Generating Diffusion MRI scalar maps from T1 weighted images using generative adversarial networks

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (diffusion MRI) is a non-invasive microstructure assessment technique. Scalar measures, such as FA (fractional anisotropy) and MD (mean diffusivity), quantifying micro-structural tissue properties can be obtained using diffusion models and data processing pipelines. However, it is costly and time consuming to collect high quality diffusion data. Here, we therefore demonstrate how Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) can be used to generate synthetic diffusion scalar measures from structural T1-weighted images in a single optimized step. Specifically, we train the popular CycleGAN model to learn to map a T1 image to FA or MD, and vice versa. As an application, we show that synthetic FA images can be used as a target for non-linear registration, to correct for geometric distortions common in diffusion MRI

Effects of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) administration and flushing on reproductive performance in Nadooshan goats of Iran

An experiment was conducted on Nadooshan goats of Iran, during the breeding season, to evaluate the effectiveness of flushing and equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) treatment on reproductive traits.Ninety-two intact does with an average live weight of 25.11 ± 3.933 kg were randomly divided into four equal experimental groups. Controlled internal drug release device (CIDR) were inserted for 18 days inall groups. Experimental groups consist of: 1- Control (C); 2- eCG (600 IU; E); 3- eCG (600 IU) + Flushing (E+F); and 4- Flushing (F). Does in two last groups (E and E+F) were injected intramuscularly, at the timeof CIDR withdrawal, with 600 IU of eCG. The first group (C) received no treatment and served as a control. All animals were submitted to pasture and mineral licks and groups E+F and F additionally received flushing ration. Pregnancy rate in group F was more than the control group (p < 0.05). Twinning rates and kid crops in groups E+F and F were significantly higher than control group (p < 0.05). Time of onset of estrus decreased in groups with eCG administration (E and E+F). Therefore, it is concluded that the flushing especially coupled with the eCG treatment can improve reproductive performance in Nadooshan goats treated with CIDR during the breeding season

Antioxidant Activity of Leaves and Fruits of Iranian Conifers

Cupressus semipervirens var. horizontalis, Cupressus semipervirens var. semipervirens, Cupressus semipervirens cv. Cereifeormis, Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica, Juniperus excelsa subsp. excelsa, Juniperus excelsa subsp. polycarpos, Juniperus foetidissima, Juniperus oblonga, Juniperus sabina, Platycladus orientalis and Taxus baccata are Iranian conifers. The antioxidant activity of leaves and fruits of these 11 different taxons were evaluated. The leaves of both male and female, and fruits of these plants were collected from different areas of the country. Methanol extract of leaves and fruits of these taxons were prepared. Antioxidant activity of each extracts was measured using two different tests of the ferric thiocyanate method and thiobarbituric acid. Results indicated that the methanol extracts of leaves, of male and female, and fruits of all these species (27 samples) possessed antioxidant activity when tested with both methods. The antioxidant activity was then compared with those of α-tocopherol (a natural antioxidant) and butylated hydroxytoluene (a synthetic antioxidant). Methanol extract of fruits of C. semipervirens cv. Cereifeormis showed the highest antioxidant activity while the methanol extract of leaves of C. semipervirens var. semipervirens possessed the lowest antioxidant activity. However, our finding showed that most of the tested extracts were showing strong antioxidant activity even higher than α-tocopherol

Causes and risk factors of urinary incontinence: Avicenna's point of view vs. contemporary findings

Purpose: To extract the causes and risk factors of urinary incontinence from an old medical text by Avicenna entitled "Canon of Medicine" and comparing it with contemporary studies. Materials and Methods: In this study, etiology and risk factors of urinary incontinence were extracted from Avicenna's "Canon of Medicine". Commentaries written on this book and other old reliable medical texts about bladder and its diseases were also studied. Then the achieved information was compared with contemporary findings of published articles. Results: Urinary incontinence results from bladder dysfunction in reservoir phase. Bladder's involuntary muscles and voluntary external sphincter are two main components which are involved in this process. Urinary incontinence can exist without obvious structural and neuronal etiologies. According to Avicenna, distemperment of muscular tissue of bladder and external sphincter is the cause for urinary incontinence in such cases. Distemperment is the result of bothering qualities in tissue, i.e.: "wet" and "cold". They are the two bothering qualities which are caused by extracorporeal and intracorporeal factors. Interestingly, the positive associations of some of these factors with urinary incontinence have been shown in recent researches. Conclusion: "Cold" and "wet" distemperment of bladder and external sphincter can be independent etiologies of urinary incontinence which should be investigated

Efficacy and safety of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in advanced radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer and metastatic medullary thyroid cancer: a systematic review

Background: It has been shown that a subgroup of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) would progress to advanced stages of thyroid cancer. Therefore, the present study was done to systematically review available evidence in order to investigate efficacy and safety of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) in the patients with advanced radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC) and metastatic MTC. Methods: For this purpose, relevant studies investigated safety and efficacy of PRRT in the patients with advanced RR-DTC and metastatic MTC were identified by searching Medline (Pubmed, Ovid, and Ebsco), Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases (from database inception to March 24, 2021). The review was performed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. Searching was done independently by two investigators. Two researchers independently extracted the data and any disagreement was adjudicated by consensus. Quality of the studies was assessed using the tool of case reports/series in systematic reviews. Results: Among 2284 related papers, 41 papers met the inclusion criteria. A total of 157 patients with RR-DTC were treated with PPRT. Biochemical and objective responses (partial and complete) were observed in 25.3 and 10.5 of patients, respectively. Among 220 patients with metastatic MTC, biochemical and objective responses were observed in 37.2 and 10.6 of the patients, respectively. Forty-six deaths were reported in 95 patients with advanced RR-DTC. In addition, 63 deaths were observed in 144 patients with metastatic MTC. Major side effects were reported in 124 patients treated with 90Y -based agent. In the patients treated with 177Lu-DOTA-TATE and 111In-Octreotide, mild and transient hematologic or renal complications were reported. Conclusion: Findings of the study revealed that in the absence of the established treatment for the patients with RR-DTC and metastatic MTC, PRRT could be effective with few adverse events. Trial registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019125245. © 2021, The Author(s)

Increased prevalence of depression in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age, has a prevalence of 6 to 7 percent. Previous studies have shown that depressive mood disorders in this group is more than other women of similar ages. The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of depression in this group to women without the condition. Materials and Methods: In these cross-sectional analytic study, 71 patients with PCOS diagnosed by Rotterdam criteria, were selected after an initial survey conducted to determine demographic characteristic, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and reproductive status, following which the Beck 2 depression questionnaire was used to assess depression in both groups. The study of 134 of PCOS and controls. Results: The average Beck 2 score number in patients was 16.01(±10.8) and in the control group was 11.56 (±8.8), p-value=0.003, which was statistically significant. Frequency of moderate to severe depressed mood based on Beck 2 criteria in the patient group was 23 (32.4) and in the control group was 19 (14.2), difference statistically significant, p-value=0.002. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression in patients with PCOS is more than in normal women, and should be kept in mind in the follow up of these patients

Knowledge of physicians regarding the management of Type two Diabetes in a primary care setting: the impact of online continuous medical education

Background: To explore the impact of an online continuing medical education (CME) program on physicians� knowledge about the management of type two diabetes. Methods: An online CME program was designed and uploaded in the CME platform, Department of Education, Ministry of health, Iran. A 28-item questionnaire was used for the assessment. In the beginning, a case scenario was introduced. Then, participants were asked to follow and answer to a pretest assessment. Details of the educational content were provided afterward. Finally, the participants took part in the same post-test exam 4 weeks later. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test was used to compare the measurements. In addition, the Mann-Whitney test was applied to compare knowledge indices between the general practitioners (GPs) and internists. Results: Five hundred twenty-six primary care physicians participated in this study. There was a significant positive effect regarding diagnosis confirmation (10.3 difference, P = 0.0001). Moreover, a smaller effect was observed in relation to the importance of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at diagnosis (5.2 difference, P = 0.0006). The effect was positive in relation to the self-reported HbA1c testing frequency: more than 90 of the participants answered correctly in the post-test exam (7.6 difference, P = 0.0001). Considering improved knowledge in the treatment of diabetes, there was a very significant difference in response to questions targeting advice on a healthy diet, and physical activity; 27.7 (P = 0.000), and 18.7 (P = 0.000), respectively. In addition, the program had a positive impact on various aspects of treatment with oral glucose-lowering drugs (OGLDs). Moreover, the intervention difference was 25, and 34.4 for the questions targeting the appropriate type of insulin, and insulin initiation regimen after OGLD failure. Subgroup analyses revealed that the intervention increased the rate of correct responses among the GPs in various domains of knowledge in diagnosis and treatment. The initial differences between the GPs and internists no longer remained significant after the intervention. Conclusion: Knowledge of Iranian primary health care professionals in diabetes management has significant shortcomings. This is concerning because they are at the front line of patient care. We demonstrate the effectiveness of online CME on improving GPs knowledge in the management of type 2 diabetes. © 2020, The Author(s)

Typical chest CT features can determine the severity of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the observational studies

Background: It remains unclear whether a specific chest CT characteristic is associated with the clinical severity of COVID-19. This meta-analysis was performed to assess the relationship between different chest CT features and severity of clinical presentation in COVID-19. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, web of science databases (WOS), Cochrane library, and Google scholar were searched up to May 19, 2020 for observational studies that assessed the relationship of different chest CT manifestations and the severity of clinical presentation in COVID-19 infection. Risk of bias assessment was evaluated applying the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects model or fixed-effects model, as appropriately, were used to pool results. Heterogeneity was assessed using Forest plot, Cochran's Q test, and I2. Publication bias was assessed applying Egger's test. Results: A total of 18 studies involving 3323 patients were included. Bronchial wall thickening (OR 11.64, 95 CI 1.81�74.66) was more likely to be associated with severe cases of COVID-19 infection, followed by crazy paving (OR 7.60, 95 CI 3.82�15.14), linear opacity (OR 3.27, 95 CI 1.10�9.70), and GGO (OR 1.37, 95 CI 1.08�1.73). However, there was no significant association between the presence of consolidation and severity of clinical presentation (OR 2.33, 95 CI 0.85�6.36). Considering the lesion distribution bilateral lung involvement was more frequently associated with severe clinical presentation (OR 3.44, 95 CI 1.74�6.79). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis of observational studies indicates some specific chest CT features are associated with clinical severity of COVID-19. © 202

Loss of vision after transurethral resection of prostate: A case report

The overall complication rate of Transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) is about 11.1. Amongst all complications, ocular complications are one of the rarest. In this paper, we present a case of vision loss due to paradoxical embolism as a rare complication following TURP. Ocular complications are very rare in urological surgeries but can happen due to paradoxical embolism following patent foramen ovale. Therefore, we recommend the early diagnosis and treatment of PFO prior to this type of surgery. © 202

The Association between Presence of Comorbidities and COVID-19 Severity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aim: Several studies reported the accompaniment of severe COVID-19 with comorbidities. However, there is not a systematic evaluation of all aspects of this association. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to assess the association between all underlying comorbidities in COVID-19 infection severity. Methods: Electronic literature search was performed via scientific search engines. After the removal of duplicates and selection of articles of interest, 28 studies were included. A fixed-effects model was used; however, if heterogeneity was high (I2 &gt; 50) a random-effects model was applied to combine the data. Results: A total of 6,270 individuals were assessed (1,615 severe and 4,655 non-severe patients). The median age was 63 (95 confidence interval CI: 49-74) and 47 (95% CI: 19-63) years in the severe and non-severe groups, respectively. Moreover, about 41% of patients had comorbidities. Severity was higher in patients with a history of cerebrovascular disease: OR 4.85 (95% CI: 3.11-7.57). The odds of being in a severe group increase by 4.81 (95% CI: 3.43-6.74) for a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This was 4.19 (95% CI: 2.84-6.19) for chronic lung disease and 3.18, 95% CI: 2.09-4.82 for cancer. The odds ratios of diabetes and hypertension were 2.61 (95% CI: 2.02-3.3) and 2.37 (95% CI: 1.80-3.13), respectively. Conclusions: The presence of comorbidities is associated with severity of COVID-19 infection. The strongest association was observed for cerebrovascular disease, followed by CVD, chronic lung disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. © 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel. All rights reserved