The efficacy of 100 and 300 mg gabapentin in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a neuropathy due to the compression of the median nerve. It is shown that gabapentin in high doses is effective in treatment of CTS patients. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of low doses of gabapentin in treatment of CTS patients. Ninety patients with CTS were randomly assigned to groups A, B and C. Gabapentin was administered to group A with dose of 100 mg/day and to group B with dose of 300 mg/day for 2 months. Group C received no treatment. Before and after treatment, patients were evaluated using Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and parasthesia, Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire (BCTQ) including Symptom Severity Scale (SSS) and Functional Status Scale (FSS) to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. The pinch and grip strength was also measured. There was significant improvement in VAS, grip strength, pinch strength, SSS, FSS and BCTQ score in all three groups (p < 0.05), but the changes in CMAP and SNAP was not significant. Groups A and B in comparison to group C had significantly better improvement in VAS, pinch strength, SSS, FSS and BCTQ total score (p < 0.05). There was significantly more improvement in pinch strength and SSS score in group B compared to group A (p < 0.05). Gabapentin in low doses is a useful drug in treatment of CTS symptoms with no side effects and intolerance. Gabapentin with dose of 300 mg/day is more effective than the dose of 100 mg/day. © 2015 by School of Pharmacy Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

Counting of RBCs and WBCs in noisy normal blood smear microscopic images

This work focuses on the segmentation and counting of peripheral blood smear particles which plays a vital role in medical diagnosis. Our approach profits from some powerful processing techniques. Firstly, the method used for denoising a blood smear image is based on the Bivariate wavelet. Secondly, image edge preservation uses the Kuwahara filter. Thirdly, a new binarization technique is introduced by merging the Otsu and Niblack methods. We have also proposed an efficient step-by-step procedure to determine solid binary objects by merging modified binary, edged images and modified Chan-Vese active contours. The separation of White Blood Cells (WBCs) from Red Blood Cells (RBCs) into two sub-images based on the RBC (blood’s dominant particle) size estimation is a critical step. Using Granulometry, we get an approximation of the RBC size. The proposed separation algorithm is an iterative mechanism which is based on morphological theory, saturation amount and RBC size. A primary aim of this work is to introduce an accurate mechanism for counting blood smear particles. This is accomplished by using the Immersion Watershed algorithm which counts red and white blood cells separately. To evaluate the capability of the proposed framework,experiments were conducted on normal blood smear images. This framework was compared to other published approaches and found to have lower complexity and better performance in its constituent steps; hence, it has a better overall performance

Designing Tuneable Narrowband Bandpass Filter Utilizing Neural Network

Abstract: In this study we aim at adjusting the singleband and dualband bandpass filter designed in a ED02AH technology. The quality factor and center frequency of the filter will change by varactor diodes. Here, we use a neural network to acquire the proper biasing voltages of varactor diodes in order to obtain specific gain and quality factor

Determining and Comparing Signs of Specific Reading Disability in Monolingual and ‎Bilingual Students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the signs of reading learning disorder in bilingual and monolingual students. Methods: The research method was cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical). The study population included all bilingual and monolingual students in the third-grade elementary school students attending learning disorder centers in Tabriz and Tehran during the academic year 2019- 2020. Convenience sampling was used for selection of 50 individuals for each group. Data were collected through WISC-IV and reading test, then analyzed using multivariate of variance. Results: The results showed that the average scores of bilingual students in the sub-test of words reading (p<0.001), reading non-words, pseudo-words (p<0.001), calling pictures (p<0.001), categories fluency (p<0.001), and letters fluency (p=0.001) were significantly lower than the average scores of monolingual students. Additionally the results showed that the average scores of bilingual students in the sub-test of word chains (p<0.001) and elimination of sounds (p<0.001) were significantly higher than the average scores of monolingual students. Conclusion: In accordance to research findings, bilingual students had more problems in words reading, reading non-words, pseudo-words, calling pictures, categories fluency, and letters fluency compared to monolingual students

Conformal multilayer coatings on fine silica microspheres by atmospheric pressure fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition

Surface properties of fine particles can be tuned through deposition of films or coatings. This approach is an area of science and technology of interest in numerous fields such as catalysis, energy production, microelectronics, optoelectronics, etc. Surface coating of powders can be applied by a dry technique (i.e., the use of a reactive gas phase), so-called chemical vapor deposition (CVD). However, conventional CVD processes cannot provide an efficient conformal deposition while fine particles are considered as substrates. This is due to the fact that mixing of particles, in such a way that their entire surface is exposed to the reactive gas phase, is rather complicated and not often addressed. Therefore, fluidization, as a recognized particle treatment process which meets the requirement of gas–solid contact, can be associated with the gas–solid reactions that are often used in the context of various CVD processes. The combination of such mature techniques, namely fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition (FBCVD) leads to innovative, flexible and cost-effective particle treatment processes [1]. In the present investigation, soda lime spherical particles with a particle size of ca. 27 µm were used as the substrate. Single- and multi-layer depositions composed of TiO2 and SiO2 films were applied to the surface of the particles by the FBCVD at atmospheric pressure, while employing, respectively, titanium and silicon tetrachloride as precursors, and using water as an oxidation agent. TiO2 and SiO2 films were deposited at 300oC and ambient temperatures, respectively. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

A novel mutation in SEPN1 causing rigid spine muscular dystrophy 1: A Case report

Abstract Background Muscular dystrophies are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by variable degrees of progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. There is a wide variability in the age of onset, symptoms and rate of progression in subtypes of these disorders. Herein, we present the results of our study conducted to identify the pathogenic genetic variation involved in our patient affected by rigid spine muscular dystrophy. Case presentation A 14-year-old boy, product of a first-cousin marriage, was enrolled in our study with failure to thrive, fatigue, muscular dystrophy, generalized muscular atrophy, kyphoscoliosis, and flexion contracture of the knees and elbows. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was carried out on the DNA of the patient to investigate all coding regions and uncovered a novel, homozygous missense mutation in SEPN1 gene (c. 1379 C > T, p.Ser460Phe). This mutation has not been reported before in different public variant databases and also our database (BayanGene), so it is classified as a variation of unknown significance (VUS). Subsequently, it was confirmed that the novel variation was homozygous in our patient and heterozygous in his parents. Different bioinformatics tools showed the damaging effects of the variant on protein. Multiple sequence alignment using BLASTP on ExPASy and WebLogo, revealed the conservation of the mutated residue. Conclusion We reported a novel homozygous mutation in SEPN1 gene that expands our understanding of rigid spine muscular dystrophy. Although bioinformatics analyses of results were in favor of the pathogenicity of the mutation, functional studies are needed to establish the pathogenicity of the variant