Head lice infestation in school children of a low socioeconomy area of Tabriz city, Iran

Head lice infestation (HLI) caused by Pediculus humanus var capitis (Pediculus capitis) is a world wild public health concern that affects mostly school aged children. HLI does not produce an illness, but itis physically unpleasant and an unbearable social stigma. Over a five months period from July to November, 2006, 2795 school children from a low socio-economy area of Tabriz city enrolled in 13 elementary and high schools (governmental school) including 1948 girls (69.69 %) and 847 boys (30.30%) were examined for the presence of Pediculus capitis (nits, adults and immature). During this study all the infested cases were seen among girls and there was no infestation in boys. School girls aged 10-14 years constituted the highest infestation rate (6.5%) and the lowest infestation rate was seen in girls aged 15-18 years old (1.6%). The infestation rate in 5-9 years old children was 5.7%. The overall infestation rate in the studied population was 3.64%. There was a significant difference between infestation rates among the age groups X2 = 15.43, df = 2, p = 0.0004). But there was no significantdifference between the infestation rates of 5-9 and 10-14  groups(X2=0.36, df=1, p=0.55). Pediculosis is a public health issue in many parts of the world. Certainly, personal hygiene practices and socioeconomic status influence the level of prevalence of pediculosis. The lowest infestation rate in 15-18 years old children in this study may indicates that the better personal hygiene practices includingregular combing and washing of the hair is the main reason for reducing the head lice infestation rate in this group in comparison with the two other groups. The overall infestation rate in the present study isprobably one of the lowest infestation rates in Iran and in the region

Comparing the Effects of Echinophora-platyloba, Fennel and Placebo on Pre-menstrual Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a condition characterized by a number of behavioral, psychological and physical symptoms recurring cyclically during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The uncertainty in the pathogenesis of PMS has led to many treatment protocols being suggested as possible therapies. The present study was carried out to compare the effects of echinophora-platyloba and fennel extracts on the PMS against placebo in students of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in 2008. METHODS In this single-blind randomized clinical trial, 90 students with moderate to severe PMS enrolled in the study and were randomely divided into three equal groups. The first group received echinophora-platyloba extract, the second group received fennel extracts and the third group received placebo. The severity of PMS was measured by Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP) questionnaire at the end of the first and second menstrual cycles before the intervention and the results were compared with them after the intervention. Data was analyzed using Dunn, Kruskal Wallis, and Pearson correlation tests by SPSS (v. 11.5) and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS There were not any significant differences in the means of premenstrual syndrome scores before the intervention among the three groups (100.8±22.1 in echinophora-platyloba group, 101.3±27.1 in fennel group and 104.3±19.5 in placebo group, p > 0.05), but the differences were significant after the intervention (49.7±23.2 in echinophora-platyloba group, 64.4±27.5 in fennel group and 79.1±28.1 in placebo group, respectively, p < 0.001). No significant differences were seen between the echinophora-platyloba and fennel groups. CONCLUSION The echinophora-platyloba and fennel extracts could reduce the severity of PMS. The effects of echinophora-platyloba and fennel were similar and greater than the placebo. Administration of the extracts of these herbs is suggested for relieving the signs and symptoms of PMS

Three-Dimensional Modelling of a Microtubular SOFC: A Multiphysics Approach

Microtubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (µ-SOFC) are suited to a broad spectrum of applications with power demands ranging from a few watts to several hundred watts. µ-SOFC’s possess inherently favourable characteristics over alternate configurations such as high thermo-mechanical stability, high volumetric power density and rapid start-up times. Computational modelling at the design level minimises cost and maximises productivity, giving critical insight into complex SOFC phenomena and their interrelationships. To date, models have been limited by oversimplified geometries, often failing to account for oxidant supply complexities, gas distribution within pores and radiative heating effects (1-3). Here, a three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of electrodes, electrolyte, current collectors and furnace is considered using COMSOL Multiphysics. The distribution of temperature, current density, electrical potential, pressure and gas concentrations throughout the cell are simulated. Results show good correlation with experimental data and the model is reliable for prediction of fuel cell performance within set parameters

The Value of ABCD2F Scoring System (ABCD2 Combined with Atrial Fibrillation) to Predict 90-Day Recurrent Brain Stroke

Background. The ABCD2 score is now identified as a useful clinical prediction rule to determine the risk for stroke in the days following brain ischemic attacks. Aim. The present study aimed to introduce a new scoring system named "ABCD2F" and compare its value with the previous ABCD2 system to predict recurrent ischemic stroke within 90 days of the initial cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Methods. 138 consecutive patients with the final diagnosis of ischemic CVA or TIAs who referred to emergency ward of Rasoul-e-Akram general hospital in Tehran from September 2012 to December 2013 were eligible. By adding a new score in the presence of atrial fibrillation to ABCD2 system, the new scoring system as ABCD2F was introduced and the risk stratification was done again on this new system. Results. The area under the curve for ABCD2 was 0.434 and for ABCD2F it was 0.452 indicating low value of both systems for assessing recurrence of stroke within 90 days of primary event. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that none of the baseline factors could predict 90-day recurrent stroke. Conclusion. ABCD2 and/or atrial fibrillation are not good scoring candidates for assessing the risk of recurrent stroke within first 90 days. © 2016 Mostafa Almasi et al

Tracheal replacement by autogenous aorta

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tracheal defects may occur after trauma or prolonged intubation. Resection of tracheal tumors also poses a major challenge for substitution. In an effort to solve this problem, different techniques have been tried with little success. We report on a new animal model which showed acceptable results with fewer complications.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We replaced 5 cm of cervical trachea in 10 dogs with harvested infra-renal aorta and repaired the aortic defect with Dacron graft.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Necropsy of the grafted aorta and anastomotic site revealed well healed anastomosis in all animals together with ciliated columnar epithelium coverage of grafted aorta and neovascularization of aortic wall.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Aortic graft is preferable to other substitutes because of less antigenicity, less vascularity, and no mucous secretions or peristalsis</p

Internal current collection in microtubular SOFCs: Minimisation of contact resistance via brazing and plating

Paper presented at the Sixteenth International Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC-XVI), held in Kyoto, Japan, September 8–13, 2019.Microtubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (µ-SOFC) are aptly suited for powering devices with demands ranging from the order of mW to few kW. The rapid start-up time, high thermo-mechanical stability, and excellent power density by volume lend them favour over alternate configurations, particularly for portable applications (1). Interconnecting the micro-tubes, though, is a persistent issue and minimisation of conduction pathway lengths and their contribution to stack ohmic resistance is a key parameter for maximising overall performance from a tubular cell stack (2). Contacting of each electrode is most simply and typically achieved from the cell exterior at the expense of available active electrode area. Exposing the cell support, interior electrode (anode or cathode, depending on cell configuration) from the exterior can lead to fuel crossover, decreasing fuel utilisation and giving rise to accelerated degradation from local thermal ‘hot spots’ as a result of hydrogen combustion (3). In this paper a novel method of internal current collection is proposed to collect current from multiple points along the inner wall of an anode-supported tubular cell. The current collector will also act as a flow turbuliser, enhancing the flow and reducing thermal gradients within the fuel cell. Ensuring an intimate contact of the many current collection nodes to the anode and hence minimisation of contact resistance is achieved by use of brazing, depositing braze material via electroless plating. Interconnection proficiency has been studied using electrochemical performance testing, impedance spectroscopy, optical microscopy and mechanical testing.Published versio

Development of a novel electroless deposited nickel braze for micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell current collector contacting

© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jajp.2021.100070A brazing process for the fuel electrode (anode) contacting of a micro-tubular fuel cell is reported. The low-cost, novel, electroless deposited braze suitable for mass production was optimised with respect to material loading and brazing environment. Durable current collector-anode joints were obtained while protecting sensitive solid oxide fuel cell components. It was determined that a minimum braze loading of 20 µm thickness was required to join the current collector at multiple contacts along the interior tube wall. The final brazed current collector design achieved a high peak power density of 0.14 W.cm−2 at 750°C, 2.35 times higher than for the un-brazed design.This research was funded by the EPSRC, grant number EP/L015749/1), through the CDT in Fuel Cells and their Fuels, led by the University of Birmingham.Accepted versio

The development of current collection in micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cells—a review

© 2021 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031077Micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cells (µT-SOFCs) are suited to a broad range of applications with power demands ranging from a few watts to several hundred watts. µT-SOFCs possess inherently favourable characteristics over alternate configurations such as high thermo-mechanical stability, high volumetric power density and rapid start-up times, lending them particular value for use in portable applications. Efficient current collection and interconnection constitute a bottleneck in the progression of the technology. The development of current collector designs and configuration reported in the literature since the inception of the technology are the focus of this study.This research was funded by the EPSRC, grant number EP/L015749/1, through the CDT in Fuel Cells and their Fuels, led by the University of Birmingham.Published onlin