An investigation of annual discards of the trawlers and gillnet in Khuzestan coastal water, northwest Persian Gulf

The main objective of this study was to describe and estimate the seasonal pattern of discarded fish in the waters of the Persian Gulf coast in Khuzestan. Data were collected from the fishing dhow with Khuzestan Fisheries partnership in fishing areas of Lifeh, Boseif, Khure-mussa and Bahrakan from October 2011 to September 2012. Discarded fish samples were included 109 species from 67 families, nearly 40 percent commercial and 60 percent of non-commercial species. Rayfish and catfish have been observed in most fishing nets. Average sizes of most species particularly bony fish were under 15 cm. The amount of discarded fish per unit of fishing effort was not significantly different between seasons. The highest portion of the catch belongs to rayfishes. Total discarded fishes of gillnets were estimated 3162 tones. Total weight of commercial fishes with small size in discarded fish was estimated 225 tones. The rate and ratio of discarded fish in total catch of gillnet was estimated 0.23 and 0.31 respectively. Chondrichthyes with 12 species and 60% of gillnet catch has the highest percentage of discarded fish of gillnet. High number of commercial species with small size could be due to nursery role of Khuzestan coastal waters. Trawl net has more impact on type and amount of discarded fish than moving gill net. According to different aquatic groups, the highest percentage of protein (77.84±2.088) in Perciformes belongs to Eupleurogrammus muticus and the lowest percentage (40.40±0.322) belongs to Liza klunzingeri, the most percentage of lipid was in Liza klunzingeri (33.78±0.277) and the lowest percentage was in Grammoplites suppositus (3.34±0.025), the highest and lowest percentage of ash (minerals) were in Cynoglossus arel and Acanthocephola abbreviate (28.14±.377) and oligo duvauceli (0.7±0.02) respectively. Therefore discarded fish have great potential in fulfilling nutritional requirements as fresh food (minimally processed) and with nutritional additives in forms of fish powder and fish oil and it can play an effective role in aquaculture development in the region

10-year Graft Survival Analysis of Renal Transplantation and Factors Affecting it in Patients Transplanted from Live Donor in Shiraz Transplant Research Center during 1999-2009

Abstract: Background & Aims: Renal transplantation is the best therapeutic option for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). The aim of this study was to determine the graft survival rate of renal transplantation in patients who have been transplanted from live donor in Shiraz Transplant Research Center, Shiraz, Iran. Methods: In a survival analysis study, organ survival rate after kidney transplantation from live donor was determined in 843 patients being transplanted in Shiraz Transplant Research Center, Iran during a period of 10 years (March 1999 to March 2009). Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine the survival rate, Log-rank test was used to compare survival curves and Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: Mean follow-up period (± Standard deviation) was 53.07±34.6 months. Allograft survival rates at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years after kidney transplantation were found to be 98.3%, 96.4%, 92.5%, 90.8% and 89.2%, respectively. Using Cox proportional hazard model, age of donor and creatinine level at discharge showed significant relationships with survival rate of renal allograft. Conclusion: The 10- year graft survival rate of renal transplantation from live donor in this center is 89.2% which in comparison with reports from large centers of transplantation it is satisfactory. Keywords: Kidney Transplantation, Graft Survival, Living donors, Cox proportional hazards mode

Risk factors in childhood lymphoblastic leukemia in Shiraz-Iran (2009): an epidemilogical study

Background and Objective: The etiology of childhood leukemia as the most common childhood malignancy remains largely unknown. This study was done to ascess the risk factors in childhood lymphoblastic leukemia in Shiraz-Iran. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was done on 141 children younger than 18 years suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) whome resided at Fars Province of Iran during 2009. Patients were individually matched with 141 controls in respect to age, sex and residential area. Variables included: maternal age, parental education, father occupation, child birth weight and birth order, number of siblings, history of pet ownership including cat or dog, history of child day care attendance, history of leukemia in relatives, and history of mother diagnostic radiography during pregnancy. In order to evaluate the relationships between each variable and the risk of leukemia, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Data were analyzed using SPSS-16 and Chi-Square test. Results: The agricultural occupation fathers in case and control were 17% and 5.7%, respectivley (P<0.01). The association between risk of childhood lymphoblastic leukemia with birth order≥3 (OR=5.939, 95% CI: 2.646-13.331, P<0.01), pet ownership (dog or cat) (OR=2.582, 95% CI: 1.265-5.269, P<0.009) and history of leukemia in first and second degree relatives (OR=3.5, 95% CI: 1.252-10.633, P<0.027) was significant. No relationship was found between birth weight, day care attendance, history of miscarriage, number of siblings and history of mother diagnostic radiology tests with risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Conclusion: This study showed that father occupation, birth order, pet and history of leukemia in relation are risk factors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Graft survival rate following renal transplantation in diabetic patients

Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of kidney failure needing dialysis in most countries of the world. Kidney disease occurs in one-third of diabetic patients, and signi-ficantly increases the mortality rates and treatment costs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the survival rate and to determine factors that influence survival among diabetic patients who underwent transplantation at the Shiraz Namazi Hospital Transplant Center during the years 1999 to 2009. This study is a historical cohort study, which examined the graft survival rate among 103 kidney transplant patients with diabetes. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine the survival rate and the log-rank test was used to compare survival curves; P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. The mean follow-up period of patients was 48.15 ± 31.05 months (range: 3.07-118.03 months), and the estimated nine-year graft survival rate was 84.2% (±0.045). Based on the results of the Cox regression model, age of the donor was a contributing factor to graft survival rate. In summary, the graft survival rate in our cohort is satisfactory and comparable with reports from other larger centers in the world

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in vulval cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy with technetium 99 (99mTc) and/or blue dye-enhanced lymphoscintigraphy in vulval cancer. Methods: Sensitive searches of databases were performed upto October 2013. Studies with at least 75% of women with FIGO stage IB or II vulval cancer evaluating SLN biopsy with 99mTc, blue dye or both with reference standard of inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (IFL) or clinical follow-up were included. Meta-analyses were performed using Meta-Disc version 1.4. Results: Of the 2950 references, 29 studies (1779 women) were included; most of them evaluated 99mTc combined with blue dye. Of these, 24 studies reported results for SLN followed by IFL, and 5 reported clinical follow-up only for SLN negatives. Pooling of all studies was inappropriate because of heterogeneity. Mean SLN detection rates were 94.0% for 99mTc, 68.7% for blue dye and 97.7% for both. SLN biopsy had pooled sensitivity of 95% (95% CI 92–98%) with negative predictive value (NPV) of 97.9% in studies using 99mTc/blue dye, ultrastaging and immunohistochemistry with IFL as reference. Pooled sensitivity for SLN with clinical follow-up for SLN-negatives was 91% (85–95%) with NPV 95.6%. Patients undergoing SLN biopsy experienced less morbidity than those undergoing IFL. Conclusions: Sentinel lymph node biopsy using 99mTC, blue dye and ultrastaging with immunohistochemistry is highly accurate when restricted to carefully selected patients, within a rigorous protocol, with close follow-up and where sufficient numbers for learning curve optimisation exist. Patients must make an informed choice between the slightly higher groin recurrence rates of SLN biopsy vs the greater morbidity of IFL