Effect of Intradialytic Exercise on Echocardiographic Findings in Hemodialysis Patients

Introduction. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in hemodialysis patients. Regular aerobic or intradialytic exercise may play a role in reducing cardiovascular mortality in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between intradialytic exercise and echocardiographic findings. Methods and Materials. Forty patients were enrolled in the study from Shahrekord Hemodialysis Center. They were randomly assigned into the exercise and control groups. In the exercise group, the patients had a 30-minute exercise program per dialysis session, 3 times a week, for 3 months. Electrocardiography and echocardiography were done at the beginning of the study and 3 months later. Results. The mean age and body mass index of the patients were 43.2 +/- 10.5 years and 21.7 +/- 5.4 kg/m(2), respectively. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased and systolic pulmonary artery pressure and right ventricular size decreased significantly after the study in the exercise group patients. Conclusions. Our results showed the improvement of cardiac systolic and diastolic function in patients who had physical exercise during dialysis sessions. Regular intradialysis exercise can be suggested for hemodialysis patients without cardiac disease

PREGLED ISPLAKA NA BAZI GLICEROLA I UPOTREBE GLICERINA KAO ISPLAČNOGA ADITIVA

A significant increase of energy demands all over the world and production decline from available oil and gas reservoirs have led the industry to invest in major offshore petroleum resources. However, drilling operations in offshore environments are usually restricted by environmental constraints. Therefore, recent studies are devoted to the development of environmentally compatible fluids with adequate technical properties. Glycerine is a non-toxic, lubricating, colorless, odorless substance with a higher density than water. Due to the properties of glycerine, it can be used as the base of drilling fluid to formulate synthetic-based fluids. This research aimed to review the studies on the applications of glycerine in the composition of drilling fluid. Based on the results, glycerine-based fluids can be considered as an environmentally compatible fluid with sufficient technical properties to replace other drilling fluids. However, there is a lack of experimental studies on the glycerine fluid properties for a reliable decision. For the application of glycerine fluids, an economic feasibility study is mandatory for both pure and crude glycerine. Also, the thermal stability of glycerine fluids is an important aspect, which should be covered in future research studies.Znatno povećanje potražnje za energijom u cijelome svijetu i pad proizvodnje iz dostupnih ležišta nafte i plina doveli su do povećanja ulaganja naftne industrije u odobalna istraživanja. Međutim, aktivnosti bušenja u odobalju obično su ograničene ekološkim ograničenjima. Stoga su novija istraživanja posvećena razvoju ekološki prihvatljivih fluida s odgovarajućim tehničkim svojstvima. Glicerin je netoksična, podmazujuća tvar bez boje i mirisa, veće gustoće od vode. Zbog svojih svojstava glicerin se može koristiti kao baza sintetičkih isplaka. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja pregled provedenih istraživanja o primjeni glicerina u sastavu isplaka. Na temelju rezultata istraživanja može se zaključiti da se tekućine na bazi glicerina mogu smatrati ekološki prihvatljivim tekućinama s dovoljnim tehničkim svojstvima da zamijene druge fluide koji se koriste kao isplake prilikom bušenja. Međutim, za donošenje pouzdane odluke o primjeni glicerina u isplakama još uvijek nema dovoljno eksperimentalno dobivenih podataka. Za primjenu glicerinskih tekućina (i za čisti i za sirovi glicerin) potrebno je provesti studiju ekonomske izvedivosti. Također, budućim istraživanjima potrebno je obuhvatiti I ispitivanje toplinske stabilnosti glicerinskih tekućina

Fixed-order H-infinity controller design for systems with ellipsoidal parametric uncertainty

In this paper, fixed-order robust H-infinity controller design for systems with ellipsoidal parametric uncertainty based on parameter dependent Lyapunov functions is studied. Using the concept of Strictly Positive Realness (SPRness) of transfer functions, a fixed-order robust control design method in terms of solution to a set of Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs) is proposed. Since, controller parameters are decision variables, any controller structure, such as PID, can be considered. The weighted infinity-norm of closed loop sensitivity functions are considered as performance specification in the synthesis problem. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method

Ultrasonographic measurement of subarachnoid space and frontal horn width in healthy Iranian infants

Objectiveultrasonography is among the most general evaluating methods for central nervous system (CNS) assessment, especially for detecting extra axial collection via anterior fontanel. There are few studies showing values of this technique in normal developing infants for detection of subarachnoid space width.Association between age and sex and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces are controversial. Therefore, we conducted this study to evaluate the relationship between subarachnoid space and sex and age in Iranian infants.Material & Methodswe used ultrasonography with a 7.5MHZ linear probe to evaluate 74 healthy infants who were referred to our departments for other reasons. Sinocortical width (SCW), craniocortical width (CCW),  interhemispheric width (IHW) and frontal horn width (FHW) were evaluated. Data was collected and analyzed using STAT 9.1 software.ResultsFifty four percent of the patients were male and 45% were female. Mean age of cases was 71 days. Mean SCW was 2.8 ± 1.33 mm (5% and95% were 1.2-5.8). Mean CCW was 2.52±1.37mm (5% and 95% were 1.1 and 5.2mm, respectively) and mean IHW was 4.39±2mm (5% and 95% were 1.7 and 8mm, respectively). Mean FHW was 2.9+/-1.09mm in females and 3.52±1.34mm in males (5% and 95% were 1.4 and 5mm in females & 1.7 and 5.8mm in males, respectively). There was no significant difference in subarachnoid space width between boys and girls except for FHW which was wider in males than females. (P=0.037). All space diameters correlated with age and were wider in older infants.ConclusionAlthough our sample size was rather small for accurate conclusion, we found a normal range which was wider than western countries but similar studies conducted in China. Delayed maturation of arachnoid villi is one of the most important reasons of subarachnoid space widening in infants younger than one year which seems occur later in Iranian infants.Key words: Ultrasonography;subarachnoid space; infant

Correlation of immunostaining findings with demographic data and variables of Oxford classification in IgA nephropathy

Background: Oxford classification for IgA nephropathy (IgAN) did not include pattern of immunostaining in the analysis. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the potential correlation between the immunostaining data and morphologic variables of Oxford classification (MEST) and various clinical and demographic data of patients with IgAN. Patients and Methods: The pathologic diagnosis of IgAN requires the demonstration of IgA-dominant mesangial or mesangio-capillary immune deposits through immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy. The immune deposits were semiquantitatively assessed as 0 to 3+ positive bright. These were correlated with various clinical, demographic and histological variables of Oxford classification. Results: A total of 114 biopsies were enrolled to the study (70.2 were male). Mean age of the patients was 37.7 ± 13.6 years. This study showed that, only C3 deposits had a significant correlation with serum creatinine. Other antibodies (IgA, IgM and IgG) had no significant association with serum creatinine. This study also showed that IgA deposition score had significant positive association with endocapillary proliferation (E) and segmental glomerulosclerosis (S) variables of Oxford classification. Moreover, IgM deposition score had positive association with S variable. There was no significant association of IgG deposition score with four morphologic variables of Oxford classification. There was significant association of C3 deposition score with S and E variables too. Conclusions: The significant relationships of IgA and C3 deposits with some of the Oxford variables need more attention. We propose to further investigate this aspect of IgAN disease. © 2013, Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention. All rights reserved

Environmental Impact Assessment of the Industrial Estate Development Plan with the Geographical Information System and Matrix Methods

Background. The purpose of this study is environmental impact assessment of the industrial estate development planning. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010 in Isfahan province, Iran. GIS and matrix methods were applied. Data analysis was done to identify the current situation of the region, zoning vulnerable areas, and scoping the region. Quantitative evaluation was done by using matrix of Wooten and Rau. Results. The net score for impact of industrial units operation on air quality of the project area was (−3). According to the transition of industrial estate pollutants, residential places located in the radius of 2500 meters of the city were expected to be affected more. The net score for impact of construction of industrial units on plant species of the project area was (−2). Environmental protected areas were not affected by the air and soil pollutants because of their distance from industrial estate. Conclusion. Positive effects of project activities outweigh the drawbacks and the sum scores allocated to the project activities on environmental factor was (+37). Totally it does not have detrimental effects on the environment and residential neighborhood. EIA should be considered as an anticipatory, participatory environmental management tool before determining a plan application

The effect of Systemic risk on Earnings Quality of listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange

This is an applied research and its main purpose is to evaluate the relationship between systemic risk and earnings quality. For this purpose, we have used the information existed in the financial statements of 98 companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange for the period of 2007 to 2013. Assessment measure of systemic risk is beta coefficient which is calculated using the capital asset pricing model. In order to measure earnings quality, three variables including stability, prediction value and gains flexibility were used. Testing the hypothesis of the research is done using analysis of Panel and the combination of time-series and cross-sectional data. Results show that the systematic risk has a positive correlation with variables of earnings stability and dividends and it has a negative correlation with the variability of the gain productivity

The correlation between insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and novel adipocytokines in postmenopausal women: A population-based study

The adipocytokines and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) are involved in insulin resistance, the cardiometabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis. Therefore, investigating the relationship between circulating levels of the novel adipocytokines and IGF-1 is worthwhile. The correlation between IGF-1, visfatin, and omentin-1 has not been adequately investigated. In a population-based study, 324 postmenopausal women were randomly selected. Circulating IGF-1, visfatin, omentin-1, adiponectin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels weremeasured with the highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. In multiple regression analyses adjusted for alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and hs-CRP, circulating IGF-1 was significantly correlated with visfatin levels (standardized β coefficient [β] = 0.13, partial correlation coefficient [r] = 0.12, p = 0.028). The significant positive correlation between serum IGF-1 and visfatin levels remained after additional adjustments for age and BMI (β = 0.12, r = 0.12, p = 0.025), metabolic syndrome (β = 0.13, r = 0.12, p = 0.021), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (β = 0.13, r = 0.12, p = 0.026). No significant correlationswere found between IGF-1, adiponectin, and omentin-1. There is a significant correlation between serum IGF-1 and visfatin levels in postmenopausalwomen beyondmetabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, bone formationmarkers, and hs-CRP levels. The observed correlation between higher circulating IGF-1 and the higher visfatin levels might be a physiological compensation and adaptation to protect against visfatin-induced proinflammatory effects

11 Years with wearables: Qantitative analysis of social media, academia, news agencies, and lead user community from 2009-2020 on wearable technologies

The role of wearable technology in our daily lives is rapidly growing and many users are cumulatively becoming dependent on it. To provide insight into the future of wearable technologies and various community attitudes towards them, we implemented an in-depth quantitative investigation of opinions from academic texts (DBLP and PubMed), social media (Twitter), news media (Google News and Bing News), and entrepreneurship communities (Kickstarter and Indiegogo) over a 10-year period. Our results indicate that unlike academia, the news media, entrepreneurship communities, and social media all hold overall positive attitudes towards wearable technologies. Secondly, there are diverse perspectives towards various wearable products across different platforms. Specifically, "XR"technologies received the most attention, while "Exoskeleton"ignited the most heated debates. Thirdly, we discovered that the lifetime of a hyped wearable technology lasts approximately three years. Furthermore, the news media and entrepreneurship community's attitudes towards wearable technologies did not have a strong impact on public opinion. Finally, among all types of wearable technologies, "fashion design"and "healthcare"products were the most enlightening for the market