Intrapelvic Lumbosacral Fracture Dislocation in a Neurologically Intact Patient: A Case Report

Introduction: Lumbosacral fracture dislocation is a rare entity mainly occurred in high-energy trauma accidents. In this unstable injury, anatomical separation of the spinal column from pelvis is usually associated with severe neurological deficits. Case Presentation: We described a 16-year-old girl with extremely severe axial trauma to the lumbosacral spine who presented with fracture dislocation of the lumbosacral spine and its intrusion to the pelvic space. Despite violent lumbosacral joint dissociation on imaging studies, the patient was neurologically intact. She was treated with spinopelvic fusion and instrumentation. Conclusions: Although spinopelvic fracture dislocation injuries are severe high-energy entities, in cases with traumatic spondylolytic spondylolisthesis due to widening of the vertebral canal, neurologic deficit may not be seen at all

Quality of Life and Related Factors Among People With Spinal Cord Injuries in Tehran, Iran

Background: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is one of the biggest health problems. Disabilities resulting from injuries such as spinal disability requires special attention because of their potential reduced to cause adverse effects in different systems of the body. Today, improving the Quality of Life (QOL) in patients with SCIs is an important goal of treatment. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the QOL and related factors among people with SCIs. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 106 patients with SCI were selected through sampling based on census. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and a Short-Form 36 (SF-36) health survey questionnaire for measuring the QOL among patients. Data were analyzed using SPSS 14 software and descriptive and inferential statistics. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean QOL in these patients was 37.1 ± 1.7 years (21 - 65 years) and mean disease duration was 7.3±6 years. The most common injury was paraplegia. Most of the patients have moderate QOL (54.7 %). The results showed a significant relationship between QOL and marital status and employment status (P < 0.05). Also, results showed a significant relationship between QOL and education levels (P = 0.002), age (P = 0.001), and duration of illness (P = 0.001).The highest and lowest scores were 64 ± 7.1 and 36 ± 5.3 for understanding General Health (GH) and role physical, respectively. Conclusions: The results show that patients with SCI have a moderate health-related QOL Determining the QOL is needed to focus on the strengths and weaknesses of patients with spinal cord injuries. Planning principles is recommended in order to reform the disability

Dengue viruses and promising envelope protein domain III-based vaccines

Abstract Dengue viruses are emerging mosquito-borne pathogens belonging to Flaviviridae family which are transmitted to humans via the bites of infected mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Because of the wide distribution of these mosquito vectors, more than 2.5 billion people are approximately at risk of dengue infection. Dengue viruses cause dengue fever and severe life-threatening illnesses as well as dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. All four serotypes of dengue virus can cause dengue diseases, but the manifestations are nearly different depending on type of the virus in consequent infections. Infection by any serotype creates life-long immunity against the corresponding serotype and temporary immunity to the others. This transient immunity declines after a while (6 months to 2 years) and is not protective against other serotypes, even may enhance the severity of a secondary heterotypic infection with a different serotype through a phenomenon known as antibody-depended enhancement (ADE). Although, it can be one of the possible explanations for more severe dengue diseases in individuals infected with a different serotype after primary infection. The envelope protein (E protein) of dengue virus is responsible for a wide range of biological activities, including binding to host cell receptors and fusion to and entry into host cells. The E protein, and especially its domain III (EDIII), stimulates host immunity responses by inducing protective and neutralizing antibodies. Therefore, the dengue E protein is an important antigen for vaccine development and diagnostic purposes. Here, we have provided a comprehensive review of dengue disease, vaccine design challenges, and various approaches in dengue vaccine development with emphasizing on newly developed envelope domain III-based dengue vaccine candidates. Keywords: Dengue virus Envelope protein Chimeric vaccine Disease Immunogenicit

A transformerless three-level three-phase boost PWM inverter for PV applications

Abstract: Multilevel converters have seen rising demands in the past decades, due to their increased power ratings, enhanced power quality, low switching losses and reduced electromagnetic interference. Prominent among them are the three‐level (3L) neutral point clamped and the flying capacitor inverter topologies along with their derivatives. Nevertheless, the main drawback of these topologies is the requirement of a front‐end boost DC–DC converter to compensate the high dc‐link voltage demand, which is usually twice the grid peak voltage. This multi‐stage power conversion further pulls down the overall system efficiency. A single‐stage dc–ac power converter with boost capability offer an interesting alternative compared to the two stage approach. Considering this aspect, a novel three‐level three‐phase boost type inverter is introduced in this paper for general‐purpose applications (prominently grid‐connected renewable energy). The proposed inverter would reduce the DC‐link voltage requirement to half using the same or even less number of active and passive components, compared to the conventional three‐level neutral point clamped and flying capacitor family. The principle of operation and theoretical analysis are discussed in detail. The design methodology along with simulation and experimental waveforms for a 5 kVA inverter are presented to prove the concept of the proposed inverter topology for practical applications

Reducing radar cross section by investigation electromagnetic materials

Decreasing the Radar Cross Section (RCS) is investigated in electromagnetic materials, i.e. double-positive (DPS) , double-negative (DNG) , epsilon-negative (ENG) and mu-negative (MNG) materials. The interesting properties of these materials lead to a great flexibility in manufacturing structures with unusual electromagnetic characteristics. The valid conditions for achieving the transparency and gaining resonance for an electrically small cylinder are established, in this corresponding The effect of incidence direction on RCS inclusive of transparency and resonance conditions is also explored ,through computer simulations for an electrically small cylinder

Prevention of methylprednisolone acetate-induced osteoporosis with calcium administration in rat model

Glucocorticoid steroids are widely used as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications and are well known to induce osteoporosis. In Present study 24 rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=6): Group A (control), Group B (sham)that was treated only by normal saline for 1 month.Group C that was treated by methylprednisolone acetate alone (0.2 mg/kg) for 1 month. Group D that was treated by methylprednisolone acetate (0.2 mg/kg) and oral calcium supplementation (15 mg/kg) for 1 month. Changes in concentration of bone metabolic markers such as osteocalcine, acid phosphatase and calcium were evaluated before and after treatment. Bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar vertebrae was also measured by dual energy X ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The results showed that concentration mean of serum acid phosphatase was increased significantly (P � 0.05) in C and D groups in compared to A and B groups. The concentration mean of serum osteocalcine in group C was decreased significantly (P � 0.05) in comparison to A and B groups but increased significantly in the group D in comparison to group C. The concentration mean of serum calcium was decreased significantly (P � 0.05) in C and D groups in compared to A and B groups. The bone mineral density (g/cm2) was decreased significantly (P � 0.05) in group C in compared to A and B groups. This increased significantly in group D in compared to group C. These results are compatible with the view that low doses of methylprednisolone acetate decreases bone formation and increase bone resorption in the lumbar vertebrae of rats. Calcium administration decreased effects of methylprednisolone. © 2009 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Quality of Life Among Veterans With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury and Related Variables

Background: In recent decades, the incidence of spinal cord injuries has increased. In a systemic review on epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in developing countries reported 25.5/million cases per year. Objectives: To assess the quality of life (QOL) of the veterans among Iran-Iraq war with chronic spinal cord injuries (SCI) and to evaluate long-term impressions of SCI on their quality of life. Patients and Methods: Fifty-two veterans, all male, with chronic spinal cord injury from Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) were interviewed and examined. The mean age of veterans at the time of interview was 49.3 years (38 to 80 years). Veterans were assessed by using a 36-item short-form (SF-36), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and the Barthel index. The presence or absence of pressure sores and spasticity were documented as well. Results: The mean age of veterans at the time of study was 49.3 years. Pearson's correlation test showed that depression and anxiety have a reverse association with mental component summary (MCS) scale and physical component summary (PCS) scale scores, respectively. Regression analysis showed a negative effect of depression and pressure sore on PCS. Moreover, no association was found between the duration of injury and age with quality of life. Conclusions: Lower QOL was found among veterans with chronic SCI. More researches on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are needed to give us a better understanding of changes in life of patients with SCI and the ways to improve them

Melatonin pretreated blastocysts along with calcitonin administration improved implantation by upregulation of heparin binding-epidermal growth factor expression in murine endometrium

Objective: Implantation failure is an obstacle in assisted reproduction techniques (ART). Calcitonin is a molecules involved in uterine receptivity and embryo implantation. Melatonin can promote embryo quality and improve implantation. This study examines the effect of pretreatment of blastocysts with melatonin and calcitonin on heparin binding-epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) expression in murine endometrium. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, we collected 2-cell embryos from the oviducts of 1.5 day pregnant NMRI mice. Embryos were cultured to the blastocyst in GTM medium with or without 10-9 M melatonin. Pregnant and pseudo-pregnant mice received intraperitoneal (IP) injections of 2 IU calcitonin. After 24 hours, we transferred the cultured blastocysts into the uteri of pseudo-pregnant mice. Two days later, implantation sites were counted and we assessed the levels of HB-EGF mRNA and protein in the uteri of naturally pregnant and pseudo-pregnant mice by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Statistical analysis was performed with one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey post hoc test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Melatonin pretreatment of blastocysts along with calcitonin administration significantly increased HB-EGF mRNA and protein (P<0.001) in the endometrium of pseudo-pregnant mice. Administration of calcitonin in naturally pregnant mice significantly increased HB-EGF mRNA and protein levels (P<0.001). Compared with the control group (2.6 ± 0.5), the average number of implantation sites in the melatonin group (4.6 ± 0.5, P<0.05) and calcitonin group (7 ± 1, P<0.001) significantly increased. There was a significant increase in implantation sites in the combined melatonin and calcitonin group (8.6 ± 0.5, P<0.001). Calcitonin significantly enhanced calcitonin receptor mRNA (P<0.001) and protein (P<0.05) in the uteri of naturally pregnant and pseudo-pregnant mice. Conclusion: Melatonin pretreated blastocysts along with calcitonin increased HB-EGF expression in the uteri of pseudopregnant mice. Calcitonin administration upregulated HB-EGF in uteri of naturally pregnant mice

The effects of vitamin D supplementation on signaling pathway of inflammation and oxidative stress in diabetic hemodialysis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the effects of vitamin D supplementation on signaling pathway of inflammation and oxidative stress in diabetic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods: This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted among 60 diabetic HD patients. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups to intake either vitamin D supplements at a dosage of 50,000 IU (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) every 2 weeks for 12 weeks. Gene expression of inflammatory cytokines and biomarkers of oxidative stress were assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of diabetic HD patients with RT-PCR method. Results: Results of RT-PCR indicated that after the 12-week intervention, compared to the placebo, vitamin D supplementation downregulated gene expression of interleukin (IL)-1β (P = 0.02), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (P = 0.02) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) (P = 0.03) in PBMCs of diabetic HD patients. Additionally, vitamin D supplementation, compared to the placebo, downregulated gene expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) (P = 0.04), protein kinase C (PKC) (P = 0.001), and mitogen-activated protein kinases 1 (MAPK1) (P = 0.02) in PBMCs of diabetic HD patients. Although not significant, vitamin D supplementation let to a reduction of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) (p = 0.75) expression in PBMCs isolated from diabetic patients compared to the placebo group. There was no statistically significant change following supplementation with vitamin D on gene expression of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in PBMCs of diabetic HD patients. Conclusions: Overall, we found that vitamin D supplementation for 12 weeks among diabetic HD patients had beneficial effects on few gene expression related to inflammation and oxidative stress. © 2018 Haddad Kashani, Seyed Hosseini, Nikzad, Soleimani, Soleimani, Tamadon, Keneshlou and Asemi

Counting fermionic zero modes on M5 with fluxes

We study the Dirac equation on an M5 brane wrapped on a divisor in a Calabi--Yau fourfold in the presence of background flux. We reduce the computation of the normal bundle U(1) anomaly to counting the solutions of a finite--dimensional linear system on cohomology. This system depends on the choice of flux. In an example, we find that the presence of flux changes the anomaly and allows instanton corrections to the superpotential which would otherwise be absent.Comment: 14 pages. v2: reference added, typos corrected, few change