Association between pruritus and serum concentrations of parathormone, calcium and phosphorus in hemodialysis patients.

Chronic renal disorders have a progressive course in most cases, and finally result in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Hemodialysis (HD) is one of the mainstays in the treatment of these patients. Disturbance in calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) metabolism and alteration of serum levels of parathormone (PTH) are observed in these patients. One of the most common cutaneous manifestations in patients on HD is pruritus. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between pruritus and serum concentrations of Ca, P and PTH in patients with chronic renal disease. This analytic, descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on 120 patients on HD at the Fifth-Azar Hospital in Gorgan, Iran, in 2010. Information related to the patients, including age, gender, pruritus, time of pruritus and duration on dialysis, was extracted from questionnaires. Serum concentrations of intact PTH, Ca and P were measured. Data were analyzed by the chi-square test and SPSS-16 software. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Among the 120 study patients, 50% were male and the mean age (±SD) was 49 ± 12.3 years. Sixty percent of the patients had pruritus, of whom 33.3% had PTH levels above the normal range. Among the 40% of the patients who did not have pruritus, 39.6% had PTH levels higher than the normal levels. The mean serum Ca and P levels were 8.44 ± 1.65 mg/dL and 5.48 ± 1.81 mg/dL, respectively. The mean (±SD) Ca-P product was 55.46 ± 47.16 and the mean PTH concentration was 274.34 ± 286.53 pg/mL. No significant association was found between pruritus and age, sex, serum PTH and P levels as well as Ca-P product. However, the association between serum Ca levels and pruritus was significant (P = 0.03). Our study showed that most patients with pruritus had serum Ca levels in the abnormal range (lower or higher), and there was no significant correlation between serum iPTH level and pruritis. Thus, good control of serum Ca levels is important to reduce pruritus in these patients

Association of serum fetuin-A and biochemical parameters in hemodialysis patients.

Fetuin-A, a hepatic glycoprotein present in the circulation, is a potential inhibitor for systemic calcification. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the association between fetuin-A and other biochemical parameters as facilitator factors for developing atherosclerosis in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This case-control study was conducted on 44 HD patients undergoing treatment in 2012. Parathormone (i-PTH) and fetuin levels were performed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) by chemiluminescence, low-density lipoprotein by direct enzymatic, calcium and albumin by colorimetric and phosphorous by ultraviolet (UV) methods. Chi-square was used for evaluating the association between variables and t-test was used for comparing the mean of the quantitative variables for the two groups. SPSS-16 software was used for data analysis and P-value less than 5% was considered as significant. Mean of serum fetuin level was 23.25 ± 4.90 ng/mL in HD patients and 32.92 ± 5.21 in the control group. Median of hs-CRP was 2.45 mg/dL in the patients and 1.00 mg/dL in the control group and i-PTH was 74.3 pg/mL in the patients and 7.30 pg/mL in the control group. The calcium-phosphorous product was 46.77 ± 14.22 mg/dL in the patient and 31.73 ± 6.48 mg/dL in the control group. A reverse significant association was found between fetuin-A and hs-CRP in this study. In this study, serum fetuin-A level in HD patients was lower than controls. Therefore, a low level of fetuin-A seems to be associated with atherosclerosis, inflammation and malnutrition

Effects of vitamin e and zinc supplementation on antioxidants in beta thalassemia major patients

Objective: In beta thalassemic patients, tissue damage occurs due to oxidative stress and it happens because of the accumulation of iron in the body. This study was conducted to determine the effect of zinc and vitamin E supplementation on antioxidant status in beta-thalassemic major patients. Methods: This double blind randomized clinical trial was carried out on 120 beta thalassemic patients older than 18 years. Patients were randomly categorized in four groups. Zinc (50mg/day) and vitamin E (400mg/day) supplements were administered for former and latter group, respectively. In the third group both supplements were administered in similar doses. The fourth (control) group received no supplement. The effect of supplementations on serum zinc and vitamin E, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and body mass index (BMI) were measured at the beginning and the end of the study. Findings: Serum zinc levels in group 1 and 3 were significantly increased (P<0.007 and P<0.005, respectively). Serum vitamin E levels in group 2 and 3 were also increased significantly (P<0.001). Mean GPX activity in group1, 2 and 3 decreased significantly (P<0.015, P<0.032 and P<0.029, respectively). Mean SOD activity and TAC did not show significant change after supplementation. BMI had significant increase in all treated groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: Our results suggest that beta thalassemic patients have enhanced oxidative stress and administration of selective antioxidants may preclude oxidative damage. © 2011 by Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, All rights reserved

Quantitative determination of aflatoxin by high performance liquid chromatography in wheat silos in Golestan province, north of Iran

Background: Aflatoxins are the most common mycotoxins that contaminate crops. They are produced by fungi such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Wheat (Tricitumaestivum) is one of the most important staple foods used in Iran, and the environmental conditions in the north of Iran are favorable to fungal growth. This study was designed in order to determine the aflatoxin concentration in wheat samples from silos in Golestan Province north of Iran. Methods: Samples were collected from three silos of Golestan province. First, aflatoxins were isolated using immu-noaffinity chromatography. Then the aflatoxin concentrations were determined by High performance liquid chroma-tography (HPLC) method and fluorescence detector. Results: Ten out of 34 samples (29.4 of samples) were contaminated by aflatoxins.No concentration was found above permitted aflatoxin levels in Iran (15 ng/g). In one sample (2.9), aflatoxin B1 was seen over the permissible limits in Iran. The highest level found in samples for total aflatoxin, aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1 and aflatox-in G2 were 7.08 ng/g, 6.91 ng/g, 0.29 ng/g, 1.37 ng/g and 0.23 ng/g, respectively. No correlation was found between humidity levels in wheat samples contained aflatoxin and wheat samples without aflatoxin. Conclusion: Despite the total aflatoxins determined in samples were below the permissible limits in Iran, the 29 aflatoxin contamination rate can negatively affect health factors and it should not be neglected. So, it is predictable that if the storage duration of samples increases, the aflatoxin contamination levels will increase. © 2015, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved

The effect of radiotherapy and chemotherapy on osmotic fragility of red blood cells and plasma levels of malondialdehyde in patients with breast cancer

Background: Gamma radiation effects on the erythrocyte membrane from three different functional parts, lipid bilayer, cytoskeleton and protein components. When the red cell membrane is exposed to radiation, it loses its integrity and hemoglobin leaks out. In addition, irradiation leads to lipid peroxidation and the products of this process, leading to hemolysis. The aim of the present study was to measure osmotic fragility (OF) of red blood cells and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as a marker of oxidative injury in breast cancer patients treated with radiation and chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: The OF test was performed using different concentrations of a salt solution. The measurement of MDA was done with chemical methods.11 The sampling was taken during three stages of treatment: first sample was taken before starting chemotherapy, the second sample was taken before radiation therapy and the third sample was taken after radiotherapy. Results: No statistically significant differences between levels of MDA in these three stages of treatment were observed. However, the comparison of mean levels of MDA showed an increase after radiotherapy. The OF rate did not show significant difference (P > 0.05) during the stages of treatment. Conclusion: In a standard treatment program of radiotherapy and chemotherapy lipid peroxidation level and OF do not significantly increase. © 2014 Greater Poland Cancer Centre

Effects of gradual salinity increase on osmoregulation in Caspian roach Rutilus caspicus

This study was carried out to determine the effects of gradual salinity increase on osmoregulatory ability of the Caspian roach Rutilus caspicus, under conditions which mimic stocking conditions of hatchery-raised fish. Initially, 30 juvenile fish (mean ±s.d. 3·20 ± 0·34 g) were transferred to 20 l circular tanks, in which salinities were changed in a stepwise fashion, from 0 to 5, 10 or 15 at 48 h intervals. The fish at salinity 15 were held for an additional 48 h at this salinity. Forty-eight hours after salinity transfer, survival rate, haematocrit, plasma Cl⁻, Na⁺ and K⁺ concentrations, osmolality and gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) activity were measured. The only effect of exposure to 5 was a significant reduction in haematocrit compared to the freshwater control group. Exposure to salinity 10 raised haematocrit, Cl⁻ and Na⁺ concentrations and osmolality. At 48 h exposure to salinity 15, haematocrit, Cl⁻ and Na⁺ concentrations and osmolality were significantly higher than freshwater controls, and gill NKA activity was significantly lower, but the effect on NKA was no longer evident at 96 h exposure. There were no effects on survival. These results indicate that R. caspicus juveniles experience an initial non-lethal iono-osmotic perturbation following salinity increase but can adapt to brackish water at salinity 15. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles

Drones, Virtual Reality, and Modeling: Communicating Catastrophic Dam Failure

Dam failures occur worldwide and can be economically and ecologically devastating. Communicating the scale of these risks to the general public and decision-makers is imperative. Two-dimensional (2D) dam failure hydraulic models inform owners and floodplain managers of flood regimes but have limitations when shared with non-specialists. This study addresses these limitations by constructing a 3D Virtual Reality (VR) environment to display the 1976 Teton Dam disaster case study using a pipeline composed of (1) 2D hydraulic model data (extrapolated into 3D), (2) a 3D reconstructed dam, and (3) a terrain model processed from UAS (Uncrewed Airborne System) imagery using Structure from Motion photogrammetry. This study validates the VR environment pipeline on the Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset with the criteria: immersion fidelity, movement, immersive soundscape, and agreement with historical observations and terrain. Through this VR environment, we develop an effective method to share historical events and, with future work, improve hazard awareness; applications of this method could improve citizen engagement with Early Warning Systems. This paper establishes a pipeline to produce a visualization tool for merging UAS imagery, Virtual Reality, digital scene creation, and sophisticated 2D hydraulic models to communicate catastrophic flooding events from natural or human-made levees or dams

Association between 318C/T polymorphism of the CTLA-4 gene and systemic lupus erythematosus in Iranian patients

Background: Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is an important negative regulator of T-cell response. It is a functional candidate gene connected with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We analyzed the role of -318C/T polymorphism in the promoter region of the CTLA-4 gene in Iranian patients suffering from SLE. Methods: A total of 180 SLE patients and 304 healthy ethnically matched controls were enrolled in the study. DNA was extracted from blood samples according to the standard procedure. Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragments length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to analyze the genotype and allele frequencies of these polymorphisms. Results: The CC genotype was observed in 170 (94.5%) of the SLE patients, which was significantly different compared to the controls (251 [82.4%]; P = 0.0001, OR = 3.51 95%CI = 1.77-7.53). T allele was significantly more common in the controls (9.2%) compared to SLE patients 2.8% (P = 0.0001, OR = 0.26, 95%CI = 0.13-0.53). There was no significant correlation between different genotypes and age, gender or family history of SLE in the studied population. Conclusion: It can be concluded that -318C/T polymorphism of CTLA-4 gene might play a significant role in the development of SLE in the Iranian patients. © 2014 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd

Comparison of newborn serum bilirubin level with two methods: Chemical and direct spectrophotometric

Objective: Bilirubin is the endproduct of heme catabolism. Serum bilirubin level can occationally be the only variable that affects the physician's decision. Bilirubin test is one of the most sensitive tests in the clinical laboratory. The aim of this research was to compare results of chemical versus direct spectrophotometric measurement of serum bilirubin. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2006 on 119 specimens of serum. Bilirubin levels were determined by four methods: direct spectrophotometric by DAS and clinic II instruments, chemically with dichloroaniline (DCA), and diazo methods. Findings: Mean serum bilirubin measured by DAS, clinicII, diazo, and DCA methods was 8.38 (3.59), 7.80 (3.69), 9.70 (4.06), and 8.17 (4.09) mg/dl respectively. Difference of means was significant when examined using ANOVA (P<0.001). The differences between diazo, method and the other three methods were significant, while among the latter methods there was no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Regarding significant differences between methods, for a better orientation of the physician and more accurate follow up of patients, we recommend to mention the method of measurement in laboratory reports