Improvement of Fuzzy Image Contrast Enhancement Using Simulated Ergodic Fuzzy Markov Chains

This paper presents a novel fuzzy enhancement technique using simulated ergodic fuzzy Markov chains for low contrast brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The fuzzy image contrast enhancement is proposed by weighted fuzzy expected value. The membership values are then modified to enhance the image using ergodic fuzzy Markov chains. The qualitative performance of the proposed method is compared to another method in which ergodic fuzzy Markov chains are not considered. The proposed method produces better quality image

Silent β-thalassemia: Transition Mutation of the β-globin Gene (Promoter nt-101 C>T)

Introduction: Heterozygote β-thalassemia is called carrier or β-thalassemia trait (BTT).Carriers have no clinical symptoms but sometimes have a mild anemia. They can often beidentified with MCV<80 fl, MCH<27 pg and HbA2> 3.5 %. However, these tests are notenough to diagnose some unexpected beta-globin mutations in premarital or prenatal screening.Case Presentation: The mentioned case was one of the most common silent β-thalassemiamutations (promoter nt-101C>T).Conclusion: It was the first report from Fars (Iran) and the second one from Iran. The casehad normal hematologic indices and borderline hemoglobin A2 values that may be mistakenlyinterpreted as normal. The presented case showed that electrophoresis and PCR sequencingmethods should be applied for screening thalassemia

Fatal Abdominal Stabbing: A Confusing Picture in Differentiating Homicide and Suicide

Background: Differentiating between homicide and suicide can be difficult and even impossible. In this report, we presented a fatal stabbing injury, which made a challenge in the verification of the manner of death.Case Report: A 45-year-old man was found dead in his workplace with a knife beside him. His mouth was closed with a scarf, his clothes were intact, and no evidence of a struggle was observed in the scene investigation. There was a vertical stab wound on the midline of the victim’s belly and his intestines were tangled out of the wound. In the autopsy, no defense wound was found. There was blood in the abdominal cavity and retroperitoneal region and several perforations were observed in the intestine and liver along the superficial wound. Painful death and torturous extraction of visceral organs resembled homicide, but nothing indicative of hostility and homicide was found by the forensic exploration and police investigation. Finally, the manner of death was assigned as suicide and the cause of death was a hemorrhagic shock as a result of sharp force injuries.Conclusion: This case represents a bizarre suicide, which is rare and highly suspicious of homicide. In such mysterious cases, the evidence of autopsy and crime scene and police investigation should be regarded to make a decision

Numerical Characterization of the hydrodynamics and thermal behavior of air flow in a Flex-Duct air distribution system

The aim of this research paper is to compute the hydrodynamic and heat transfer characteristics of the air flow inside a flexible duct used for residential/small commercial buildings. Various new information which manufacturers do not provide usually are produced numerically among which heat transfer coefficient, needed for estimating heat loss, is a principal one. Circulation zones in depressions are found to exist. It is shown that these regions act as an insulator and decrease the heat loss along the duct. The results show that fully developed conditions exist much earlier with regard to the inlet for both hydrodynamic and thermal situations

Hyperextension of the Big Toe at Metatarsophalengial Joint (MTPJ): A Sign of the Undercorrection of Cavus in Idiopathic Clubfoot in Ponseti Method

ObjectiveHyperextension of the big toe is described here as a simple and reliable sign to predict undercorrection of cavus deformity of clubfoot in the Ponseti Method.Materials & MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted on children with clubfoot who were treated successfully by Ponseti Method in the King Fahad Hospital, Saudi Arabia, and Emam Reza Hospital, Mashad, Iran, from 2003 through 2008. The total number of the patients in our study was 191, with 306 affected feet. Of them, 115 children had bilateral clubfeet (230 feet) and 76 had unilateral clubfoot.There were 119 males and 72 females. Hyperextension of the big toe at MTPJ was present in five cases of clubfoot. The average follow-up period was 20 months (range: 8-38 months).ResultsThe authors observed that hyperextension of big toe at MTPJ had a linear relationship with the severity of cavus deformity of clubfoot. On the other hand, the big toe had a normal relationship with other toes after satisfactory treatment of the initial or relapsed cavus deformity by Ponseti Method.ConclusionHyperextension of the big toe at MTPJ can be regarded as a reliable prognostic sign for detecting the severity, correction, and the number of castings needed for cavus deformity correction in clubfoot treatment in the Ponseti Method.

Virginity and Virginity Testing: Then and Now

Background: Despite the increasing progresses in medicine and health in the 21st century especially in the area of reproductive health, myths related to “virginity” and “virginity testing” still figure out life and death in some communities after centuries. Overall, aim of this study was to investigate the myths and objective facts associated with virginity and virginity testing.Methods: This review conducted by SID, Ovid, Science Direct, Pub Med, Pro Quest, Iran Medex, Google Scholar, Cochrane library, EBSCO, and United Nations Population Fund, WHO from 1980 to 2015. Keywords for search included virginity, virginity testing, hymen, sexual abstinence.Results: The undeniable value of virginity, female virginity worth versus the shame of virginity for male, the idea to preserve virginity despite oral and anal sex and indicators to assess the intact hymen and wedding night bleeding to prove virginity are misconceptions that besides perceived premarital sex as signs of civilization and conflicts of gender inequality and violence against women lead to fail most of approaches against increasing of premarital sex.Conclusion: Although programs such as "virginity pledge", "Silver Ring" and "Sexual abstinence education" are running in some countries, in order to expand virginity as a practical approach in controlling sexual transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy, the role of undeniable myths in advance to such approaches, the use of cultural, social and religious potentials of different societies to cope with the misconceptions and teaching of related objective facts seems necessary

Overexpression of microRNA-630 in Acute Leukemic T-cell line

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that control the expression of their target mRNAs. It affects cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Dysregulation of miRNAs expression leads to the development of various cancers. Therefore, for the first time in this field, this study investigated the effect of overexpression of microRNA-630 on the Jurkat cells. Materials and methods:: In this experimental study, the Jurkat cells were divided into the four groups, i.e. non-transfected control group (A), scramble (B), transfected with 50 nM concentrations of miR-630 (C), and treated with 100 nM miR-630 (D). MiR-630 transfection was performed by lipofectamine 2000. Cancer cell growth in each group was analyzed with MTT assay. Flow cytometry investigated percent of viable, necrotic, and apoptotic cells. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) measured the expression of P53, P21, and BCL2 genes. SPSS (version 21) especially Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were utilized for data analysis. Results: The results of MTT assay showed that the cell growth rates in C (118%) and D (136%) groups were significantly higher than that in the control group (P= 0.037 vs. 0.034). The percentage of early and late apoptosis in C (3.1% P=0.01, 4.2% P=0.02) and D (0.5% P=0.008, 0.4% P=0.006) groups were significantly lower than those in the control group. The expression of p53 and p21 in C (0.7 P=0.037, 0.62 P=0.034) and D (0.44 P=0.034, 0.53 P=0.038) Groups were significantly decreased compared with the control group. The expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl2) in C (1.85) and D (3.26) groups were significantly increased compared with the control group (P= 0.037 vs. 0.024). Conclusion: Overexpression of miR-630 led induction of T-ALL cell growth and reduction of their apoptosis. These results emphasized that miR-630 contributed as an oncogenic microRNA in T-ALL cells

Overexpression of MiR-506 in jurkat (Acute T cell leukemia) cell line

Background & Objective: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant disease that arises from various mutations in B or T-lymphoid progenitors. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by binding to the 3' untranslated region of proteincoding genes. Dysregulation of miRNA expression may result in the development of cancerous phenotypes. Therefore, for the first time in this field, the present study aims to investigate the effect of overexpression of miR-506 in Jurkat (acute T cell leukemia) cell line. Methods: In this study, Jurkat cell lines were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium. Next, miR-506 was transfected with concentrations of 50 and 100 nM with Lipofectamine 2000. The accuracy of the transfection was confirmed by the transfection of siRNA conjugated with FITC. 48 h after transfection, the cells were prepared for other tests (flow cytometry, MTT assay, and RNA extraction). The expression level of miR-506 in the cells was analyzed using the quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Finally, SPSS 21 software was used for the data analysis. Results: According to our results, the viability of cells in concentrations of 50 and 100 nM was significantly higher than the control group. By overexpression of miR-506, the expressions of pro-apoptotic genes (p53, p21) and anti-apoptotic gene B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) are decreased and increased, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that miR-506 may function as an oncogenic miRNA in the T-ALL cell line. In conclusion, overexpression of miR-506 leads to an increase in viable cancer cells

Denosumab in patients with giant cell tumor and its recurrence: A systematic review

Recent studies suggest that Denosumab reduces tumor size, therefore, makes the surgery easier with lower morbidity. However, some studies have reported several complications for this drug. So, this systematic review was performed to determine the effectiveness and safety of Denosumab in reducing bone destructions activity of giant cell tumor and skeletal-related events (SRE) in affected patients with giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) and its recurrence. We explored studies in PubMed, and Cochrane Library. For this purpose, articles of various levels were retrieved until October 22, 2016. Two reviewers assessed the articles independently based on predefined criteria to extract the relevant data. Primary outcomes associated with skeletal-related event, overall survival, and secondary outcomes such as pain, quality of life and adverse events were evaluated and analyzed. The total population of this meta-analysis consisted of 686 patients. Of this population, 55 had primary GCTB and 45 had giant cell tumor recurrence, with 2 experiencing secondary recurrence. The results showed the effectiveness of Denosumab in reducing the tumor size due to inhibiting the Osteoclastogenesis. Denosumab didnot show any effect on reducing tumor recurrence, but, in cases where complete tumor surgery is not possible and tumor residuals may remain, Denosumab can be helpful. Also, the clinicians should consider the risk benefit of Denosumab. © 2018 By The Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery