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

Tectonic mechanical properties of the Alborz region, Iran

In this study for better analysis of geo-hazard on two parameters were focused: geodynamics and mechanical property of the orogen. The Alborz region in the northern Iran was selected as the study area. The Alborz mountain range in Iran is an ideal object to investigate the potential influence of past tectonic regimes on the future evolution of this long-lived convergence. For this purpose, previous geodynamic results were reviewed and compiled with data on present day tectonic activity at crustal and upper mantle scale. Previously published models indicate that the Iran Plate was subjected to a series of extensional and compressional tectonic regimes, ultimately linked with the opening and closure of the Tethys Ocean and related basins. Two subduction-collision cycles are recognized: one cycle occurred as a result of the subduction of the Iran Plate beneath the Turan Plate and in this cycle the subduction phase ceased in the Cenozoic and since the Cenozoic it is in a collision phase. The other cycle took place as a result of the subduction of the Arabian Plate beneath the Iran Plate, and in this cycle the subduction phase began in the Mesozoic and is ending now. Thus, the current tectonic situation in the Alborz is a direct consequence from the ongoing Cenozoic subduction-collision cycle. GPS and earthquake data indicate that the Alborz region, resulting from the collision of the Iran Plate with the Turan Plate, is still an area of recently active compression. Moho and tomographic data show that there is no connection between slab remnants of the oceanic crust and the Iran Plate. Furthermore, the Moho beneath the central Alborz is about 20 km deeper than in surrounding areas, indicating further advancement of collision there. However, the collision is continuing and the shorted area between the Iran Plate and the Turan Plate may increase. During the crustal thickening, a deep Moho area can also develop. This evolution can be expected in the tectonic cycle between the Arabian Plate and the Iran Plate, and also other places of the Alpine-Himalayan Belt (AHB), such as the Caucasus region

Personality Type A or Personality Type D, Which is a Strong Predictor of Coronary Heart Disease?

Considering the increasing incidence and prevalence of coronary heart disease and the increasing emphasis of health researchers on the association and relationship of psychosocial factors with the occurrence and persistence of cardiovascular disease, the need to identify the desired factors and determine each of the personality and psychological factors. The effect is felt more than ever in patients who are also the target of the present study. The main purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of coronary heart disease based on personality types. Among cardiovascular patients, men and women aged 25-60 years in Shahid Madani and 29 Bahman hospitals in Tabriz, who were admitted to surgical wards for coronary angiography in 2015, 50 people were selected who met the inclusion criteria. Also, 50 patients were selected from the patients' companions and answered the questionnaires of Denollet type D personality and Ratus personality pattern questionnaire. Findings showed that the variables of negative emotions, social inhibition of the personality type D subscale were predictors of coronary heart disease. But the role of personality type A in predicting coronary heart disease is not significant. Social inhibition was also the strongest predictor of coronary heart disease. The present study showed that personality factors are predictors of coronary heart disease

A machine learning model to predict heart failure readmission: toward optimal feature set

BackgroundHospital readmissions for heart failure patients remain high despite efforts to reduce them. Predictive modeling using big data provides opportunities to identify high-risk patients and inform care management. However, large datasets can constrain performance.ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop a machine learning based prediction model leveraging a nationwide hospitalization database to predict 30-day heart failure readmissions. Another objective of this study is to find the optimal feature set that leads to the highest AUC value in the prediction model.Material and methodsHeart failure patient data was extracted from the 2020 Nationwide Readmissions Database. A heuristic feature selection process incrementally incorporated predictors into logistic regression and random forest models, which yields a maximum increase in the AUC metric. Discrimination was evaluated through accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and AUC.ResultsA total of 566,019 discharges with heart failure diagnosis were recognized. Readmission rate was 8.9% for same-cause and 20.6% for all-cause diagnoses. Random forest outperformed logistic regression, achieving AUCs of 0.607 and 0.576 for same-cause and all-cause readmissions respectively. Heuristic feature selection resulted in the identification of optimal feature sets including 20 and 22 variables from a pool of 30 and 31 features for the same-cause and all-cause datasets. Key predictors included age, payment method, chronic kidney disease, disposition status, number of ICD-10-CM diagnoses, and post-care encounters.ConclusionThe proposed model attained discrimination comparable to prior analyses that used smaller datasets. However, reducing the sample enhanced performance, indicating big data complexity. Improved techniques like heuristic feature selection enabled effective leveraging of the nationwide data. This study provides meaningful insights into predictive modeling methodologies and influential features for forecasting heart failure readmissions

In vivo antioksidativni potencijal biljke Teucrium polium u usporedbi s α-tokoferolom

The present study was undertaken to explore antioxidant potential of Teucrium polium (Lamiaceae) in vivo. Antioxidant activity was measured by three tests including inhibition of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, total antioxidant power (TAP), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in serum. Rats received dry extract of T. polium in 80% ethanol by intragastric intubation at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg kg-1 daily for 14 days. Treatment of rats with T. polium extract showed significant antioxidant activity in the DPPH test as compared to the control. T. polium extract at doses of 50 and 100 mg kg-1 significantly increased rats\u27 TAP and decreased TBARS compared to the control. Administration of T. polium at a dose of 200 mg kg-1 per day did not significantly alter serum TAP and TBARS. Antioxidant activities of T. polium at doses of 50 and 100 mg kg-1 were comparable to that of -tocopherol (10 mg kg-1) in all experiments.U okviru ovih istraživanja ispitan je antioksidativni potencijal biljke Teucrium polium L. Lamiaceae in vivo. Antioksidativni učinak je mjeren pomoću tri testa koji uključuju inhibiciju 1,1-difenil-2-pikrilhidrazil (DPPH) radikala, ukupnu antioksidativnu snagu (TAP) i reaktivne supstancije tiobarbiturne kiseline (TBARS) u serumu. Štakorima je davan suhi ekstrakt T. polium u 80%-tnom etanolu intragastričnom intubacijom u dozama od 50, 100 i 200 mg kg-1 dnevno tijekom 14 dana. Pokusi su pokazali značajno antioksidativno djelovanje T. polium DPPH testom u usporedbi s kontrolom. T. polium je u dozama 50 i 100 mg kg-1 značajno povisio TAP i snizio TBARS u usporedbi s kontrolom. Primjena ekstrakta T. polium u dozi od 200 mg kg-1 dnevno nije značajno mijenjala serumske TAP i TBARS vrijednosti. Antioksidativni učinak T. polium u dozama 50 i 100 mg kg-1 u svim eksperimentima bio je sličan učincima α-tokoferola (10 mg kg-1). Preliminarna ispitivanja ukazuje na antistresni učinak T. polium koji je usporediv antioksidativnom učinku. Međutim, potrebna su daljnja ispitivanja da se rasvijetli bi li T. polium mogla biti korisna u uklanjanju posljedica oksidativnog stresa

Effects of Satureja khuzestanica on Serum Glucose, Lipids and Markers of Oxidative Stress in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Satureja khuzestanica is an endemic plant of Iran that is widely distributed in the Southern part of the country. It has antioxidant properties and thus it seems to be useful in diseases related to oxidative stress such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia. The present study investigates the effect of S. khuzestanica supplement in metabolic parameters of hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Twenty-one hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomized in a double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial to receive either S. khuzestanica (tablets contain 250 mg dried leaves) or placebo once a day for 60 days. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and at the end of the study. Samples were analyzed for levels of glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, creatinine, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as marker of lipid peroxidation and ferric reducing ability (total antioxidant power, TAP). Treatment of patients by S. khuzestanica for 60 days induced significant decrease in total cholesterol (P = 0.008) and LDL-cholesterol (P = 0.03) while increased HDL-cholesterol (P = 0.02) and TAP (P = 0.007) in comparison with the baseline values. S. khuzestanica did not alter blood glucose, triglyceride, creatinin and TBARS levels. In comparison with baseline values, no significant change was observed in blood glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, creatinine, TBARS and TAP in placebo-treated group. Usage of S. khuzestanica as a supplement to drug regimen of diabetic type 2 patients with hyperlipidemia is recommended

Benefits of Zataria multiflora Boiss in Experimental Model of Mouse Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition of the intestine with unknown etiology involving multiple immune, genetic and environmental factors. We were interested to examine the effect of total extract from Zataria multiflora Boiss, a folk medicinal plant on prevention and treatment of experimental IBD. Z. multiflora was administered (400, 600, 900 p.p.m.) through drinking water to IBD mice induced by intrarectal administration of acetic acid. Prednisolone was used as the standard drug for comparison. Biochemical, macroscopic and microscopic examinations of colon were performed. Biochemical evaluation of inflamed colon was done using assay of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentration as indicators of free radical activity and cell lipid peroxidation. The activity of MPO and lipid peroxidation products (TBARS) increased in acetic acid-treated groups while recovered by pretreatment of animals with Z. multiflora (400–900 p.p.m.) and prednisolone. Z. multiflora (600 and 900 p.p.m.) and prednisolone-treated groups showed significantly lower score values of macroscopic and microscopic characters when compared with the acetic acid-treated group. The beneficial effect of Z. multiflora (900 p.p.m.) was comparable with that of prednisolone. The antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potentials of Z. multiflora might be the mechanisms by which this herbal extract protects animals against experimentally induced IBD. Proper clinical investigation should be carried out to confirm the activity in human

Sarcoma classification by DNA methylation profiling

Sarcomas are malignant soft tissue and bone tumours affecting adults, adolescents and children. They represent a morphologically heterogeneous class of tumours and some entities lack defining histopathological features. Therefore, the diagnosis of sarcomas is burdened with a high inter-observer variability and misclassification rate. Here, we demonstrate classification of soft tissue and bone tumours using a machine learning classifier algorithm based on array-generated DNA methylation data. This sarcoma classifier is trained using a dataset of 1077 methylation profiles from comprehensively pre-characterized cases comprising 62 tumour methylation classes constituting a broad range of soft tissue and bone sarcoma subtypes across the entire age spectrum. The performance is validated in a cohort of 428 sarcomatous tumours, of which 322 cases were classified by the sarcoma classifier. Our results demonstrate the potential of the DNA methylation-based sarcoma classification for research and future diagnostic applications