Numerical modelling of functionally graded coatings

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Adiponectin and chronic kidney disease; a review on recent findings.

Adiponectin is a multifunctional cytokine that has a role in regulating inflammation. In patients without chronic renal failure (CRF) and type 2 diabetics, decreased adiponectin levels are associated with insulin resistance. Lower serum plasma adiponectin values are link to larger tumor size and metastasis in clear-cell carcinoma of the kidney too. However, in patients with established chronic kidney disease (CKD), adiponectin levels are elevated and positively predict progression of disease. In addition, increased levels of serum adiponectin of hemodialysis patients were associated with decrease in bone mineral density in hemodialysis patients. Thus, depending on type of renal failure should be adjusted the adiponectin levels in patients. In CKD patients without diabetic, decreasing adiponectin levels by ARB drugs may be appropriate for inhibition of disease progression

Correlation of serum parathyroid hormone with pulmonary artery pressure in non-diabetic regular hemodialysis patients

Abstract Introduction: Pulmonary artery hypertension in end-stage renal disease is associated by significantly increased morbidity and mortality. Serum parathormone may increase among patients on hemodialysis and influence various organs. Objectives: This study sought to find the association of serum parathormone level and pulmonary artery pressure in a group of non-diabetic patients on regular hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: This prospective investigation was conducted in the hemodialysis section of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in 2013. Doppler echocardiography were used to assess pulmonary artery pressure. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is defined as systolic PAP≥35 mm Hg at rest. Serum parathormone was measured by ECL method. Results: Sixty-five, non-diabetic hemodialysis patients were studied. Mean (±SD) of age of the patients was 56.35±20.41 years. Mean (±SD) of iPTH was 251.55±97.27 pg/ml. In this study, a significant positive association of serum iPTH with pulmonary artery pressure in patients was seen (r=0.27, p=0.029). Conclusion: In the present study, we detected a significant positive association of serum parathyroid hormone with pulmonary artery pressure of hemodialysis patients however, our observations, warranting further investigations to evaluate the clinical aspect of the association of serum PTH with pulmonary artery pressure. Keywords: End-stage renal disease, Hemodialysis, Pulmonary hypertension, Parathormone Please cite this paper as: Heidari M, Mardani S, Baradaran A. Correlation of serum parathyroid hormone with pulmonary artery pressure in non-diabetic regular hemodialysis patients. J Parathyr Dis 2014; 2(2): 78-80. Copyright © 2014 The Author(s); Published by Nickan Research Institute. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Renin-angiotensin system blockage for reduction of plasma adiponectin level in maintenance hemodialysis patients: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction. Plasma adiponectin level is markedly increased among patients on hemodialysis. This investigation aimed to evaluate the relationship between renin-angiotensin system blockade and serum adiponectin concentration in nondiabetic patients on hemodialysis. Materials and Methods. This randomized double-blind controlled trial was conducted on a group of nondiabetic patients on regular hemodialysis. The first group received losartan, 12.5 mg twice per day for the 1st week, 25 mg twice per day during the 2nd week, and 75 mg/d from the 3rd week to the end of the 16th week. Patients of the control group received placebo. Blood samples from all of the patients were collected at the beginning and at the end of the study to measure serum adiponectin. Results. Seventy-three hemodialysis patients were divided randomly into the losartan group (40 patients) and the control group (33 patients). The mean adiponectin level in all of the patients was 10.6 ± 3.9 μg/mL. A significant decrease of serum adiponectin level was observed after 4 months of treatment with losartan (8.86 ± 3.43 μg/mL for losartan group versus 10.71 ± 3.94 μg/mL for the control group; P = .04). None of the patients had a serum potassium value greater than 5 mg/dL or hypotension during the intervention. There was no significant difference in serum potassium levels between the two groups. Conclusions. The decrease in serum adiponectin level in nondiabetic patients on regular hemodialysis by losartan might offer a potential protective approach in these patients. Mechanisms responsible for this reduction remain to be investigated. © 2016, Iranian Society of Nephrology. All rights reserved

The study of mitochondrial ATP6, ND3 and COX3 gene nucleotide variations in Iranian patients with atherosclerosis by PCR-SSCP

Background and aims: Atherosclerosis is a complex arterial disease that is caused due to the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Mutations in the mitochondrial genome have probably a direct effect on increased oxidative stress and thereby cause progression of the disease. The aim of the current study was to identify the possible nucleotide changes in the mitochondrial ATP6, ND3 and COX3 genes in Iranian patients with atherosclerosis. Methods: In this case-control study, DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 90 patients with atherosclerosis and 95 healthy individuals by standard method. The regions of the mitochondrial genome including ATP6, ND3 and COX3 genes were studied by PCR-SSCP; and banding shift specimens were sequenced to determine the exact nucleotide changes. The obtained data were analyzed using the Fisher's exact test and GraphPad prism software. Results: The results of SSCP and DNA sequencing lead to the detection of three nucleotide changes in ATP6 gene including a synonymous polymorphism at position m.9034 G>A, and an SNP at position m.9055 G>A, in which alanine is converted to tyrosine and synonymous hetroplasmic variant at m. 9162C>T. Also, it was found three homoplasmic nucleotide variations including synonymous m.9602A>G, m.9899T>C related to histidine amino acid and homoplasmic variant m.9929C>A that resulted in changing of tyrosine to stop codon. Conclusion:. Since it has been proven, m.9055G>A variant increases the risk of developing breast cancer, and on the other hand, this polymorphism has also been reported in the Caucasian population of Parkinson's; Therefore, it can be said that the combination of this mutation with other predisposing factors increases the severity of coronary heart disease. Investigating other mitochondrial genes could be regarded important in order to find the the relationship between nucleotide changes of mitochondrial genes cardiovascular diseases

The effect of aromatherapy with Pelargonium graveolens on postoperative pain intensity in hospitalized children: A clinical randomized trial

زمینه و هدف: درد یکی از شکایات شایع بعد از عمل جراحی کودکان است و علی رغم پیشرفت های وسیع در زمینه پزشکی همچنان یافتن روش های درمانی بدون عارضه برای کاهش شدت درد بعد از عمل احساس می شود؛ لذا این مطالعه با هدف بررسی تأثیر رایحه درمانی بر شدت درد بعد از عمل جراحی کودکان صورت گرفته است. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی دو سویه کور، 64 کودک 6-3 ساله بستری در بخش جراحی به روش آسان انتخاب و در دو گروه 32 نفره تصادفی سازی شدند. در کنار درمان های معمول کنترل درد، رایحه درمانی استنشاقی با یکی از دو نوع رایحه شمعدانی معطر و روغن بادام شیرین (پلاسبو)، در زمان های بدو ورود کودک به بخش و سپس3،6،9 و 12 ساعت بعد از آن انجام و 30 دقیقه بعد از هر مرحله نمره شدت درد به وسیله چک لیست بررسی درد بعد از عمل جراحی در کودکان اندازه گیری و ارزیابی شد. یافته ها: نمره شدت درد کودکان، قبل از دریافت هر گونه مداخله در دو گروه، تفاوت معنی داری نداشت (05/0P). نتیجه گیری: رایحه درمانی با شمعدانی معطر می تواند در تسکین درد بعد از عمل جراحی کودکان در کنار سایر مراقبت ها مؤثر باشد

Mothers' views and beliefs about the role of complementary feeding in children under the age of two in Damavand: a qualitative study.

Background: Inappropriate feeding is one of the major causes of malnutrition in children. This study was carried out to get an insight into mothers’ views and beliefs about the role of complementary feeding in children under the age of two. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study, data were collected through 11 focus-group discussions (FGDs) with mothers, who had children under the age of two, in urban and rural areas of Damavand in 2007. Each FGD was held in the presence of a moderator, two note takers, and an observer. At the end of field work, all notes were collected and coded according to the objectives of the study. Then the subgroups for each objective were obtained, and emerging themes were extracted and reported. Results: In the study, six general themes were identified:(1) The mothers viewed complementary feeding as simple, soft, light foods which are especially made for children; (2) the best time for introducing complementary feeding was 6 months of age; (3) there were no complementary local foods in Damavand; (4) for children under the age of one, a different type of food was separately prepared; (5) home-made complementary food was preferred over the ready made type, and (6) children were fed with table food from the first year of life. Conclusion: Despite their sufficient knowledge about the advantages of complementary feeding, the majority of mothers, due to some socio-cultural limitations, had a weak performance. In this regard, in addition to making revisions in current training programs and protocols, providing effective and goal-oriented educational programs for mothers and others who take care of children is strongly recommended

The Effect of Accelerated Aging on Germination Characteristics, Seed Reserve Utilization and Malondialdehyde Content of Two Wheat Cultivars

In this study experiment was conducted to evaluated the effect of accelerated aging on germination characteristics, seed reserve utilization and malondialdehyde of two wheat cultivars. The experiment was conducted in factorial with a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Results of variance analysis showed that, seed aging had significant effects on germination percentage, germination index, normal seedling percentage, mean time to germination, malondialdehyde content, seedling dry weight, weight of utilized (mobilized) seed reserve and electrical conductivity. The highest germination percentage, germination index, normal seedling percentage, seedling dry weight and weight of utilized (mobilized) seed reserve and the minimum mean time to germination, electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde content were attained from Verinak cultivar under control conditions (0 day aging). Results indicates that germination percentage, germination index, normal seedling percentage, seedling dry weight, and weight of utilized (mobilized) seed reserve decreased significantly as seed aging progressed. But, mean time to germination, electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde content increased significantly as seed aging progressed. Also, the decrease in seed reserve mobilization rate was the cause of decreased other traits