An ANP application for identifying and prioritizing opportunities and threatens for technology transfer

During the past few years, there have been different changes in global market due to fast development of science and technology. These changes have increased competition among all existing companies and it has made it difficult for new rivals to gain market share. This paper tries to identify the opportunities and threats of technology transfer in one of world’s fastest growing gas development regions called Pars Special Economic Energy Zone. The proposed model of this paper first identify important factors influencing both opportunities as well as threats and then uses analytical hierarchy process to rank all factors. The results show that the threats were more important than the existing opportunities and among the most important threats, embargo and sales of oil were the most important ones

Intravenous Drug Sedation for MRI in Children; A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction; Performing MRI in children is a matter of concern and needs adequate sedation because patients should be completely motionless to provide a good quality of imaging.  The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Nesdonal and Propofol + Lidocaine to provide sedation in children undergoing brain MRI.Methods; This was a randomized, blinded trial including 250 patients aged 3 months to 13 years who were candidate for elective brain MRI. Participants were divided into two groups. Group 1 received Nesdonal and group 2 received Propofol + Lidocaine. Demographic characteristics were recorded. Unconsciousness time, scan time and discharge time were compared between the two groups. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 by Chi-square, ANOVA, Man-Whitney and T-test (p value < 0.05).Results; Totally 250 patients were assigned randomly to two groups of Propofol + Lidocaine and Nesdonal, each including 125 patients. There was no meaningful difference regarding demographic factors of age, gender or ASA class between the two groups. There was no meaningful statistically difference regarding unconsciousness time (P value=0.655), scan time (P value=0.324) and discharge time (P value=0.436) between the Propofol + Lidocaine and Nesdonal group. Some minor adverse effects occurred in the Propofol + Lidocaine group. No major complication occurred.Discussion; Nesdonal was superior to Propofol + Lidocaine regarding lower adverse effects, lower costs, no need for an infusion pump and not lowering seizure threshold.it can be considered safe for sedation in children undergoing brain MRI, especially those with a history of seizure

Technology transfer to developing countries : a quantitative approach

Technology transfer is extensively believed to be one of the major debates in the literature ondevelopment economics. The experiences of some successful countries in rapid economic andindustrial development, in particular, some East-Asian Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs)show that the acquisition of a significant amount of foreign technology has played a crucial role.This crucial role includes promoting their managerial and technical expertise as well asincreasing their productivity level through the adoption of a set of appropriate policies andstrategiesT. hesee xperiencesc ould have valuable lessonsf or other countriesw ho wish to followsimilar strategies to achieve rapid industrialisation and technological development.Although many Less Developed Countries (LDCs) have realised the great importance oftechnological transformation for their rapid economic and industrial development, they have notdesigned effective and efficient policies for the transfer of appropriate and high-leveltechnologies.The present empirical investigation is intended to contribute to the large existing literature ontechnological transfer and the role that Multinational Corporations (MNCs) play in this. Itsmajor contribution lies in demonstrating rigorously that the integration of foreign technologies isgreatly affected by the socio-economic conditions of the recipient countries.The present study attempts to identify the main socio-economic characteristics of countriesinvolved in assimilating transferred technology. It first identifies the critical success or failurefactors for effective technology transfer and the rapid industrialisation of the LDCs in general.Then, it provides a quantifiable metric index of the rate of the technological absorption.Selectiono f relevant variablesa nd choosingt he sampleo f countries are summarisedT. he model,which is based on the multiple regression analysis as well as other statistical techniques, isidentified.The four-variable-model derived from the stepwise regression results gave a statisticallysignificant R-sq = 70.71% and R-sq (adj) = 66.7% and satisfies the principle of parsimony, waschosen as the preferred model. This has as explanatory variables transport and communicationsand gross national savings as economic indicators - Christian religion and natural disasters (negative concept) as social indicators. The results suggest that countries with the aboveindicators are more able to absorb and integrate foreign technologies. In general, the resultsreveal that the rate of technology integration varies greatly with the level of socio-economicdevelopment.Some intangible factors that cannot as yet be quantified and may be expected to have significanteffects on the rate of technological integration, such as political and managerial factors arediscussed.The analysis of results is concludedw ith somer ecommendationsa nd suggestionsd erived fromthe research findings and results for the effective and successful technology transfer of LDCsalong with the technology transfer in Africa, problems of AIDS and its impact on Africandevelopment

Porównanie wpływu leczenia metforminą i insuliną na kontrolę glikemii u krytycznie chorych pacjentów

Introduction: It is accepted that preventing hyperglycaemia during critical illness while assuring adequate caloric intake can reduce mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to compare the metabolic effects of metformin and insulin on hyperglycaemia in ICU patients. Methods: This double-blind randomised clinical trial was performed on 24 patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from 20 March to 20 September 2007. All patients with serious injuries or with major non-abdominal surgeries were included if they met the inclusion criteria, and were assigned randomly to one of the study groups. Patients in Group 1 received intensive insulin therapy, and patients in Group 2 were treated with metformin. Moreover, the Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scoring system was used to grade disease severity. Results: Both glycaemic management protocols led to significantly improved glucose levels without any report of hypoglycaemia. The mean initial glucose levels for the insulin group decreased significantly after the intravenous infusion of insulin (p < 0.001). Additionally, the blood glucose concentration was significantly lower after two weeks of metformin administration compared to baseline measurements (p < 0.001). Moreover, the blood glucose concentration decrease during these two weeks was significantly higher in the insulin group (p = 0.01). Besides, APACHE II score was lower than baseline at the end of the study for both therapeutic groups (score of 10 vs. 15 [insulin] and 16 [metformin]). Finally, new renal dysfunction (maximum serum creatinine level at least double the initial value) was observed in three of the patients (two patients from the metformin group and one from the insulin group) in the last days of the protocol, although none of the patients showed lactic acidosis after ICU admission. Conclusions: Both metformin and intensive insulin therapy significantly decreased hyperglycaemia in ICU patients. Insulin caused a greater reduction in blood glucose concentration but required more attention and trained personnel.Wstęp: Dowody naukowe wskazują, że zapobieganie hiperglikemii u osób w stanie krytycznym przy zapewnieniu odpowiedniego poboru kalorii może zmniejszyć śmiertelność i chorobowość. Celem niniejszego badania było porównanie wpływu metforminy i insuliny na występowanie hiperglikemii u pacjentów leczonych na oddziale intensywnej opieki medycznej (OIOM). Materiał i metody: Badanie z randomizacją przeprowadzone metodą podwójnie ślepej próby obejmowało 24 chorych przyjętych na OIOM w okresie od 20 marca do 20 października 2007 roku. Wszystkich pacjentów z ciężkimi obrażeniami lub po poważnych zabiegach chirurgicznych niedotyczących jamy brzusznej, którzy spełniali kryteria włączenia, przydzielono losowo do jednej z grup terapeutycznych. U chorych przydzielonych do grupy 1. stosowano intensywną insulinoterapię, natomiast chorym z grupy 2. podawano metforminę. Do oceny ciężkości stanu chorych wykorzystano skalę APACHE (Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation) II. Wyniki: Oba protokoły leczenia hipoglikemizującego spowodowały istotną poprawę wyrównania glikemii, przy czym nie odnotowano żadnego przypadku hipoglikemii. W grupie stosującej insulinoterapię średnie stężenie glukozy obniżyło się istotnie w stosunku do wartości wyjściowych po dożylnym wlewie insuliny (p < 0, 001). U osób leczonych metforminą po 2 tygodniach przyjmowania leku stężenie glukozy we krwi było istotnie niższe od poziomu wyjściowego (p < 0,001). Redukcja stężenia glukozy w ciągu tych 2 tygodni była istotnie większa w grupie przyjmującej insulinę (p = 0,01). W obu grupach terapeutycznych punktacja w skali APACHE II w momencie zakończenia badania była niższa od wartości wyjściowych (10 punktów v. 15 [insulina] i 16 [metformina]). U 3 chorych (2 osoby przydzielone do leczenia metforminą i 1 osoba przydzielona do insulinoterapii) zaobserwowano rozwój niewydolności nerek de novo (maksymalne stężenie kreatyniny w surowicy co najmniej 2-krotnie większe od wartości wyjściowych) w ostatnich dniach stosowania protokołu leczenia hipoglikemizującego, chociaż u żadnego z pacjentów nie stwierdzono kwasicy mleczanowej po przyjęciu na OIOM. Wnioski: Zarówno leczenie metforminą, jak i intensywna insulinoterapia istotne zmniejszają hiperglikemię u pacjentów na OIOM. Insulina powoduje większą redukcję stężenia glukozy, jednak jej stosowanie wymaga większej uwagi, a personel medyczny musi być odpowiednio przeszkolony

The maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with definite COVID-19

Background: This study aimed to assess the symptoms and clinical laboratory data of pregnant women with COVID-19 in their second or third trimester of pregnancy as well as their maternal and neonatal outcomes. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted on 177 pregnant women with COVID-19 who were admitted to Yas hospital (affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences), and Ali-ibn-Abi-Talib hospital (affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences). Results: There was significant higher complaints including fever (p-value=0.015), cough (p-value=0.028), fatigue (p-value=0.002), dyspnea (p-value=0.022), and lower hemoglobin level (p-value=0.009) in patients who were in their third trimester compared to those who were in their second trimester. 9.6% (n=17) of the patients had severe disease and needed ICU admission. There was a significant variation regarding gestational age (p-value=0.022) in pregnant women admitted to ICU compared to the other ones. During the study, delivery happened in 108 (61%) pregnant women. Fetal distress following meconium deification (p-value=0.041), need to MGSO4 (p-value=0.001), IUFD (p-value=0.006), need for blood transfusion (p-value=0.004), and neonatal death (p-value<0.001) were significantly higher in patients who needed ICU admission. Conclusion: Higher gestational weeks are the main risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease. Although vertical transmission is rare; due to the higher risk of perinatal outcomes, the delivery should be done in a center with a NICU department

The role of imaging in head and neck cancer: An overview of different imaging modalities in primary diagnosis and staging of the disease.

Radiology has an essential role in diagnosis, staging, and management in all subspecialties related to oncology. It has a broad utility from its use as an initial screening tool for cancer detection, followed by staging and surveillance of disease as well as the delivery of appropriate treatment regimens. In order to plan a treatment, the use of different modalities of radiological imaging are a key factor for pre-treatment planning and staging of the extent of disease in accordance with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) system for highly conformal treatments, such as brachytherapy (BT). In this work, we present an overview of main modalities of imaging and principles of their application especially in head and neck cancer, with its diagnosis, treatment, follow-up with post-treatment changes, and overall management

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain and Anhydrosis (CIPA) Syndrome; A Report of 4 Cases

Background: Background: Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA) is characterized by recurrent episodes of infections and unexplained fever, anhidrosis (inability to sweat), and absence of reaction to noxious stimuli, self-mutilating behavior, mental retardation and damages to oral structures. Case Presentation: In this article, we have demonstrated the signs and symptoms of 4 children that refer to the pediatrics department of the Imam Khomeini hospital and assay about their complications with this disease. They mostly presented by recurrent osteomyelitis in their feet that severely controlled by antibiotic therapy and even surgery. They had no pain sensation in spite of deep sore and infection. Conclusion: This syndrome can be diagnosed by clinical and paraclinical tests together but it would be better to confirm by genetic test. The diagnosis of this syndrome helps us to try for the better quality of life for the patients and avoid unnecessary amputations