Gastrointestinal Basidiomycosis: An Unusual Fungal Disease?

Background: Basidiobolus ranarum is a fungus that usually causes subcutaneous infection. Medical literature rarely report gastrointestinal involvement, especially in tropical climate areas.Case Report: Here we report a case of gastrointestinal basidiomycosis in an immunocompetent 43-year-old man from south of Iran who presented with abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and nausea. He had history of previous laparotomy 10 years ago, because of perforated peptic ulcer. He underwent an exploratory laparotomy. We found a mass in ascending colon; so, right hemicolectomy were done. Histologic founding were amazing. Eosinophilic sheath surrounding hyphae-like structures was seen. The diagnosis of basidiomycosis was established, so we prescribed antifungal agents for the patient. He expired 6 months later according to disseminated disease.Conclusions: Gastrointestinal basidiomycosis is a rare and invasive fungal infection that imitates malignant tumors, inflammatory bowel disease, or even phlegmon of appendicitis. Diagnosis of gastrointestinal basidiomycosis needs a high index of suspicion. The physicians should be aware of this disease as differential diagnosis in tropical areas. Surgical resection and prolonged antifungal therapy is recommended, but in some cases, the disease may spread and cause death

Pre-Islamic Painting in India: A Case Study of Painting Styles

India is a land of rich historical, cultural and artistic background. Painting has long been popular in India, and pre-Islamic paintings of caves and paintings from pre-Islamic India show interest in the art of Portrait painting and painting. Paintings from ancient times have been reported from inside caves and stone walls And most of the historical information about the art of painting in India, is the remaining caves in Ajanta Cave. Undoubtedly, cave paintings have influenced the evolution of painting in later periods and created a variety of styles and schools of painting in the Hindu period, which is one of the artistic masterpieces of its time. The Purpose of this study, is the art of painting in India, the formation of different styles of painting in pre-Islamic India, the subject of paintings and the position of women in paintings. This research method describes pre-Islamic painting in India and analyzes different styles of painting based on drawings. The results of the research show that painting has been considered in India from the beginning as cave paintings and murals, and various painting styles are influenced by cave paintings and arise from mystical, religious and moral issues. Every day and different issues were created using various designs and colors and the presence of elements of nature. From the beginning of women's painting in the caves, women's painting has been depicted in the form of numerous goddesses and in later periods by drawing goddesses, queens, princes and other women in Hindu painting styles

Oral Doxycycline Reduces the Total Number of Intraocular Bevacizumab Injections Needed to Control Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

Tetracyclines, especially doxycycline, play a role in the regulation of inflammation, immunomodulation, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis. Treatment of corneal angiogenesis or choroidal neovascularization with tetracyclines has been shown to be effective in animal models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral doxycycline in reducing the total number of intraocular injections needed for controlling neovascular age-related macular degeneration in human patients. In this interventional case series, 28 random consecutive patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration from Farabi Hospital, Tehran, Iran were treated for 4 months with 200 mg doxycycline once a day after the first intravitreal bevacizumab injection in addition to standard therapy in agreement with as-needed regimen. After 12 months of follow-up, total number of injections, foveal thickness and visual acuity were compared to those at baseline and of similar studies. Similar to standard treatment, co-treatment with doxycycline was able to control active disease (intraretinal or subretinal collection or leakage, new-onset of macular hemorrhage, and depletion of visual acuity more than 5 letters based on Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study [ETDRS] charts) yet with fewer injections (for current study and standard treatment, respectively 3.14 vs. 5.92, P < 0.001). Furthermore, while better control of the foveal thickness was achieved (P < 0.001), vision improvement was similar to that achieved with standard therapy (P > 0.05). If confirmed in larger studies, the findings of this interventional case series could provide a strategy to control neovascular age-related macular degeneration with fewer intraocular bevacizumab injections by co-administering a well-known oral agent—doxycycline.Â

Research Network of Tehran Defined Population: Methodology and Establishment

Background: We need a defined population for determining prevalence and incidence of diseases, as well as conducting interventional, cohort and longitudinal studies, calculating correct and timely public health indicators, assessing actual health needs of community, performing educational programs and interventions to promote healthy lifestyle, and enhancing quality of primary health services.The objective of this project was to determine a defined population which is representative of Tehran, the Capital of Iran. This article reports the methodology and establishment of the research network of Tehran defined population.Methods: This project started by selecting two urban health centers from each of the five district health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2012. Inside each selected urban health center, one defined population research station was established. Two new centers have been added during 2013 and 2014. For the time being, the number of the covered population of the network has reached 40000 individuals. The most important criterion for the defined population has been to be representative of the population of Tehran. For this, we selected two urban health centers from 12 of 22 municipality districts and from each of the five different socioeconomic of Greater Tehran. Merely 80000 individuals in neighborhoods of each defined population research station were considered as control group of the project.Results: Totally we selected 12 defined population research stations and their under-covered population developed a defined population which is representative of Tehran population.Conclusion: a population lab is ready now in metropolitan of Tehran

Oral Doxycycline Reduces the Total Number of Intraocular Bevacizumab Injections Needed to Control Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

Tetracyclines, especially doxycycline, play a role in the regulation of inflammation, immunomodulation, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis. Treatment of corneal angiogenesis or choroidal neovascularization with tetracyclines has been shown to be effective in animal models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral doxycycline in reducing the total number of intraocular injections needed for controlling neovascular age-related macular degeneration in human patients. In this interventional case series, 28 random consecutive patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration from Farabi Hospital, Tehran, Iran were treated for 4 months with 200 mg doxycycline once a day after the first intravitreal bevacizumab injection in addition to standard therapy in agreement with as-needed regimen. After 12 months of follow-up, total number of injections, foveal thickness and visual acuity were compared to those at baseline and of similar studies. Similar to standard treatment, co-treatment with doxycycline was able to control active disease (intraretinal or subretinal collection or leakage, new-onset of macular hemorrhage, and depletion of visual acuity more than 5 letters based on Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study [ETDRS] charts) yet with fewer injections (for current study and standard treatment, respectively 3.14 vs. 5.92, P < 0.001). Furthermore, while better control of the foveal thickness was achieved (P < 0.001), vision improvement was similar to that achieved with standard therapy (P > 0.05). If confirmed in larger studies, the findings of this interventional case series could provide a strategy to control neovascular age-related macular degeneration with fewer intraocular bevacizumab injections by co-administering a well-known oral agent—doxycycline.

Studying and Identifying the Effective Factors on Tax Evasion by Fuzzy DEMATEL-Method

The main goal of this research is to identify the effective factors on tax evasion by fuzzy DEMATEL-method in Iran. At the present time tax evasion is one of the economic problems in developing countries. Our country has had in this problem for several decades. In this paper, we attempted to determine effective factors in tax evasion, and the relational structure of these factors is examined by fuzzy DEMATEL-method, and meanwhile to recognize their interaction, the hierarchy of the influence of these factors should be known, too. research results showed that among the effective factors, lack of law-makers, of dominance interference institutions which are not charge and the vast exemptions have the highest impact on tax evasion

A solution-based intelligent tutoring system integrated with an online game-based formative assessment: development and evaluation

Nowadays, intelligent tutoring systems are considered an effective research tool for learning systems and problem-solving skill improvement. Nonetheless, such individualized systems may cause students to lose learning motivation when interaction and timely guidance are lacking. In order to address this problem, a solution-based intelligent tutoring system (SITS) is integrated with an online game-based formative assessment game called tic-tac-toe quiz for single-player (TRIS-Q-SP) for learning computer programming. This assessment game combines tic-tac-toe with online assessment, and the rules of tic-tac-toe are revised to stimulate students to use online formative assessment actively. Finally, an experimental study is devised to assess the success of SITS, and significant achievements are observed for the experimental group, besides enjoyment and positive opinions toward the TRIS-Q-SP. Therefore, the practical use of SITS is supported, as the results indicate considerable advantages for the experimental group over the control group. The findings also reveal that immediate elaborated feedback upon answering each question in TRIS-Q-SP is part of an optimal design

Dimension Reduction Using New Bond Graph Algorithm and Deep Learning Pooling on EEG Signals for BCI

One of the main challenges in studying brain signals is the large size of the data due to the use of many electrodes and the time-consuming sampling. Choosing the right dimensional reduction method can lead to a reduction in the data processing time. Evolutionary algorithms are one of the methods used to reduce the dimensions in the field of EEG brain signals, which have shown better performance than other common methods. In this article, (1) a new Bond Graph algorithm (BGA) is introduced that has demonstrated better performance on eight benchmark functions compared to genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization. Our algorithm has fast convergence and does not get stuck in local optimums. (2) Reductions of features, electrodes, and the frequency range have been evaluated simultaneously for brain signals (left-handed and right-handed). BGA and other algorithms are used to reduce features. (3) Feature extraction and feature selection (with algorithms) for time domain, frequency domain, wavelet coefficients, and autoregression have been studied as well as electrode reduction and frequency interval reduction. (4) First, the features/properties (algorithms) are reduced, the electrodes are reduced, and the frequency range is reduced, which is followed by the construction of new signals based on the proposed formulas. Then, a Common Spatial Pattern is used to remove noise and feature extraction and is classified by a classifier. (5) A separate study with a deep sampling method has been implemented as feature selection in several layers with functions and different window sizes. This part is also associated with reducing the feature and reducing the frequency range. All items expressed in data set IIa from BCI competition IV (the left hand and right hand) have been evaluated between one and three channels, with better results for similar cases (in close proximity). Our method demonstrated an increased accuracy by 5 to 8% and an increased kappa by 5%

The Moderating Effect of Hardiness on the Relationships between Problem-Solving Skills and Perceived Stress with Suicidal Ideation in Nursing Students

Recent evidence indicates an elevated risk of suicidal ideation for undergraduate nursing students. This research was designed to enhance the understanding of suicidal ideation in nursing students by investigating the relationships between problem-solving skills, perceived stress, hardiness, and suicidal ideation, with the possibility of hardiness acting as a moderator in the relationships between problem-solving skills appraisal and perceived stress with suicidal ideation. A multi-stage cluster random sample of Malaysian nursing undergraduate students (N = 204) completed self-report questionnaires. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that poor problem-solving skills, greater levels of perceived stress, and low levels of hardiness predicted greater levels of suicidal ideation. Also, hardiness emerged as a moderator in the links between problem-solving skills appraisal and perceived stress with suicidal ideation. The findings incrementally improve our understanding about the importance of hardiness as a moderator in explaining how problem-solving skills and perceived stress affect suicidal ideation. The results of this study are obtained from Malaysian nursing students and possible generalization to other populations should be verified by further studies

Integrated Kinetic Fins for Western Facades in Territories with Low Solar Altitudes

Insufficient daylighting can negatively affect working quality and productivity and increase lighting energy consumption in buildings. Particularly, the western orientation has a non-uniform daylighting distribution, especially at the zone next to the window resulting from the unequal radiation distribution of sunlight. Therefore, this study presents an innovative system known as Integrated Kinetic Fins (IKF), which can respond parametrically to the sun’s movement; to enhance the daylighting distribution during the late working hours for the western façades and decrease the high illuminance daylighting spots near the windows. The study optimizes the fin parameters based on a selected territory; then, the fi angles are automatically controlled. The IKF is applicable in regions with clear skies and low solar altitudes. Finally, a comparison between a traditional kinetic system and the IKF is made, and the results are reported. The system shows an enhancement of daylight distribution during these late hours, where the contrast has been improved by 22% and uniformity has been enhanced by 10%, which consequently contributes to reducing potential glare