Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infection and Cardiac Risk Factors in Patients with Myocardial Infection

<p class="abstract"><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Evidences support the possible involvement of microorganisms such as Chlamydia pneumonia in the pathogenesis of ischemic heart diseases through a chronic inflammatory process. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between Chlamydia pneumoniae seropositivity with acute myocardial infarction and its related risk factors.</p> <p class="abstract"><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; METHODS:</strong><strong> </strong>In this case-control study, 88 patients admitted in CCU with a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, without a history of chronic diseases including cancers were selected as cases and 49 surgical patients without an evidence of cardiovascular disease according to clinical examinations and ECG were selected as controls. Demographic characteristics and background risk factors were obtained using a questionnaire by expert nurses. Venous blood sample was obtained from participants for measuring the anti Chlamydia IgG and IgM antibodies using ELISA method. The prevalence of antibodies was compared in both groups and its relation with coronary syndrome was evaluated.</p> <p class="abstract"><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; RESULTS:</strong> 88 and 49 patients were enrolled in case and control groups, respectively. Mean age of patients and the controls was 14 &plusmn; 59.7 and 13 &plusmn; 56.9 years, respectively (P = 0.26). Anti Chlamydia IgG seropositivity rate was 63(71.9%) and 23(46.9%) in case and controlcontrol groups, respectively (P &lt; 0.01; OR: 2.85; CI 95%: 1.38 - 5.9). Anti Chlamydia IgM was positive in 1 patient and 1 control. Anti Chlamydia IgG seropositivity rate was higher in patients older than 50 years old than those younger than 50 years old (OR: 2.83; CI 95%: 1.31 -1.14). There was a significant relation between BMI, smoking and Anti Chlamydia IgG seropositivity.<strong></strong></p> <p class="abstract"><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Considering the relation between anti Chlamydia antibody IgG seropositivity with BMI and myocardial infarction, it seems that appropriate diagnosis and treatment of these prone patients can be benefical.</p

Evaluation of Protein Concentration and Limiting Amino Acids Including Lysine and Met + Cys in Prestarter Diet on Performance of Broilers

Four experiments were conducted, in two stages, to evaluate protein and limiting amino acids' (lysine and methionine + cystine) levels in pre-starter diets on broilers’ performance. In each experiment of Stage 1, 640 new-born male Ross 308 cockerels were randomly allocated to eight dietary treatments with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement. In experiment 1-1, two levels of crude protein (CP: 21% and 23.2%) and four levels of Lys (1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5%) and in experiment 1-2, two levels of CP (21 and 23.2%) and four levels of Met + Cys (0.85, 0.90, 0.95, and 1.00%) were used. In Stage 2, the optimum levels of Lys and Met + Cys obtained from Stage 1 (1.3 and 1.5% Lys, 0.90 and 1.00% Met + Cys in experiment 1-1 and 1-2, resp.) with two levels of CP (21 and 23.2%) were used in two separate simultaneous experiments with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement for male and female birds. The levels of CP significantly influenced BWG and FCR in experiment 1-1. Dietary levels of Lys affect BWG (experiment 1-1) and FI (experiments 1-1 and 2-1) significantly. In experiments 1-2 and 2-2, the different levels of Met + Cys did not affect BWG, FI, and FCR of male or female broilers. The results of these experiments indicated that the optimal level of dietary protein and Lys were 23.2% and 1.5%, respectively. Diets with 1% Met + Cys caused optimal performance

Proposing New Heuristic Approaches for Preventive Maintenance Scheduling

The purpose of preventive maintenance management is to perform a series of tasks that prevent or minimize production breakdowns and improve reliability of production facilities. An important objective of preventive maintenance management is to minimize downtime of production facilities. In order to accomplish this objective, personnel should efficiently allocate resources and determine an effective maintenance schedule. Gopalakrishnan (1997) developed a mathematical model and four heuristic approaches to solve the preventive maintenance scheduling problem of assigning skilled personnel to work with tasks that require a set of corresponding skills. However, there are several limitations in the prior work in this area of research. The craft combination problem has not been solved because the craft combination is assumed as given. The craft combination problem concerns the computation of all combinations of assigning multi skilled workers to accomplishment of a particular task. In fact, determining craft combinations is difficult because of the exponential number of craft combinations that are possible. This research provides a heuristic approach for determining the craft combination and four new heuristic approach solution for the preventive maintenance scheduling problem with multi skilled workforce constraints. In order to examine the new heuristic approach and to compare the new heuristic approach with heuristic approach of Gopalakrishnan (1997), 81 standard problems have been generated based on the criterion suggested by from Gopalakrishnan (1997). The average solution quality (SQ) of the new heuristic approaches is 1.86% and in old heuristic approaches is 8.32%. The solution time of new heuristic approaches are shorter than old heuristic approaches. The solution time of new heuristic approaches is 0.78 second and old heuristic approaches is 6.43 second, but the solution time of mathematical model provided by Gopalakrishnan (1997) is 152 second.   Keywords: Preventive maintenance, Maintenance and repair, Scheduling, Multi skilled workforce     Keywords

DIABETES MELLITUS: THE MOST IMPORTANT CARDIAC RISK

Abstract&nbsp;&nbsp; INTRODUCTION: Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity both in men and women. Risk factor profiles vary in different ethnic groups, in male and female and in different age groups. This study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular risk factors in young women with AMI, and to compare it with other age and sex groups, in Birjand, south Khorasan.&nbsp;&nbsp; METHODS: This descriptive analytic study evaluated the prevalence of classic CHD risk factors&nbsp; in female patients with acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) aged &le; 56 and compared it with female AMI patients aging more than 56 and also with the male patients with AMI. The study group included 311 consecutive female patients (48 patients &le; 56 and 263 &gt; 56 years old) out of 1112 patients who were hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in Vali Asr hospital, the referral hospital in the capital of south Khorasan province in eastern Iran, from 2002 to 2006.&nbsp;&nbsp; RESULTS: Diabetes was detected to be the most frequent coronary risk factor in younger women (35.4%). The overall prevalence of diabetes was 22.6% in women with AMI. Women with premature coronary artery disease were found to have a higher prevalence of diabetes compared to older women (35.4% versus 20.1% respectively, P &lt; 0.01). Furthermore, the number of diabetics was significantly higher in women than men (29.2% versus 13.9% respectively, P &lt; 0.001). In addition, number of diabetics was significantly higher in younger women than younger men (age =&lt; 56) (35.4% versus 13.3% respectively, P = 0.03). Hypertension was second most common modifiable risk factor in younger female group and the most common risk factor in older female group. Cigarette smoking was found to be the least common risk factor in the younger female group but the most common, in the younger male. The mean age of female MI patients was only 5.6 years more than male MI patients, which is less than the 10 years delay of MI in females reported in the literature.&nbsp;&nbsp; CONCLUSION: Our findings show a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes in young females compared with both older females and younger males with premature MI. The higher prevalence of DM in young females may be associated with the decreasing difference of mean age between female and male patients with MI. This data may be useful in directing primary and secondary preventive measures.&nbsp;Keywords: Myocardial infarction, Diabetes, Females.&nbsp;</p

Comparison of Lecture-based and CD-based Control Nuclear Pollution Training for Medical Interns

Letter to edito

Complication of Hemodialysis Access: A Case Report of Venous Hypertension

Vascular access for dialysis is essential for these patients with end-stage renal disease, improvements in hemodialysis managment have lead to extended life expectancy. The creation and maintenance of hemoaccess occupies a significant portion of most vascular and general surgery practices.Venous hypertension due to arteriovenous fistula is usually secondary to venous outlet obstruction. Side to side proximal artery arteriovenous fistula serves as a certain cause of hemodialysis, but it is rarely reported as a peripheral venous hypertension cause. We are reporting a case with developed venous hypertension having dermal injuries in the arm. The patient underwent successful side-to-side radio cephalic fistula creation in the snuffbox a year ago