Diabetes mellitus and bell's palsy in Iranian population

During last decades many researchers have focused on the conditions associated with Bell's palsy including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and viral infections. This study was performed to evaluate correlation of diabetes mellitus and Bell's palsy and some relevant features not discussed in the literature in an Iranian population. The presence of diabetes mellitus was evaluated in a total number of 275 subjects (75 patients with Bell's palsy and 200 control subjects). Diabetes mellitus was noted in 10 (13.3) patients with Bell's palsy among which 6 case were diagnosed as new cases of diabetes. Previous history of Bell's palsy was present in 10.67 of the subjects with Bell's palsy. This study confirms the correlation of diabetes mellitus and Bell's palsy for the first time in an Iranian population. We suggest screening tests for diabetes mellitus to be a routine part in the management of patients with Bell's palsy, especially in developing countries. © 2008 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Assessment of cardiac risk factors in medical students of tehran university

Prevention of coronary heart disease, mainly by reducing the levels of known risk factors in the population, remains a priority in public health. This cross-sectional study on randomly selected medical students during their internship was conducted from July 2001 to April 2002 in order to determine the prevalence of major coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors. This survey was done by filling the questionnaire, measuring physical parameters, and taking a fasting blood sample. Two hundred and sixty four medical students were evaluated in this study (48 female, 216 male) with the mean age of 26.5 ± 2.8 years. The main risk factors in descending order of frequency were physical inactivity (43.5%), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (26.2%), family history of premature CAD (15.9%), smoking (10.3%), abdominal obesity (10.2%), high triglyceride level (5.3%), high blood pressure (3.4%), and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.5%). Also, 25% of married females were using oral contraceptives regularly. The number of risk factors per person was 2.2 on average (1.1 in females and 2.5 in males). Prevalence of CAD ri sk factors in this medical students’ population was unacceptably high. Additional studies should be done to gather more information and determine the need for preventive, educational or curative interventions

Magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of iron overload: A comparison of MRI, echocardiography and serum ferritin level in patients with β-thalassemia major

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate iron levels in cardiac and hepatic tissues using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2*. Methods: Cardiac and hepatic MRI was performed for 93 patients with β-thalassemia major. Results: Cardiac T2* was in the range of 2.9-56.6 ms. Myocardial siderosis was detected in 44 of patients; 25 patients had moderate and severe siderosis with serum ferritin level (SFL) of 576-10,284 ng/ml. There was a significant correlation between SFL and cardiac T2* (p<.001). Conclusions: The effective role of MRI as a noninvasive producible method in measurement of iron concentration in tissues is not accessible with conventional techniques. © 2012 Elsevier Inc

Cryopreservation of rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) semen

Breeding has moved beyond the point of simply propagating random stock. Genetic potential can be improved by establishing and crossing genetically defined strains, crossing species and manipulating gametes. Some of these activities require cryopreservation of semen. Cryopreserved sperm could also be a means of exchange of genetic material between locations and populations when transportation of live fish is restricted. In this study we had a survey on rainbow trout sperm quality in Genetic and Breeding Center for Coldwatwr Fishes, Shahid Motahari, Yasouj. Then Cryopreservation trials on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) sperm were carried out using six basic extenders. Egg batches of 25 g were inseminated with semen frozen in five 0.5-ml straws. Thowing temperature of cryopreserved sperm also was tested. In anather trial we investigate different cryoprotectant. The result showd that the best period for sperm collection in this center was from Novamber to January. The best extender based on sperm motility parameters were extender 2 and 1 with 57.2 and 56.9% fertilisatin rates, respectively. So this two extender were used in the further experiments. The best thowing temperathre was 25°C in 30s. Testing different cryoprotectant, adding 10% methanol to extender 1 gave the highest fertilization rate (64.6%) among cryoprotectant that used with this extender. In the other extender (2) adding 5% DMSO and mixture of 5% DMSO and 1% glycerol gave the highest fertilization rates (64.8% and 67.0%, respectively). In conclusion using extender 1 and 2 with mentioned cryoprotectant and thowing rate of 25°C in 30 s was recammended for rainbow trout sperm cryopreservation

The creation of genetic basic population of rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) based on study of genetic variation in brood stocks using microsatellite

In order to perform the project, 446 samples of rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) from 24 different regions in Iran were collected. About 2-3 g of caudal fin samples was collected from each specimen and preserved in absolute ethyl alcohol and then transferred to the genetic laboratory. Genomic DNA was extracted using the phenol-chloroform method and then DNA content and quality was determined using spectrophotometry and agarose gel electrophoresis, respectively. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of genomic DNA fin samples was carried out using 10 pairs of microsatellite primers. All PCR products were electrophoresed on 6% polyacrylamide gel and stained with silver nitrate. Following the scoring of alleles, all parameters including allelic frequency, effective number of allele, observed and expected heterozygosity, shanon index, measurement of similarity and genetic distance and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, Fst , Rst and gene flow were calculated using AMOVA analysis in the GenAlex and Popgene programs. The results showed that 8 pairs of microsatellite primers were polymorphic. In total, 50 alleles were determined with the range size of 64-280 bp. The locus omyf had maximum number of allele (26) and loci OTSG 474 and Strurruta58 had minimum number of allele (5). The observed heterozygosity was between 0.86 and 0.964. Hardy-Weinberg departure was observed for all loci from farms 18, 15, 4, E20 and 21 and were disequilibrium (P<0.05). The farms 14, 8, 7 and 6 were equilibrium at 3 loci, but showed disequilibrium in other loci. The other farms were equilibrium at 1 or 2 loci and disequilibrium at 8 or 9 loci. The FST results showed that maximum FST (0.24) were between farms 1 and 11in which had minimum of gene flow (3.7). Minimum FST (0.04) were between farms 8 and 9 in which had maximum of gene flow (346). Based on the results of AMOVA analysis, significant differences were detected between all farms (P<0.01). Furthermore, based on Nei 's standard (1972) maximum genetic distance (0.89) were observed between farms 2 and 11 and maximum genetic similarity (0.15) were detected between farms 3 and 4. This result suggests that the unique genetic variation of rainbow trout in hatchery farms of Iran represents a highly valuable genetic resource and provide useful information for creating a based population in the future breeding programs

Intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents for ocular vascular diseases: Clinical practice guideline

Purpose: To provide the clinical recommendations for the administration of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs especially bavacizumab for ocular vascular diseases including diabetic macular edema, neovascular age-related macular degeneration, myopic choroidal neovascularization, retinal vein occlusion and central serous chorioretinopathy. Methods: Twenty clinical questions were developed by the guideline technical committee. Relevant websites and databases were searched to find out the pertinent clinical practice guidelines to answer the questions. The technical committee provided possible answers (scenarios) according to the available evidences for each question. All scenarios along with their levels of evidence and the supported articles were sent to the experts for external review. If the experts did not agree on any of the scenarios for one particular clinical question, the technical committee reviewed all scenarios and their pertinent evidences and made the necessary decision. After that, the experts were asked to score them again. All confirmed scenarios were gathered as the final recommendations. Results: All the experts agreed on at least one of the scenarios. The technical committee extracted the agreed scenario for each clinical question as the final recommendation. Finally, 56 recommendations were developed for the procedure of intravitreal anti-VEGF injection and their applications in the management of ocular vascular diseases. Conclusion: The implementation of this guideline can standardize the management of the common ocular vascular diseases by intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents. It can lead to better policy-making and evidence-based clinical decision by ophthalmologists and optimal evidence based eye care for patients. © 2018 Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research

Intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents for ocular vascular diseases: Clinical practice guideline

Purpose: To provide the clinical recommendations for the administration of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs especially bavacizumab for ocular vascular diseases including diabetic macular edema, neovascular age-related macular degeneration, myopic choroidal neovascularization, retinal vein occlusion and central serous chorioretinopathy. Methods: Twenty clinical questions were developed by the guideline technical committee. Relevant websites and databases were searched to find out the pertinent clinical practice guidelines to answer the questions. The technical committee provided possible answers (scenarios) according to the available evidences for each question. All scenarios along with their levels of evidence and the supported articles were sent to the experts for external review. If the experts did not agree on any of the scenarios for one particular clinical question, the technical committee reviewed all scenarios and their pertinent evidences and made the necessary decision. After that, the experts were asked to score them again. All confirmed scenarios were gathered as the final recommendations. Results: All the experts agreed on at least one of the scenarios. The technical committee extracted the agreed scenario for each clinical question as the final recommendation. Finally, 56 recommendations were developed for the procedure of intravitreal anti-VEGF injection and their applications in the management of ocular vascular diseases. Conclusion: The implementation of this guideline can standardize the management of the common ocular vascular diseases by intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents. It can lead to better policy-making and evidence-based clinical decision by ophthalmologists and optimal evidence based eye care for patients. © 2018 Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research

The Genomes of the Fungal Plant Pathogens Cladosporium fulvum and Dothistroma septosporum Reveal Adaptation to Different Hosts and Lifestyles But Also Signatures of Common Ancestry

We sequenced and compared the genomes of the Dothideomycete fungal plant pathogens Cladosporium fulvum (Cfu) (syn. Passalora fulva) and Dothistroma septosporum (Dse) that are closely related phylogenetically, but have different lifestyles and hosts. Although both fungi grow extracellularly in close contact with host mesophyll cells, Cfu is a biotroph infecting tomato, while Dse is a hemibiotroph infecting pine. The genomes of these fungi have a similar set of genes (70% of gene content in both genomes are homologs), but differ significantly in size (Cfu >61.1-Mb; Dse 31.2-Mb), which is mainly due to the difference in repeat content (47.2% in Cfu versus 3.2% in Dse). Recent adaptation to different lifestyles and hosts is suggested by diverged sets of genes. Cfu contains an a-tomatinase gene that we predict might be required for detoxification of tomatine, while this gene is absent in Dse. Many genes encoding secreted proteins are unique to each species and the repeat-rich areas in Cfu are enriched for these species-specific genes. In contrast, conserved genes suggest common host ancestry. Homologs of Cfu effector genes, including Ecp2 and Avr4, are present in Dse and induce a Cf-Ecp2- and Cf-4-mediated hypersensitive response, respectively. Strikingly, genes involved in production of the toxin dothistromin, a likely virulence factor for Dse, are conserved in Cfu, but their expression differs markedly with essentially no expression by Cfu in planta. Likewise, Cfu has a carbohydrate-degrading enzyme catalog that is more similar to that of necrotrophs or hemibiotrophs and a larger pectinolytic gene arsenal than Dse, but many of these genes are not expressed in planta or are pseudogenized. Overall, comparison of their genomes suggests that these closely related plant pathogens had a common ancestral host but since adapted to different hosts and lifestyles by a combination of differentiated gene content, pseudogenization, and gene regulatio

Mapping subnational HIV mortality in six Latin American countries with incomplete vital registration systems

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a public health priority in Latin America. While the burden of HIV is historically concentrated in urban areas and high-risk groups, subnational estimates that cover multiple countries and years are missing. This paucity is partially due to incomplete vital registration (VR) systems and statistical challenges related to estimating mortality rates in areas with low numbers of HIV deaths. In this analysis, we address this gap and provide novel estimates of the HIV mortality rate and the number of HIV deaths by age group, sex, and municipality in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico.MethodsWe performed an ecological study using VR data ranging from 2000 to 2017, dependent on individual country data availability. We modeled HIV mortality using a Bayesian spatially explicit mixed-effects regression model that incorporates prior information on VR completeness. We calibrated our results to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.ResultsAll countries displayed over a 40-fold difference in HIV mortality between municipalities with the highest and lowest age-standardized HIV mortality rate in the last year of study for men, and over a 20-fold difference for women. Despite decreases in national HIV mortality in all countries-apart from Ecuador-across the period of study, we found broad variation in relative changes in HIV mortality at the municipality level and increasing relative inequality over time in all countries. In all six countries included in this analysis, 50% or more HIV deaths were concentrated in fewer than 10% of municipalities in the latest year of study. In addition, national age patterns reflected shifts in mortality to older age groups-the median age group among decedents ranged from 30 to 45years of age at the municipality level in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico in 2017.ConclusionsOur subnational estimates of HIV mortality revealed significant spatial variation and diverging local trends in HIV mortality over time and by age. This analysis provides a framework for incorporating data and uncertainty from incomplete VR systems and can help guide more geographically precise public health intervention to support HIV-related care and reduce HIV-related deaths.Peer reviewe