The results of allogenic cancellous bone graft in medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy.

PURPOSE: There is no clear consensus regarding the optimal filling agent in the medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO). In this study, we evaluated the clinical and radiologic outcomes of MOWHTO with an allogeneic cancellous bone graft and TomoFix plate. METHODS: Medical profiles of 122 patients who underwent MOWHTO with cancellous bone graft from iliac crest were retrospectively reviewed. One hundred and two patients (120 knees) who met the study criteria were included in the analysis. The osteotomy site was fixed with a TomoFix plate. The mean age of the patients was 40.85 ± 22.15 years. The mean follow-up of the patients was 33.2 ± 29 months. The primary outcome measures were the union of osteotomy site and loss of correction that were investigated on postoperative radiographs. Secondary outcome measures were postoperative complications that were extracted from the patients' medical records. RESULTS: Union of the osteotomy site was observed in all patients within three months after the operation. Loss of correction at the osteotomy site occurred in two knees (1.7%), both of which underwent revision surgery. Three patients had non-infected prolonged wound drainage and underwent reoperation for allograft removal. Nine other complications were also recorded that did not require intervention, including superficial infection (n = 2), compartment syndrome (n = 1), deep vein thrombosis (n = 1), loss of knee flexion (n = 2), and transient pain at the site of the osteotomy (n = 3). CONCLUSION: Allogenic cancellous bone graft provides efficient gap healing in MOWHTO and can be used as an effective alternative to the autogenous bone graft.

Performance evaluation and verification of groundwater balance using WA + as a new water accounting system.

In this study, to increase the accuracy of determining the parameters of groundwater balance and finally the aquifer reservoir deficit, WA + as a new water accounting system has been applied by calculating six sheets in the Plasjan basin, central Iran. According to the results, the volume of rainfall and transfer flow to the basin was 548.8 MCM in the water year 2016-2017, which entered the hydrological cycle as input. Moreover, the results of FAO's Water Productivity Open-Access Portal (WaPOR) product showed that evapotranspiration was equal to 465 MCM, of which 345 and 120 MCM belonged to green water and blue water, respectively, at the basin level. The results of the WaPOR product showed that 264 MCM of evapotranspiration was beneficial, while the rest was non-beneficial in the basin. Finally, investigating the runoff and utilization of water resources showed that the return flow to surface water and groundwater resources was 35.5 MCM and 62 MCM, respectively. Therefore, the aquifer deficit was estimated to be 56.3 MCM based on the results of the WA + system. By calculating the evapotranspiration using remote sensing in WA + , the return water flow was estimated at 28%, being more accurate compared to the classical groundwater balance. Consequently, the amount of aquifer deficit calculated by the WA + method was accurate according to the balance and the aquifer hydrograph. The findings of this study show that as a suitable tool, the water accounting system can reduce the uncertainty of groundwater balance calculations.

Impacts of climate and synoptic fluctuations on dust storm activity over the Middle East.

Dust events in the Middle East are becoming more frequent and intense in recent years with impacts on air quality, climate, and public health. In this study, the relationship between dust, as determined from Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and meteorological parameters (precipitation, temperature, pressure and wind field) are examined using monthly data from 2000 to 2015 for desert areas in two areas, Iraq-Syria and Saudi Arabia. Bivariate regression analysis between monthly temperature data and AOD reveals a high correlation for Saudi Arabia (R = 0.72) and Iraq-Syria (R = 0.64). Although AOD and precipitation are correlated in February, March and April, the relationship is more pronounced on annual timescales. The opposite is true for the relationship between temperature and AOD, which is evident more clearly on monthly time scales, with the highest temperatures and AOD typically between August and September. Precipitation data suggest that long-term reductions in rainfall promoted lower soil moisture and vegetative cover, leading to more intense dust emissions. Superimposed on the latter effect are more short term variations in temperature exacerbating the influence on the dust storm genesis in hot periods such as the late warm season of the year. Case study analysis of March 2012 and March 2014 shows the impact of synoptic systems on dust emissions and transport in the study region. Dust storm activity was more intense in March 2012 as compared to March 2014 due to enhanced atmospheric turbulence intensifying surface winds.

A new inventory for middle east dust source points.

We use the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on both Terra and Aqua satellites to present new high-resolution mapping of major atmospheric dust source points in the Middle East region on the basis of the improved version of the recently developed Middle East Dust Index (MEDI) applied to 70 dust storms, which occurred during the period between 2001 and 2012. Results indicate that 247 different source points have participated in dust storm generation in the Middle East region in which Iraq and Syria are the highest efficient sites for dust storm generation in this region, respectively. Using extracted indices for Deep Blue algorithm, identified dust sources were classified into three levels of intensity. The frequency of occurrence approach, the relationship between high atmospheric dust content and its number of occurrences, is also used to identify sensitive source points. High-intensity dust storms are mainly located west of Iraq and the border of Iraq and Syria. We will discuss the implications of our results in understanding the global dust cycle.

Expression of SR-B1 receptor in breast cancer cell lines, MDAMB-468 and MCF-7: Effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis.

OBJECTIVES: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is necessary for proliferation of several cells. The growth of many kinds of cells, such as breast cancer cells (BCC) is motivated by HDL. Cellular uptake of cholesterol from HDL which increases cell growth is facilitated by scavenger receptors of the B class (SR-BI). The proliferative effect of HDL might be mediated by this receptor. It is also believed that HDL has an anti-apoptotic effect on various cell types and promotes cell growth. This study was designed to investigate SR-BI expression, proliferation and apoptotic effect of HDL on human BCC lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real-time-PCR method was used to evaluate expression of SR-BI, and cholesterol concentration was measured using a cholesterol assay kits (Pars AZ moon, Karaj, Iran). Cell viability was assessed using the MTT test. To identify cell apoptosis, the annexin V-FITC staining test and caspase-9 activity assay were applied. RESULTS: Treatment of both cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-468) with HDL results in augmentation of SR-BI mRNA expression and also elevation of the intracellular cholesterol (P<0.01). HDL induced cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and prevented activation of caspase-9 (P<0.05). We also demonstrated that inhibition of SR-B1 by BLT-1 could reduce cell proliferation, and induction of SR-B1 receptor by quercetin increased HDL-induced proliferation in both cell lines (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that alteration in HDL levels by SR-B1 activator (Quercetin) or inhibitor (BLT-1) may affect BCC growth and apoptosis induction.

The Lake Urmia environmental disaster in Iran: A look at aerosol pollution.

Lake Urmia (LU) once was the second largest hypersaline lake in the world, covering up to 6000km2, but has undergone catastrophic desiccation in recent years resulting in loss of 90% of its area and extensive coverage by playas and marshlands that represent a source of salt and dust. This study examines daily Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) between 2001 and 2015 over northwestern Iran, which encompasses LU. Intriguingly, salt emissions from the LU surface associated with ongoing desiccation do not drive the study region's AOD profile, whereas pollution transported from other regions and emissions around LU are more important. Signatures of increasing local crustal emissions are most evident outside of the peak dust season (January, February, and October) and on the periphery of LU. AOD has generally increased in the latter half of the study period with the onset of the AOD ramp-up starting a month earlier in the spring season when comparing 2009-2015 versus earlier years. Results indicate that suppression of emissions on the LU border is critical as the combined area of salt and salty soil bodies around LU have increased by two orders of magnitude in the past two decades, and disturbing these areas via activities such as grazing and salt harvesting on the lake surface can have more detrimental impacts on regional pollution as compared to benefits. These results have important implications for public health, climate, the hydrological cycle, and pollution control efforts.

Cytotoxic effect of rosemary extract on gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (KYSE30) cell lines.

AIM: The present study was conducted to survey the potential cytotoxic influence of freeze-dried aqueous extract of its fruits on gastrointestinal cell lines, namely AGS (human gastric carcinoma) and KYSE30 (human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. BACKGROUND: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a wild medicinal plant shown to have anticancer activity. Carnosic and rosmarinic acids are compounds, obtained from it through several extraction methods. METHODS: The aqueous extract of the fruits of R.officinalis was freeze-dried, and KYSE30 and AGS cancer cell lines were treated with crude extract. Cytotoxic effect of the extracts on the cell lines was examined using 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and neutral red assay. Apoptotic cells were detected with ethidium bromide/acridine orange (EB/AO). Cell-cycle distributions were evaluated by flow cytometry. RESULTS: IC50 values were 4.1, 1.8 and 1.3 mg/mL for AGS cell lines after 24, 48 and 72 hours by MTT assay, respectively, and 4.4, 2.1 and 1.1 mg/mL by neutral red assay, respectively. IC50 values for KYSE30 cell lines were 600, 180 and 150 mg/mL after 24, 48 and 72 hours by MTT assay, and 860, 270 and 230 mg/mL by neutral red. EB/AO staining increased in apoptotic cells. After 24 h of treatment at different concentrations, significant increases and decreases in population were shown at G2/M and G1 phases, respectively. CONCLUSION: The aqueous extract of the fruits of R.officinalis was freeze-dried, and KYSE30 and AGS cancer cell lines were treated with crude extract. Cytotoxic effect of the extracts on the cell lines was examined using 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and neutral red assay. Apoptotic cells were detected with ethidium bromide/acridine orange (EB/AO). Cell-cycle distributions were evaluated by flow cytometry.