A Method to Reclaim Multifractal Statistics from Saturated Images

The CompuMAINE lab has developed a patented computational cancer detection method utilizing the 2D Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima (WTMM) method to help predict disrupted, tumor-associated breast tissue from mammography. The lab has a database of mammograms in which some of the image subregions contain artefacts which are excluded from the analysis, image saturation is one such artefact. To maximize statistical power in our clinical analyses, our goal is therefore to minimize the rejection of image subregions containing artefacts. The goal of this particular project is to explore the effects of image saturation on the resulting multifractal statistics from the 2D WTMM method. Groups of numerically simulated (monofractal) fractional Brownian motion (fBm) surfaces with varying roughness exponents were generated and saturated at the 1\%, 5\%, 10\% and 20\% levels. We find that image saturation reduces the range of available statistical order moments relative to an unsaturated image. By assessing the effects of image saturation on the 2D WTMM calculations, we developed a filtering approach where we nearly regained the entire range of statistical order moments thus limiting the impacts of image saturation

Mathematical modeling of absorption behavior of acid dye onto wool fibre using law of conservation of mass

The absorption behavior of acid dye on wool fibre has been studied using isotherm, absorption kinetic and law of mass conservation equations. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Freundlich-Langmuir isotherm equations are used to represent the adsorption isotherm of acid dyes on wool. The findings show that the best fit to the adsorption isotherms for acid dyes by wool fibres is obtained by Freundlich-Langmuir model. The pseudo- first and second-order models of absorption kinetics are used to investigate the absorption behavior of acid dye on wool fibre. The obtained result shows good agreement between the practical data and the pseudo- second-order model of absorption kinetic. Also, the law of conservation of mass has been used for modeling the acid dye distribution during dyeing process and the rate of dye uptake by wool fibre. The performance of suggested mathematical model is acceptable

Prominent stylistic aspects in music of Nāser Khosrow's poetry

It is axiomatic  for those who are stylistically a little familiar  about  the periods of  Persian  poetry  that  quasidas  of  Nāser-e Khosrow are totally  different  from  those  of  the  poets  in  fifth  lunar  century  both  in  terms  of  their  contents  and  technically.  This difference  is  seen  even  in  those  areas  of  his  poetry in which the poet is confided to make innovations. This paper investigates Nāser-e Khosrow's style in the field of the music of poetry. It also aims to identify his slylistic differences comparing with those of his most famous contemporaries (Onsori, Farrokhi and Manoochehri) in external, lateral and internal areas.      As the first  step, all the Nāser Khosrow's poems -exept for additions section- was considered the Scope of this study, accompanied by main parts of other three cited  poets' divans (poetical works) which consists almost 23600 distiches. For the second stage, each poet's divan were separatly scrutinized in three fields of the music of poetry. The frequency of each cases were recorded and after comparing statistics related to Nāser-e Khosrow's poems with other tree poets,  stylistic charachteristics of his poetry were explored. Statistical information related to the poets were generally recorded in a table and some parts of them were shown in a bar graph. It seems necessary to note that the researcher considered two items of  innovation and frequncy in all phases of the study.     Most of the studies done in the field of Nāser-e Khosrow's music of poetry, investigated the prosody and meter of his poetry. Most of these studies considered difficulty and relevancy as the important prosodic characteristics of  his poetry. Regarding the lateral and internal areas of Nāser-e Khosrow's poetry, there are not much argument proposed except for using difficult rhymes and nominal radifs ( for lateral music of poetry) and attending to figures of speech which are based on some types repetition ( for internal music of poetry).     In this paper, musical characteristics of Nāser-e Khosrow's poetry were classified into three sections comparing with those of the three above cited poets: A) in prosody or external area, main characteristics of his style were concluded into two items: 1) using rare meters, and 2) pause in meter, which is one of the main factors for making his quasidas' meters unpleasant. One reason for this could be "poetic emotions".  It means that the meter of Nāser-e Khosrow's poetry is not a selective act. It is related directly to his emotions and this is one reason for his metric differences in comparison to those of other poets. His emotions are mirrored in his poetical meters and because his emotions are different from others', his used meters are different from others'. So that the reason for pauses or his unpleasant meters in his poems was related to his different emotions. Another reason for using unpleasant and difficult meters was that Nāser-e Khosrow avoided kings' courts (as an incentive for using pleasant meters for other contemporaries). Besides, attention and emphasis on such topics as advice, asceticism, and criticism influenced on the type of used meters and quality of  meter selection by Nāser-e Khosrow. B) in lateral area of  Nāser-e Khosrow's music of poetry, the only point to be noticed is using non-verb radifs more than his contemporaries. C) Considering the internal area of Nāser-e Khosrow's music of poetry, the most important characteristics of his poetry style is ample using of such devices as alliteration, assonance, and some types of pun. But one important point about pun in his poetry is in special use of that as a pivot for satire, criticism and lampoon

The Effect of Intravenous Metoclopramide on Pain, Nausea, Discomfort, and Ease of Insertion of Nasogastric Tube in Emergency Department: A Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Placement of nasogastric tube (NGT) is a routine procedure in the emergency departments, which can be uncomfortable, painful, and cause nausea. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intravenous metoclopramide on the ease of NGT insertion, as well as reduction of patients’ pain, nausea, and discomfort during NGT insertion in the emergency department. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 80 patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Mazandaran Province, Iran were enrolled. Data were collected from December 2015 to March 2016. Participants were selected via convenience sampling and randomly divided into two equal groups (placebo and intervention groups). In metoclopramide and placebo groups, 10 mg of metoclopramide and 10 mg of normal saline solution were administered, respectively. All of the NGT was inserted 15–20 mins after the intravenous infusion. Patient-reported pain, discomfort, and nausea were evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS), at four time points including before (T0), immediately (T1), 30 min after (T2), and 1 hr after the NGT placement (T3). The ease of NGT insertion was evaluated as easy, moderate, and difficult to pass. Results: None of the patients had pain, nausea, and discomfort in T0. Additionally, for those who received intravenous metoclopramide, pain intensity significantly decreased compared with the placebo group in T1 (37.7 vs 55.0), T2 (26.2 vs 41.7), and T3 (20.5 vs 33.7), respectively (P < 0.001). Nausea intensity decreased significantly over time among patients in the intervention group compared with the placebo group in T1 (32.7 vs 43.2), T2 (19.5 vs 31.2), and T3 (9.0 vs 21.7), respectively (P < 0.001). The intensity of patients’ discomfort decreased significantly among patients in the intervention group compared with the placebo group in T1 (39.5 vs 54.0), T2 (28.7 vs 40.2), and T3 (26.2 vs 39.6), respectively (P < 0.001). Patients in the intervention group had easier placement of NGT compared with the placebo group (Easy: 40.0% vs 0.0%, Moderate: 45.0% vs 62.5%, and Difficult: 15.0% vs 37.5%; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it seems that intravenous metoclopramide can be used as a promising modality for improving the ease of NGT placement and reducing patients’ pain, nausea, and discomfort during NGT insertion in the emergency department

The effect of intravenous metoclopramide on pain, nausea, discomfort, and ease of insertion of nasogastric tube in emergency department: a double-blind randomized clinical trial

Background: Placement of nasogastric tube (NGT) is a routine procedure in the emergencydepartments, which can be uncomfortable, painful, and cause nausea. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intravenous metoclopramide on the ease of NGT insertion, as well as reduction of patients’ pain, nausea, and discomfort during NGT insertion in the emergency department.Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 80 patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Mazandaran Province, Iran were enrolled. Data were collected from December 2015 to March 2016. Participants were selected via convenience sampling and randomly divided into two equal groups (placebo and intervention groups). In metoclopramide and placebo groups, 10 mg of metoclopramide and 10 mg of normal saline solution were administered, respectively. All of the NGT was inserted 15–20 mins after the intravenous infusion. Patient-reported pain, discomfort, and nausea were evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS), at four time points including before (T0), immediately (T1), 30 min after (T2), and 1hr after the NGT placement (T3). The ease of NGT insertion was evaluated as easy, moderate, and difficult to pass.Results: None of the patients had pain, nausea, and discomfort in T0. Additionally, for those who received intravenous metoclopramide, pain intensity significantly decreased compared with the placebo group in T1 (37.7 vs 55.0), T2 (26.2 vs 41.7), and T3 (20.5 vs 33.7), respectively (P < 0.001). Nausea intensity decreased significantly over time among patients in the interventiongroup compared with the placebo group in T1 (32.7 vs 43.2), T2 (19.5 vs 31.2), and T3 (9.0 vs 21.7), respectively (P < 0.001). The intensity of patients’ discomfort decreased significantlyamong patients in the intervention group compared with the placebo group in T1 (39.5 vs 54.0), T2 (28.7 vs 40.2), and T3 (26.2 vs 39.6), respectively (P < 0.001). Patients in the intervention group had easier placement of NGT compared with the placebo group (Easy: 40.0% vs 0.0%, Moderate: 45.0% vs 62.5%, and Difficult: 15.0% vs 37.5%; P < 0.001).Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it seems that intravenous metoclopramide can be used as a promising modality for improving the ease of NGT placement and reducing patients’ pain, nausea, and discomfort during NGT insertion in the emergency department

Erratum: Melatonin and urological cancers: A new therapeutic approach (Cancer Cell International (2020) 20 (444) DOI: 10.1186/s12935-020-01531-1)

Following publication of the original article 1, we were notified of a mistake in the spelling of the first author. Incorrect spelling: Mohammad Hossein Mehrzadi Correct spelling: Mohammad Hossein Pourhanifeh The original article has been corrected. © 2020 The Author(s). Reference:

Melatonin and urological cancers: A new therapeutic approach

Urological cancers are responsible for thousands of cancer-related deaths around the world. Despite all developments in therapeutic approaches for cancer therapy, the absence of efficient treatments is a critical and vital problematic issue for physicians and researchers. Furthermore, routine medical therapies contribute to several undesirable adverse events for patients, reducing life quality and survival time. Therefore, many attempts are needed to explore potent alternative or complementary treatments for great outcomes. Melatonin has multiple beneficial potential effects, including anticancer properties. Melatonin in combination with chemoradiation therapy or even alone could suppress urological cancers through affecting essential cellular pathways. This review discusses current evidence reporting the beneficial effect of melatonin in urological malignancies, including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and renal cancer. © 2020 The Author(s)

A case report: Brugada syndrome in the setting of hypothermia.

Hypothermia is a common diagnosis in the Emergency Department. It can cause a multitude of symptoms and complications if not treated promptly. The following case report discusses Brugada pattern on an electrocardiogram in a patient with hypothermia and diabetic ketoacidosis. There was resolution of the Brugada pattern on the electrocardiogram after the patient was warmed to 35.3 °C

Melatonin potentials against viral infections including COVID-19: Current evidence and new findings

Viral infections are dangerous diseases for human health worldwide, which lead to significant morbidity and mortality each year. Because of their importance and the lack of effective therapeutic approaches, further attempts should be made to discover appropriate alternative or complementary treatments. Melatonin, a multifunctional neurohormone mainly synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland, plays some roles in the treatment of viral infections. Regarding a deadly outbreak of COVID-19 across the world, we decided to discuss melatonin functions against various viral infections including COVID-19. Therefore, in this review, we summarize current evidence on melatonin therapy for viral infections with focus on possible underlying mechanisms of melatonin actions. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Melatonin potentials against viral infections including COVID-19: Current evidence and new findings

Viral infections are dangerous diseases for human health worldwide, which lead to significant morbidity and mortality each year. Because of their importance and the lack of effective therapeutic approaches, further attempts should be made to discover appropriate alternative or complementary treatments. Melatonin, a multifunctional neurohormone mainly synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland, plays some roles in the treatment of viral infections. Regarding a deadly outbreak of COVID-19 across the world, we decided to discuss melatonin functions against various viral infections including COVID-19. Therefore, in this review, we summarize current evidence on melatonin therapy for viral infections with focus on possible underlying mechanisms of melatonin actions. © 2020 Elsevier B.V