Evaluation of liver enzyme levels in workers exposed to vinyl chloride vapors in a petrochemical complex: A cross-sectional study

Background: Polyvinyl chloride is used in production and manufacturing of many essential tools (e.g. plastic pipes, photography films, etc.). Its production is impossible without the use of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), which can cause liver damage in long-term. In this study we intend to assess the effects of mild to moderate long term exposure to VCM on liver and to assess the importance of liver enzyme measurements as a screening tool. Methods: In this study, liver enzyme levels of 52 workers were compared to 48 control workers using the T-test. The cases all worked in a PVC production unit in a petrochemical complex and the controls were randomly selected from office personnel of the same complex. A questionnaire was also filled in about information such as age, weight, work history, etc. in both groups. Results: Mean comparisons for ALP and GGT using T-test showed statistically significant differences between the two groups. For AST, ALT and bilirubin (total, direct) the mean was higher in the case group but this difference was not statistically significant. Discussion: This study showed that mild exposure to VCM can cause mild liver cholestasis. So, using cholestasis assessment tests such as ALP and GGT should be considered in periodic assessment of liver function in PVC producing units

Modules in which every surjective endomorphism has a δ-small kernel

In this paper,we introduce the notion of δ-Hopfian modules. We give some properties of these modules and provide a characterization of semisimple rings in terms of δ-Hopfian modules by proving that a ring R is semisimple if and only if every R-module is δ-Hopfian. Also, we show that for a ring R, δ(R) = J(R) if and only if for all R-modules, the conditions δ-Hopfian and generalized Hopfian are equivalent. Moreover, we prove that δ-Hopfian property is a Morita invariant. Further, the δ-Hopficity of modules over truncated polynomial and triangular matrix rings are considered

POINTNET++ TRANSFER LEARNING FOR TREE EXTRACTION FROM MOBILE LIDAR POINT CLOUDS

Trees are an essential part of the natural and urban environment due to providing crucial benefits such as increasing air quality and wildlife habitats. Therefore, various remote sensing and photogrammetry technologies, including Mobile Laser Scanner (MLS), have been recently introduced for precise 3D tree mapping and modeling. The MLS provides densely 3D LiDAR point clouds from the surrounding, which results in measuring applicable information of trees like stem diameter or elevation. In this paper, a transfer learning procedure on the PointNet++ has been proposed for tree extraction. Initially, two steps of converting the MLS point clouds into same-length smaller sections and eliminating ground points have been conducted to overcome the massive volume of MLS data. The algorithm was tested on four LiDAR datasets ranging from challengeable urban environments containing multiple objects like tall buildings to railway surroundings. F1-Score accuracy was gained at around 93% and 98%, which showed the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Noticeably, the algorithms also measured geometrical information of extracted trees such as 2D coordinate space, height, stem diameter, and 3D boundary tree locations

Early cretaceous plume–ridge interaction recorded in the band-e-zeyarat ophiolite (North Makran, Iran): New constraints from petrological, mineral chemistry, and geochronological data

The North Makran domain (southeast Iran) is part of the Makran accretionary wedge and consists of an imbricate stack of continental and Neo-Tethyan oceanic tectonic units. Among these, the Band-e-Zeyarat ophiolite consists of (from bottom to top): ultramafic cumulates, layered gabbros, isotropic gabbros, a sheeted dyke complex, and a volcanic sequence. Sheeted dykes and volcanic rocks are mainly represented by basalts and minor andesites and rhyolites showing either normal-type (N) or enriched-type (E) mid-ocean ridge basalt affinities (MORB). These conclusions are also supported by mineral chemistry data. In addition, E-MORBs can be subdivided in distinct subtypes based on slightly different but significant light rare earth elements, Th, Nb, TiO2, and Ta contents. These chemical differences point out for different partial melting conditions of their mantle sources, in terms of source composition, partial melting degrees, and melting depths. U-Pb geochronological data on zircons from intrusive rocks gave ages ranging from 122 to 129 Ma. We suggest that the Band-e-Zeyarat ophiolite represents an Early Cretaceous chemical composite oceanic crust formed in a mid-ocean ridge setting by partial melting of a depleted suboceanic mantle variably metasomatized by plume-type components. This ophiolite records, therefore, an Early Cretaceous plume–ridge interaction in the Makran Neo-Tethys

Middle Meningeal Artery Arising from the Basilar Artery

Various anomalies for the origin of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) have been described in the literature. However, origin of the MMA from the basilar trunk is an extremely rare variant. We report on a 54-year-old female who presented with frequent headaches; magnetic resonance imaging showed a right parietal meningioma. The abnormal origin of the middle meningeal artery from the basilar artery was diagnosed by angiography performed for preoperative embolization of the tumor. We report on the case with a review of the embryologic basis, possible explanations for this aberrant origin, and its clinical implications

Frequency of a very rare 35delG mutation in two ethnic groups of Iranian populations

The 35delG mutation in the Connexin 26 gene (Cx26), at the DNFB1 locus is the most common mutation in the patients with autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL). We have studied a total of 224 deaf cases from 189 families in two populations of Iran (Sistan va Bluchestan and Hormozgan provinces) by prescreening nested PCR, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and consequent direct sequencing method for all cases. The aim of the present work was to find prevalence of GJB2 mutations in the populations studied. Four different GJB2 mutations including 35delG, W24X, R127H and (V27I + E114 G) were identified in 11 of 189 families (5.8). Two polymorphisms (V27I and V153I) also were detected in 14 families. A polymorphism S86T was determined in all cases. Homozygote 35delG mutation was found only in 1 of 189 families (0.5).The rate of Cx26 mutations found in this study was lower than other Iranian populations. So the cause of deafness in the populations studied remains to be detected in other loci or genes. © 2014, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved

Autosomal recessive and sporadic non syndromic hearing loss and the incidence of Cx26 mutations in a province of Iran

Despite the enormous heterogeneity of genetic hearing loss, mutations in the GJB2 (connexin 26) gene located on "DFNB1" locus (13q12) account for up to 50 of cases of autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) in some populations. This study describes the analysis of 100 autosomal recessive and sporadic nonsyndromic hearing loss individuals from 79 families each having at least one deaf child in Chehar Mahal va Bakhtiari province in west of Iran. We have investigated the prevalence of the connexin 26 gene mutations using nested PCR strategy to screen the predominant 35delG mutation and subsequent direct sequencing to detect other Cx26 mutations. Seven different genetic variants were detected from which one novel variant was including 363delC. The 35delG was the most common mutation found in 5 of 79 families (6.3). Cx26 related deafness mutations (35delG,V27I; E114G) and R127H) were found in 12 of 158 chromosomes studied (7.8%). We conclude that the association of Cx26 mutations with deafness in Chehar Mahal va Bakhtiari province is low and looks like most other populations of Iran