The Frequency of Opium Addiction and Cofactors in Diabetic Patients Referred to Karaj Dr. Shariati Hospital in 1389-90

Background: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common and complicate endocrine disease in Iran. Also, opium addiction is one of the most prevalent social problems in Iran. The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of opium addiction and diabetic vascular complications in diabetic patients. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted in two years (1389- 90) in Karaj Dr. Shariati hospital. Sampling method was non-probability convenience sampling. Sample size was 384 patients. Data collection forms filled with patient’s files evidences. Statistical analysis of data was performed with SPSS. Results: 384 diabetic patients with age ranging from 13 to 91 years old (mean age 59.1 years) were evaluated. 40 patients (10.4%) were opium addict and 75 patients (19.5%) were smoker. After elimination of smoking effect, frequency of retinopathy, neuropathy and diabetic foot ulcer were significantly more in opium addicts than other diabetic patients. Conclusion: Opium abuse in diabetic patients can accelerates and progresses some of diabetic vascular complications

Neurological Involvements in COVID-19: A hospital-based study

ObjectivesThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is the most challenging crisis in the contemporary world. Besides severe pulmonary involvement, the disease also has several extrapulmonary manifestations, and new signs and symptoms are associated with it every dayThe present study aimed to inquire about the frequency of neurological manifestations and risk factors of COVID-19. Materials & MethodsThis retrospective, descriptive study included patients with neurological involvement admitted to the Alborz University of Medical Sciences academic hospitals from March 2020 to July 2020 with confirmed COVID-19 infection. The data included in the analysis were the patient’s demographic information, underlying diseases, neurological manifestations, and laboratory findings.   ResultsThe study included ninety-five patients with a mean age of fiftynine. Neurological symptoms and signs were observed in 91.6% and 10.5% of the patients, respectively. The most frequently associated neurological symptoms of COVID-19 were fatigue (49.5%), headache (47.4%), and dizziness (45.3%). Furthermore, the most common neurological involvements included gait disorders (6.3%), cerebellar dysfunction (4.2%), and cerebrovascular accidents (3.15%). Positive troponin was shown to be the strongest predictor of neurological signs (OR=21, P=0.017), followed by WBC≥15,000 (OR = 20.75, P=0.018) and a history of respiratory disease (OR=7.42, P=0.007)

Molecular characterization of a 13-amino acid deletion in VP1 (1D) protein and novel amino acid substitutions in 3D polymerase protein of foot and mouth disease virus subtype A/Iran87

The nucleotide sequence of the VP1 (1D) and partial 3D polymerase (3Dpol) coding regions of the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) vaccine strain A/Iran87, a highly passaged isolate (~150 passages), was determined and aligned with previously published FMDV serotype A sequences. Overall analysis of the amino acid substitutions revealed that the partial 3Dpol coding region contained four amino acid alterations. Amino acid sequence comparison of the VP1 coding region of the field isolates revealed deletions in the highly passaged Iranian isolate (A/Iran87). The prominent G-H loop of the FMDV VP1 protein contains the conserved arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) tripeptide, which is a well-known ligand for a specific cell surface integrin. Despite losing the RGD sequence of the VP1 protein and an Asp26→Glu substitution in a beta sheet located within a small groove of the 3Dpol protein, the virus grew in BHK 21 suspension cell cultures. Since this strain has been used as a vaccine strain, it may be inferred that the RGD deletion has no critical role in virus attachment to the cell during the initiation of infection. It is probable that this FMDV subtype can utilize other pathways for cell attachment

Gestational diabetes mellitus: the correlation between umbilical coiling index, and intrapartum as well as neonatal outcomes

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the postnatal umbilical coiling index (pUCI), and intrapartum and neonatal outcomes in parturients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and non-GDM. Methods: An evaluation of the umbilical cords and pUCI of 117 neonates of GDM and 105 of non-GDM parturients were prospectively studied within 24 h after delivery. Furthermore, obstetric history, intrapartum and neonatal data were recorded. Results: Premature rupture of membrane (PROM) (p = 0.001), emergency cesarean delivery (p = 0.01), spontaneous preterm delivery (p = 0.006), duration of hospital admission (p < 0.001), and congenital malformations (p = 0.03) were significantly higher in the GDM group. Moreover, pUCI had a significant association with large for gestational age (LGA) (p = 0.009), and meconium-stained amniotic fluid (p = 0.04) in the GDM group. In addition, increment of pUCI had significant association with spontaneous preterm delivery in both groups (p = 0.002) (OR = 1.23). Conclusions: GDM is associated with spontaneous preterm delivery, PROM, emergency cesarean delivery, duration of hospital admission, and congenital malformations. Increase in pUCI could increase the rate of spontaneous preterm delivery in normal pregnancy and pregnancy complicated by GDM, as well as, the rate of LGA and meconium-stained amniotic fluid in GDM. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Investigation of Large Strain Deformation Behavior of Soft Gels in Shear- And Cavitation Rheology

Gels and hydrogels have attracted a great attention for potential applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery, actuators, and soft robots. There has been a significant progress to engineer hydrogels from both synthetic and natural precursors to be as tough as a solid and as stretchable as a rubbery material while maintaining high water/solvent content. Despite considerable advances in rationally designing hydrogels, our understanding of their complex nonlinear mechanical deformation behavior is incomplete. This is partially due to the difficulty in conducting mechanical characterization on slippery, soft and swollen gels. Thus, it is required to develop new experimental techniques in order to better characterize them. Further, analyzing the experimental observations and link it with the molecular networks is an important factor. With this perspective, in this dissertation, nonlinear mechanical properties of different gel like materials have been investigated. We chose different gels with varied molecular structure, from molecular gel to self-assembled copolymer gels with flexible chains, to semiflexible polysaccharide based polymers. By developing suitable experimental protocols, strain-stiffening behavior of these materials, similar to that observed in biological materials, have been captured. Chain flexibility is a dominant factor in mechanical behavior of gels. For example, gels with flexible chains dilate orthogonal to an external shear load, whereas gels with semilexible chains contract similar to biological gel-like materials. In order to investigate the failure mechanism in our gels, cavitation rheology technique was also applied. We found that cavitation phenomenon in gels is related to the molecular architecture of the gels. The present work provides a better understanding of the deformation behavior of soft gels when subjected to a large load

SEISMIC EVALUATION OF AN EXISTING OVERPASS STEEL BRIDGE BY TIME HISTORY ANALYSIS FOR ITS RETROFIT DESIGN

The Thirteenth East Asia-Pacific Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction (EASEC-13), September 11-13, 2013, Sapporo, Japan

The concept of sustainable dwelling epitomized in the courtyards of Iranian houses: A case study of houses in Kashan in the Qajar period

Sustainable dwelling is a mental concept, yet it should meet the physical and emotional requirements of humans for living. Therefore, only those sites in which human needs are satisfied can be regarded as sustainable dwelling. Iranian traditional houses with their genuine characteristics are still something to be desired. In these houses the courtyard is the heart of the structure and at the same time it is counted as its organizing principle. Hence, understanding the function of the courtyard leads us to an understanding of the purpose of the whole building. This paper argues that the traditional Iranian courtyards are a materialization of the concept of sustainable dwelling. Moreover, the writer contends that probing into the courtyard for the concept of sustainable dwelling has the added advantage of shedding light on a solution to palliate life conditions in contemporary modern houses of Iran. To this aim the courtyards of three famous houses in Kashan, Iran during the Qajar dynasty, namely Borujerdiha house, Tabatabe'i house and Saleh house are examined as the closest historical examples to our modern world. This study the writer aims to provide a local definition for the concept of sustainable dwelling and second to suggest a practical solution by which to reach an ideal state of life in the contemporary world

Factors Affecting the Augmentation of Spatial Dynamics in Social Sustainability with an Emphasis on Human-Orientation of Space

A place can be considered as sustainable place that meets current needs of human and considers their needs in future. Spatial dynamicity is also one of the indices of a sustainable space, which defined the relationship of space with variable needs of human. Spatial dynamicity is an index, through which space matches itself by changes in human life over the time. In other words, special dynamicity is a quality of a space, through which space is matched with changed needs of humans through changing itself. Therefore, in regard with space dynamicity and place stability, human needs are prior to other needs. This is because; in fact meeting the needs causes more social participation of people and increase in their social interactions. However, at the current world and after expansion of modernism approach, increase in attention to vehicles and their presence has decreased direct consideration of variable needs of human and their presence in space. Hence, it could be mentioned that today, presence of vehicles in space has created a big challenge for dynamicity of space. Meeting such challenge is important, since a human-oriented dynamic space can increase human interactions and can also promote place sustainability and make using space possible over the time. This study adopts a qualitative-analytical approach to find factors that can form a sustainable space through strengthening the dynamics of space and increasing level of social interactions. Findings indicate that in regard with creating any kind of change in space, in addition to consider future, past of the place should be also considered. This study has found that human scale in an important factor in this framework and considering future. Moreover, in regard with past and emphasizing effect of place on human, historical memory of space should be considered and with emphasizing effect of human on place, collective memory factor should be considered. Accordingly, through assessment of each factor, a series of strategies should be achieved based on future and a series of expected results should be achieved based on past, so that framework of a change can be specified in limit of space dynamics index