Study Clinical Symptoms and Para-Clinical Findings in Poisoning Patient with Aluminum Phosphide in Patients Referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil (Northwest of Iran)

Background: Aluminum phosphide is used in different area in Iran. According to that the herbal form of these pills are used increasingly, comparison and evaluation of these patients in terms of clinical and laboratory symptoms are important. We studied on clinical and Para-clinical findings in patients who had taken aluminum phosphide and its herbal form in this study.Methods: This is a descriptive and analytic study which carried out during 2006-2012. In this study, laboratory variables, white blood cell count, hematocrit, blood glucose, sodium, potassium and bicarbonate, arterial blood gas also clinical finding after taking aluminum phosphide pills, and vital signs of poisoned patients were extracted.Results: In this study 386 poisoned patients were evaluated. We divided poisoned patients in two groups, case and herbal. 35% had been taking original Aluminum phosphide (case group) and 65% herbal form (herbal group). In totally 18.7% of poisoned patients were male. The average age of patients in herbal group was 23.22 ±8.20 years and in case group was 24.78±7.04 years. In both groups, nausea and vomiting were the most prevalent clinical signs. Experiments in a separate group showed significant different in blood pressure upper (P<0.001), Po2 level lower (P<0.001), pH lower (P<0.001) and bicarbonate lower (P<0.001) but there was no significant difference in respiratory rate, temperature, hemoglobin level and hematocrit. Also was observed that 70.4% of patients in case group died but all patients in herbal group survived (P<0.001).Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that arterial blood gas of patients is a useful tool for differentiating oral poisoning with original and herbal rice pill. Hence, in patients with clinical toxicity of rice tablet can be used to differentiate these two tablets

Sustainable wastewater management in Indonesia's fish processing industry: Bringing governance into scenario analysis

The government of Indonesia has pledged to meet ambitious greenhouse gas mitigation goals in its Nationally Determined Contribution as well as reduce water pollution through its water management policies. A set of technologies could conceivably help achieving these goals simultaneously. However, the installation and widespread application of these technologies will require knowledge on how governance affects the implementation of existing policies as well as cooperation across sectors, administrative levels, and stakeholders. This paper integrates key governance variables--involving enforcement capacity, institutional coordination and multi-actor networks--into an analysis of the potential impacts on greenhouse gases and chemical oxygen demand in seven wastewater treatment scenarios for the fish processing industry in Indonesia. The analysis demonstrates that there is an increase of 24% in both CH4 and CO2 emissions between 2015 and 2030 in the business-as-usual scenario due to growth in production volumes. Interestingly, in scenarios focusing only on strengthening capacities to enforce national water policies, expected total greenhouse gas emissions are about five times higher than in the business-as-usual in 2030; this is due to growth in CH4 emissions during the handling and landfilling of sludge, as well as in CO2 generated from the electricity required for wastewater treatment. In the scenarios where there is significant cooperation across sectors, administrative levels, and stakeholders to integrate climate and water goals, both estimated chemical oxygen demand and CH4 emissions are considerably lower than in the business-as-usual and the national water policy scenarios

Stability investigation of polyPOSS-imide membranes for H2 purification and their application in the steel industry

In the present work, the high-temperature and long-term hydrothermal stability of novel polyPOSS-imide membranes for high-temperature hydrogen separation is investigated. The polyPOSS-imide membranes are found to exhibit an appropriate stability up to 300 C. Above this temperature the membrane selectivity rapidly decreases, which is seemingly related to changes in the molecular structure coupled to silanol condensation forming siloxane groups. Surprisingly, the exposure of the membrane to temperatures of up to 300 C even increases the H2 permeance together with the selective feature of the polyPOSS-imide layer. Subsequently, the long-term hydrothermal stability of the polyPOSS-imide membranes was investigated over a period of close to 1000 h at 250 C exposing the membrane to 10 mol% steam in the feed. An increase in H2/CH4 selectivity was observed upon water addition, and even though a minor drop was noticed over time during the hydrothermal operation, the selectivity exceeds the initial selectivity obtained in the dry feed atmosphere. After the removal of steam from the feed, the performance returns to its original state prior to the exposure to any steam showing appropriate steam stability of the polyPOSS-imide membranes. A conceptual process design and assessment was performed for application of these membranes involving a combination of carbon reuse and electrification of the steel making process with co-production of hydrogen. The results indicate a CO2 avoidance of 14%. The CO2 reduction achieved using renewable electricity in the proposed scheme is a factor 2.76 higher compared to a situation where the same renewable electricity would be fed in the electricity grid.publishedVersio

Correction: Impact of cardiovascular magnetic resonance on management and clinical decision-making in heart failure patients

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) can provide important diagnostic and prognostic information in patients with heart failure. However, in the current health care environment, use of a new imaging modality like CMR requires evidence for direct additive impact on clinical management. We sought to evaluate the impact of CMR on clinical management and diagnosis in patients with heart failure. Methods: We prospectively studied 150 consecutive patients with heart failure and an ejection fraction ≤50% referred for CMR. Definitions for “significant clinical impact” of CMR were pre-defined and collected directly from medical records and/or from patients. Categories of significant clinical impact included: new diagnosis, medication change, hospital admission/discharge, as well as performance or avoidance of invasive procedures (angiography, revascularization, device therapy or biopsy). Results: Overall, CMR had a significant clinical impact in 65% of patients. This included an entirely new diagnosis in 30% of cases and a change in management in 52%. CMR results directly led to angiography in 9% and to the performance of percutaneous coronary intervention in 7%. In a multivariable model that included clinical and imaging parameters, presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was the only independent predictor of “significant clinical impact” (OR 6.72, 95% CI 2.56-17.60, p=0.0001). Conclusions: CMR made a significant additive clinical impact on management, decision-making and diagnosis in 65% of heart failure patients. This additive impact was seen despite universal use of prior echocardiography in this patient group. The presence of LGE was the best independent predictor of significant clinical impact following CMR

The Multifunctional Protein BAG3: A Novel Therapeutic Target in Cardiovascular Disease

The B-cell lymphoma 2–associated anthanogene (BAG3) protein is expressed most prominently in the heart, the skeletal muscle, and in many forms of cancer. In the heart, it serves as a co-chaperone with heat shock proteins in facilitating autophagy; binds to B-cell lymphoma 2, resulting in inhibition of apoptosis; attaches actin to the Z disk, providing structural support for the sarcomere; and links the α-adrenergic receptor with the L-type Ca2+ channel. When BAG3 is overexpressed in cancer cells, it facilitates prosurvival pathways that lead to insensitivity to chemotherapy, metastasis, cell migration, and invasiveness. In contrast, in the heart, mutations in BAG3 have been associated with a variety of phenotypes, including both hypertrophic/restrictive and dilated cardiomyopathy. In murine skeletal muscle and vasculature, a mutation in BAG3 leads to critical limb ischemia after femoral artery ligation. An understanding of the biology of BAG3 is relevant because it may provide a therapeutic target in patients with both cardiac and skeletal muscle disease

Prevalence of Psychiatric Symptoms and Mental Health Services in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Tehran, Iran

Children with specific learning disabilities are at a greater risk of mental health problems than their non-disabled peers. Further interventions and research will be required. This is a cross-sectional study. A sample of 107 students (7 to 11 years old) with specific learning disabilities were randomly selected from educational and rehabilitation settings in Tehran. The Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) (parent checklist) was administered. Among children studied, 86 subjects (82.8 %) in some of the categories of psychiatric symptoms gained scores above the cut-off point. The most prevalent psychiatric symptoms were related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. There were not any statistically significant differences between the genders. In addition to direct education, 15 subjects (14 %) were receiving medication, 2 subjects (1.9 %) were receiving only occupational therapy, 2 subjects (1.9 %) were receiving only speech therapy, and 5 subjects (4.7 %) were receiving both occupational and speech therapy. The emphasis on considering co-morbid symptoms and usage of mental health services are important issues for students with specific learning difficulties

Expanding the horizon of research into the pathogenesis of the white matter diseases: Proceedings of the 2021 Annual Workshop of the Albert Research Institute for White Matter and Cognition

White matter pathologies are critically involved in the etiology of vascular cognitive impairment–dementia (VCID), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases (ADRD), and therefore need to be considered a treatable target (Roseborough A, Hachinski V, Whitehead S. White matter degeneration - a treatable target? Roseborough et al. JAMA Neurol [Internet]. 2020 Apr 27;77(7):793–4, [1]. To help address this often-missed area of research, several workshops have been sponsored by the Leo and Anne Albert Charitable Trust since 2015, resulting in the incorporation of “The Albert Research Institute for White Matter and Cognition” in 2020. The first annual “Institute” meeting was held virtually on March 3–4, 2021. The Institute provides a forum and workspace for communication and support of the advancement of white matter science and research to better understand the evolution and prevention of dementia. It serves as a platform for young investigator development, to introduce new data and debate biology mechanisms and new ideas, and to encourage and support new research collaborations and directions to clarify how white matter changes, with other genetic and health risk factors, contribute to cognitive impairment. Similar to previous Albert Trust–sponsored workshops (Barone et al. in J Transl Med 14:1–14, [2]; Sorond et al. in GeroScience 42:81–96, [3]), established expert investigators were identified and invited to present. Opportunities to attend and present were also extended by invitation to talented research fellows and younger scientists. Also, updates on institute-funded research collaborations were provided and discussed. The summary that follows is a synopsis of topics and discussion covered in the workshop

Physical Fitness and Telomere Length in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: Findings from the Heart and Soul Study

Background: Short telomere length (TL) is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the relationship between physical fitness and TL has not been explored in these patients. Methods: In a cross sectional study of 944 outpatients with stable CHD, we performed exercise treadmill testing, assessed self-reported physical activity, and measured leukocyte TL using a quantitative PCR assay. We used generalized linear models to calculate mean TL (T/S ratio), and logistic regression models to compare the proportion of patients with short TL (defined as the lowest quartile), among participants with low, medium and high physical fitness, based on metabolic equivalent tasks achieved (METs). Results: 229 participants had low physical fitness (,5 METS), 334 had moderate physical fitness (5–7 METS), and 381 had high physical fitness (.7 METS). Mean6 T/S ratio ranged from 0.8660.21 (534963781 base pairs) in those with low physical fitness to 0.9560.23 (556663829 base pairs) in those with high physical fitness (p,.001). This association remained strong after adjustment for numerous patient characteristics, including measures of cardiac disease severity and physical inactivity (p = 0.005). Compared with participants with high physical fitness, those with low physical fitness had 2-fold greater odds o

Modelling Temperature Variation of Mushroom Growing Hall Using Artificial Neural Networks

The recent developments of computer and electronic systems have made the use of intelligent systems for the automation of agricultural industries. In this study, the temperature variation of the mushroom growing room was modeled by multi-layered perceptron and radial basis function networks based on independent parameters including ambient temperature, water temperature, fresh air and circulation air dampers, and water tap. According to the obtained results from the networks, the best network for MLP was in the second repetition with 12 neurons in the hidden layer and in 20 neurons in the hidden layer for radial basis function network. The obtained results from comparative parameters for two networks showed the highest correlation coefficient (0.966), the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) (0.787) and the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) (0.02746) for radial basis function. Therefore, the neural network with radial basis function was selected as a predictor of the behavior of the system for the temperature of mushroom growing halls controlling system