente em causas traumáticas. Independentemente da progressão no método e do material de reparo do esfíncter, os resultados são ainda desapontadores. Esse estudo avalia a eficácia do uso da membrana amniótica durante a esfincteroplastia, com relação aos seus efeitos na cura de diversos tecidos. Métodos: Coelhos foram submetidos a um procedimento de esfincterotomia e, depois de transcorridas três semanas, foi realizada uma esfincteroplastia término-terminal. Os animais foram divididos em três grupos: esfincteroplastia clássica, esfincteroplastia com membrana amniótica fresca, e esfincteroplastia com membrana amniótica descelularizada. Três semanas após a realização da esfincteroplastia, os animais foram sacrificados e o complexo esfinctérico foi encaminhado para avaliação histopatológica. O diâmetro do músculo esfinctérico e a composição do esfíncter foram avaliados. Antes da esfincterotomia, e antes e depois da esfincteroplastia, foi registrada a eletromiografia do esfíncter no local do reparo. Resultados: Não foi observada diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os grupos, mesmo na histopatologia, ou na eletromiografia. Conclusão: Embora a membrana amniótica tenha demonstrado efeitos promissores em termos da cicatrização dos diferentes tecidos em estudos com animais e em humanos, não foi observada eficácia na cura do esfíncter lesionado.

The early outcome of single-incision versus multi-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) is a newly developed method of performing cholecystectomy and has been increasingly used. The aim of this study is to see if SILC has any advantages over conventional (three-port) laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 52 patients who underwent SILC (group A) during the period from May 2011 to March 2013 were compared with 62 patients who underwent CLC (group B) at two centers affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Shiraz, Iran. Data were gathered on operation time, pre- and postoperative complications, patients' postoperative pain, pain reliever use, duration of hospital stay, and return to work, and these data were compared using SPSS software version 16. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 38.01 ± 13.24 in group A and 44.82 ± 15.11 in group B. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.97 ± 4.78 and 26.22 ± 4.67 in groups A and B, respectively. The mean operation time was 76.4 ± 29.0 min in group A and 72.9 ± 24.1 min in group B (P = 0.496). Preoperative complications were 3.8% in group A and 0 in group B (P = 0.206). Postoperative complications were 17.3% in group A and 11.3% in group B (P = 0.423). The mean for early postoperative pain revealed no significant difference (P = 0.814), but the mean pain on discharge was significantly higher in group A patients (P = 0.034). Regarding the mean admission time and return to normal activity, we found no significant differences. CONCLUSION: SILC does not have any special advantages over CLC with regard to surgical outcomes, but it can be a safe alternative to CLC, especially in patients concerned about cosmoses.

How the anal gland orifice could be found in anal abscess operations.

BACKGROUND: On an average 30-50% of patients who undergo incision and drainage (I and D) of anal abscess will develop recurrence or fistula formation. It is claimed that finding the internal orifice of anal abscess to distract the corresponding anal gland duct; will decline the rate of future anal fistula. Surgeons supporting I and D alone claim that finding the internal opening is hazardous. This study is conducted to assess short-term results of optional method to manage patients with anal abscess and fitula-in-ano at the same time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional descriptive study 49 from 77 patients with anal abscess whose internal orifice was not identified by pressing on the abscess, diluted hydrogen peroxide (2%) and methylene blue was injected into the abscess cavity and the anal canal was inspected to find out the internal opening. Once the opening was distinguished, an incision was given from the anal verge to the internal opening. RESULTS: The internal orifice was identified in 44 out of 49 patients (90%) who underwent this new technique. Up to 18 months during follow-up, only 2.5% of patients with primary fistulotomy developed fistula on the site of a previous abscess. CONCLUSION: Conventional method to seek the internal orifice of anal abscesses is successful in about one-third of cases. By applying this new technique, surgeons would properly find the internal opening in >90% of patients. Needless to say, safe identification of the anal gland orifice in anal abscess disease best helps surgeons to do primary fistulotomy and in turn it would significantly decrease the rate of recurrence in anal abscess and fistula formation.

Healing effect of pistacia atlantica fruit oil extract in acetic Acid-induced colitis in rats.

BACKGROUND: Considering the anti-oxidant properties of Pistacia atlantica and lack of data regarding its efficacy in the treatment of ulcerative colitis, this study aims at investigating the effect of the Pistacia atlantica fruit extract in treating experimentally induced colitis in a rat model. METHODS: Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats (weighing 220±20 g) were used. All rats fasted 24 hours before the experimental procedure. The rats were randomly divided into 7 groups, each containing 10 induced colitis with 2ml acetic acid (3%). Group 1 (Asacol), group 2 (base gel) and group 7 (without treatment) were assigned as control groups. Group 3 (300 mg/ml) and group 4 (600 mg/ml) received Pistacia atlantica fruit orally. Group 5 (10% gel) and group 6 (20% gel) received Pistacia atlantica in the form of gel as enema. Macroscopic, histopathological examination and MDA measurement were carried out. RESULTS: All groups revealed significant macroscopic healing in comparison with group 7 (P<0.001). Regarding microscopic findings in the treatment groups compared with group 7, the latter group differed significantly with groups 1, 2, 4 and 6 (P<0.001). There was a significant statistical difference in MDA scores of the seven treatment groups (F(5,54)=76.61, P<0.001). Post-hoc comparisons indicated that the mean±SD score of Asacol treated group (1.57±0.045) was not significantly different from groups 4 (1.62±0.024) and 6 (1.58±0.028). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that a high dose of Pistacia atlantica fruit oil extract, administered orally and rectally can improve colitis physiologically and pathologically in a rat model, and may be efficient for ulcerative colitis.

Assessing two methods of repair of duodenal defects, jejunal serosal patch and jejunal pedicled flap, (an experimental animal study).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of jejunal serosal patch and jejunal pedicled flap procedures for the repair of duodenal injuries. METHODS: The experimental animal-model study was conducted at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in February 2013. Ten mixed-breed male dogs were selected and randomly divided into groups A and B. After general anaesthesia, a large duodenal defect was created in all animals. The defect was repaired with jejunal pedicled flap in group A and jejunal serosal patch in group B. Microscopic healing was scored according to epithelialisation, collagenisation, inflammation, ulcer and necrosis of samples. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and independent t-test were used to indicate normal distributions of data and statistical differences between the two groups respectively. RESULTS: The weight of the animals ranged between 23 and 37 kg and the age range was 12-16 months. All dogs survived the procedures. Anastomotic leakage, intra-abdominal abscess or intestinal obstructions were not detected in gross examination. Healing score was significantly higher in the group A than group B (p < 0.011). However, in terms of surgical findings, no significant difference was detected between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Applying jejunal pedicled flap for repairing large duodenal defects would lead to better histologic outcomes compared to jejunal serosal patch in dogs.

Evaluation of repair in duodenal perforation with human amniotic membrane: An animal model (dog).

BACKGROUND: There is a growing tendency toward application of human amniotic membrane (HAM) as a biologic substitute in various tissue injuries where a significant tissue loss is a matter of concern. In gastrointestinal injuries especially duodenal ones, some potential limitations in current surgical techniques contribute to not fully acceptable healing outcomes. Thus, this study was carried out to assess repair with HAM patch for duodenal defect in comparison with simple duodenoraphy in an animal model (dog). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 15 male German shepherd dogs weighing 23-27 kg were randomly divided into two groups. Group A with 10 dogs, which were a candidate for duodenal repair by amniotic membrane patch and Group B consisted of 5 dogs perform simple duodenorraphy. A precise control was made to match all conditions except surgical technique. Macroscopic and microscopic features of the healed duodenal lumen in both groups were recorded. RESULTS: Gross evaluation revealed no difference in luminal diameter in both groups. Statistical analysis of duodenal diameter between both groups after operation also showed no significant difference (P v = 0.789). Histological assessment indicated less inflammation with better wound healing in Group A. CONCLUSION: It seems that repairing duodenal wall defect with HAM would result in better histological outcomes compared with what is seen in simple duodenoraphy in animal models. However, there is no significant difference regarding surgical findings.

A new method to repair recto-vaginal fistula: Use of human amniotic membrane in an animal model.

BACKGROUND: Recto-vaginal fistula is primarily one of the co-morbidities of vaginal delivery. These patients suffer from persistent malodor vaginal discharge. Various surgical techniques have been employed by surgeons in the course of time. This is the first trial of applying Human Amniotic Membrane (HAM) as a bio-prosthesis in repairing recto-vaginal fistula. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective animal study, 8 mixed-breed female dogs weighing 23-27 kg with the age of 12-18 months were selected. They were randomly divided into two groups for standard recto-vaginal fistula repair and fistula repair with human amniotic membrane. The Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Whitney tests were performed to indicate statistical differences. RESULTS: After 6 weeks, fistulas were evaluated both grossly and microscopically. In gross examination, there were no difference between the two groups and healing of fistula seemed to have been occurred in all dogs expect for one which had a persistent patent fistulous tract. Microscopic healing was scored according to epithelialization, collagenization inflammation, ulcer and necrosis of samples. Healing score was significantly higher in the HAM group than the standard group (P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that using HAM as a bio-prosthesis to repair recto-vaginal fistula would result in better surgical and histological outcomes comparing to simple repair.

Interposition of ileal j-pouch for rectum reconstruction in dog.

BACKGROUND: The gold standard of the management of rectal cancer in the middle and lower parts is low anterior resection with coloanal anastomosis. About 50% of the patients undergoing this procedure might experience some complications because of the low capacity of the neorectum. The aim of this study was to evaluate ileal J-pouch interposition as a neorectum between the anal canal and the remaining colon in comparison to coloanal anastomosis and transverse coloplasty. METHODS: Twelve dogs, weighing 23-27 kg, were divided into three groups. After laparotomy, the volume of the primary rectum was measured so that it could be compared with that of the neorectum at the end of the study. After rectal resection in Group A, the colon was directly anastomosed to the anus. In Group B, a 5-cm longitudinal incision was made 2 cm proximal to the anastomosis and was sutured transversely (coloplasty). In Group C, a 5-cm ileal J-pouch was interposed between the colon and anus. After 8 weeks, the neorectum was evaluated for volume, radiology, and pathology. RESULTS: All the samples were alive until the end of the study. The healing of the anastomotic lines was acceptable (pathologically) in all. The mean volume expansion was 20.9% in Group A, 21.7% in Group B, and 118.2% in Group C, with the latter being significantly higher than that of the other groups (P=0.03). Colon J-pouch and coloplasty after proctectomy in some situations have not been performable. This study evaluated the performance of ileal J-pouch interposition. CONCLUSION: This study showed that ileal J-pouch interposition might produce an acceptable reservoir function and that it seems feasible and safe in selected cases.

Role of Physical Examination in Decision Making for Selective Exploration in Patients with Penetrating Zone II Neck Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of physical examination in decision making for exploring patients with penetrating zone II neck injury. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study being performed in a level I trauma center between 2006 and 2010. The present study reviewed the records of 150 patients with penetrating neck injuries. Of 46 cases with zone II deep platysma neck injuries, 3 patients died before taking any significant medical measure. RESULTS: Thirty of 43 patients (70%) presented with hard sings while 13 (30%) did not show these sings. All patients underwent neck exploration. Two patients (4.6%) without hard sings exhibited positive findings, whereas 29 cases (67%) with hard sings reported positive on exploration. CONCLUSION: Briefly, we hold the view that it seems reasonable to follow an algorithmic approach by using physical examination of the patients with zone II penetrating neck injuries. This prevents unnecessary exploration for management of such patients.