Cephalometric parameters in Schizophrenic patients

اسکیزوفرنیا نوعی سایکوز و اختلال عمده و شدید روانی می باشد که به دلیل پیچیدگی و ابهامات زیادی که در شناخت و سیر بیماری وجود دارد راه های مختلفی برای تشخیص بیماری پیشنهاد شده است. یکی از این روش ها سفالومتری می باشد که ارزش آن هنوز بطور کامل مشخص نیست. به همین منظور یک مطالعه مورد شاهد با هدف بررسی به روش سفالومتری در بیماران مبتلا اسکیزوفرنیا صورت گرفت. در این مطالعه تعداد 195 نمونه با نمونه گیری غیر احتمالی آسان انتخاب شدند و با گروه شاهد (198 نفر) که از نظر قد، وزن، سن، جنس و موقعیت اجتماعی مشابه بودند از نظر دور سر، فرم سر، فرم صورت مورد مقایسه قرار گرفتند. گروه مورد از زنان و مردان مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنیا و گروه شاهد را از افراد غیر اسکیزوفرن و افرادی که از وابستگان درجه اول بیماران مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنیا نبودند تشکیل دادند. ابزار گردآوری اطلاعات متر، ترازو، کالیبر کشویی و متر مخصوص اندازه گیری دور سر بود. نتایج تحقیق نشان داد که فرم سر و اندازه دور سر بین گروه شاهد و مبتلا اختلاف معنی دار داشته بطوری که سرهای بسیار پهن در گروه مبتلا شایع تر و اندازه دور سر آنها کمتر از گروه شاهد بود. اختلاف معنی داری از نظر فرم صورت بین دو گروه دیده نشد. لذا می توان گفت تغییرات اندازه دور سر و فرم سر ممکن است نشانگر عامل ژنتیک در بروز این اختلاف باشد و شاید بتوان از این دو مورد به عنوان فاکتور تشخیصی بیولوژیک برای افتراق بیماران مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنیا از سایر افراد استفاده نمود

Comprehensive Analysis of Coronal Mass Ejection Mass and Energy Properties Over a Full Solar Cycle

The LASCO coronagraphs, in continuous operation since 1995, have observed the evolution of the solar corona and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) over a full solar cycle with high quality images and regular cadence. This is the first time that such a dataset becomes available and constitutes a unique resource for the study of CMEs. In this paper, we present a comprehensive investigation of the solar cycle dependence on the CME mass and energy over a full solar cycle (1996-2009) including the first in-depth discussion of the mass and energy analysis methods and their associated errors. Our analysis provides several results worthy of further studies. It demonstrates the possible existence of two event classes; 'normal' CMEs reaching constant mass for $>10$ R_{\sun} and 'pseudo' CMEs which disappear in the C3 FOV. It shows that the mass and energy properties of CME reach constant levels, and therefore should be measured, only above \sim 10 R_\sun. The mass density (g/R_\sun^2) of CMEs varies relatively little ($<$ order of magnitude) suggesting that the majority of the mass originates from a small range in coronal heights. We find a sudden reduction in the CME mass in mid-2003 which may be related to a change in the electron content of the large scale corona and we uncover the presence of a six-month periodicity in the ejected mass from 2003 onwards.Comment: 42 pages, 16 figures, To appear in Astrophysical Journa

The Immediate Effect of Lateral Wedge Insoles, With and Without a Subtalar Strap, on the Lateral Trunk Lean Motion in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: Orthotic interventions for knee osteoarthritis (OA) aim to reduce mechanical loading on the medial compartment of the knee and may lessen the lateral trunk lean as the most important compensatory gait strategy. The lateral wedge insole is a known orthotic intervention for knee OA. However, the question whether the addition of a subtalar strap to the wedge improves its effect has not been addressed in the literature. Objective: To compare the effects of lateral wedge insoles, with and without a subtalar strap, on the lateral trunk lean in patients with knee OA. Methods: Twenty-three patients aged over 40 years, with grade I or II OA of the medial compartment of one knee, based on the American College of Rheumatology criteria, were included in this study. The patients were diagnosed with OA based on a clinical examination, and the diagnosis was confirmed with radiographs. A 3-dimensional motion measurement system was used to collect the gait data for 3 different conditions: (1) with no insole, (2) with a lateral wedge insole, and (3) with a lateral wedge insole and a subtalar strap. The immediate effect of the 3 test conditions on the lateral trunk lean was compared during a gait cycle a stance phase and at the point of midstance. Results: Based on the laboratory coordinate system, the 3 conditions had no significant effect on the lateral trunk lean during a gait cycle and a stance phase and at the point of midstance in patients with knee OA. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that the lateral wedge insoles, with and without a subtalar strap, had no immediate effect on the lateral trunk lean in patients with knee OA. However, the long-term effect of lateral wedge insoles on the lateral trunk lean in these patients requires further investigation. © The Author(s) 2013

Purification of immature neuronal cells from neural stem cell progeny

Large-scale proliferation and multi-lineage differentiation capabilities make neural stem cells (NSCs) a promising renewable source of cells for therapeutic applications. However, the practical application for neuronal cell replacement is limited by heterogeneity of NSC progeny, relatively low yield of neurons, predominance of astrocytes, poor survival of donor cells following transplantation and the potential for uncontrolled proliferation of precursor cells. To address these impediments, we have developed a method for the generation of highly enriched immature neurons from murine NSC progeny. Adaptation of the standard differentiation procedure in concert with flow cytometry selection, using scattered light and positive fluorescent light selection based on cell surface antibody binding, provided a near pure (97%) immature neuron population. Using the purified neurons, we screened a panel of growth factors and found that bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) demonstrated a strong survival effect on the cells in vitro, and enhanced their functional maturity. This effect was maintained following transplantation into the adult mouse striatum where we observed a 2-fold increase in the survival of the implanted cells and a 3-fold increase in NeuN expression. Additionally, based on the neural-colony forming cell assay (N-CFCA), we noted a 64 fold reduction of the bona fide NSC frequency in neuronal cell population and that implanted donor cells showed no signs of excessive or uncontrolled proliferation. The ability to provide defined neural cell populations from renewable sources such as NSC may find application for cell replacement therapies in the central nervous system

A survival analysis of socio-demographic and clinical predictors among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Southern Iran

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the socio-demographic, clinical, and laboratory risk factors in hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the first 6 months of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Method: This retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study included all laboratory-confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus that were admitted to the Shohadaye-Khalije-Fars Hospital in Bushehr, Iran, from February 22, 2020 to September 21, 2020. The patients' records were reviewed during the hospitalization period. The global COVID-19 clinical platform, i.e., the World Health Organization Rapid Case Report Form was used as the data collection tool. We conducted the survival analysis using the Kaplan–Meier and the Stepwise Cox regression analyses. Results: The analysis included 2108 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with a mean age of 47.81 years (SD 17.78); 56.8% men, 43.2% women and 6.3% (n = 133) deaths. After adjustment, it was found that factors associated with an increased risk of death consisted of chronic kidney disease, intensive care unit admission, cancer, and hemoptysis. The 7-day survival rate was 95.8%, which decreased to 95.1%, 94.0%, and 93.8% on days 14, 21, and 28 of hospitalization, respectively. Discussion and conclusion: Older COVID-19 patients with manifestation of hemoptysis and a past medical history of chronic kidney disease and cancer, should be closely monitored to prevent disease deterioration and death, and also should be admitted to the intensive care unit

ATM Dependent DUSP6 Modulation of p53 Involved in Synergistic Targeting of MAPK and p53 Pathways with Trametinib and MDM2 Inhibitors in Cutaneous Melanoma

MAPK and p14ARF⁻MDM2⁻p53 pathways are critical in cutaneous melanomas. Here, synergistic combination of the MEK inhibitor, trametinib, with MDM2 inhibitors, nutlin-3/RG7388/HDM201, and the mechanistic basis of responses, for BRAFV600E and p53WT melanoma cells, are reported. The combination treatments induced higher levels of p53 target gene transcripts and protein products, resulting in increased cell cycle arrest and apoptosis compared with MDM2 inhibitors alone, suggesting trametinib synergized with MDM2 inhibitors via upregulation of p53-dependent pathways. In addition, DUSP6 phosphatase involvement was indicated by downregulation of its mRNA and protein following pERK reduction by trametinib. Furthermore, suppression of DUSP6 by siRNA, or inhibition with the small molecule inhibitor, BCI, at a dose without cytotoxicity, potentiated the effect of MDM2 inhibitors through increased ATM-dependent p53 phosphorylation, as demonstrated by complete reversal with the ATM inhibitor, KU55933. Trametinib synergizes with MDM2 inhibitors through a novel DUSP6 mechanism in BRAFV600E and p53WT melanoma cells, in which DUSP6 regulation of p53 phosphorylation is mediated by ATM. This provides a new therapeutic rationale for combination treatments involving activation of the ATM/p53 pathway and MAPK pathway inhibition

Clinical and biological characterization of skeletal muscle tissue biopsies of surgical cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Researchers increasingly use intraoperative muscle biopsy to investigate mechanisms of skeletal muscle atrophy in patients with cancer. Muscles have been assessed for morphological, cellular, and biochemical features. The aim of this study was to conduct a state‐of‐the‐science review of this literature and, secondly, to evaluate clinical and biological variation in biopsies of rectus abdominis (RA) muscle from a cohort of patients with malignancies. METHODS: Literature was searched for reports on muscle biopsies from patients with a cancer diagnosis. Quality of reports and risk of bias were assessed. Data abstracted included patient characteristics and diagnoses, sample size, tissue collection and biobanking procedures, and results. A cohort of cancer patients (n = 190, 88% gastrointestinal malignancies), who underwent open abdominal surgery as part of their clinical care, consented to RA biopsy from the site of incision. Computed tomography (CT) scans were used to quantify total abdominal muscle and RA cross‐sectional areas and radiodensity. Biopsies were assessed for muscle fibre area (μm(2)), fibre types, myosin heavy chain isoforms, and expression of genes selected for their involvement in catabolic pathways of muscle. RESULTS: Muscle biopsy occurred in 59 studies (total N = 1585 participants). RA was biopsied intraoperatively in 40 studies (67%), followed by quadriceps (26%; percutaneous biopsy) and other muscles (7%). Cancer site and stage, % of male participants, and age were highly variable between studies. Details regarding patient medical history and biopsy procedures were frequently absent. Lack of description of the population(s) sampled and low sample size contributed to low quality and risk of bias. Weight‐losing cases were compared with weight stable cancer or healthy controls without considering a measure of muscle mass in 21 out of 44 studies. In the cohort of patients providing biopsy for this study, 78% of patients had preoperative CT scans and a high proportion (64%) met published criteria for sarcopenia. Fibre type distribution in RA was type I (46% ± 13), hybrid type I/IIA (1% ± 1), type IIA (36% ± 10), hybrid type IIA/D (15% ± 14), and type IID (2% ± 5). Sexual dimorphism was prominent in RA CT cross‐sectional area, mean fibre cross‐sectional area, and in expression of genes associated with muscle growth, apoptosis, and inflammation (P < 0.05). Medical history revealed multiple co‐morbid conditions and medications. CONCLUSIONS: Continued collaboration between researchers and cancer surgeons enables a more complete understanding of mechanisms of cancer‐associated muscle atrophy. Standardization of biobanking practices, tissue manipulation, patient characterization, and classification will enhance the consistency, reliability, and comparability of future studies